Catholic Missal of the day: Monday, April 11 2016
Monday of the Third week of Easter
Monday of the Third week of Easter
1. ReadingActs of the Apostles
6,8-15.]Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people.
]Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen,
]but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.
]Then they instigated some men to say, "We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God."
]They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
]They presented false witnesses who testified, "This man never stops saying things against (this) holy place and the law.
]For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us."
]All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Psalms
119(118),23-24.26-27.29-30.]Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
]Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
]I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
]Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
]Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
]The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
6,22-29.] The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left.
]Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks.
]When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
]And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
]Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
]Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."
]So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"
]Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."
St. Stanislas(Bishop and Martyr (1030-1079))
SAINT STANISLAS Bishop and Martyr (1030-1079) St. Stanislas was born in answer to his elderly parents' prayers. With gratitude, they dedicated him to God. He was ordained, received holy orders and in time was elected bishop of Cracow. The King of Poland, Boleslas II, scandalized his countrymen by kidnapping the wife of one of his nobles. Against this injustice, Bp. Stanislas alone raised his voice. He went to the palace, rebuked the king and threatened excommunication. King Boleslas compelled the nephews of one Paul, lately deceased, to bring false testimony against Bp. Stanislas. They swore their uncle had never been paid for land bought by the bishop for the Church. Bp. Stanislas braved the king's tribunal even when all his witnesses forsook him. St. Stanislas' cult may have given rise to popular legend. Tradition states that he brought a dead man to life so the latter would witness for him. Bp. Stanislas raised Paul to life, led him before the king and was vindicated. King Boleslas relapsed, unfortunately and Bp. Stanislaus excommunicated him. In defiance of the censure, on April 11, 1079, King Boleslas sent three companies of soldiers to kill St. Stanislaus while the latter celebrated Mass. Each company was turned away saying they had been repelled by a light from heaven. The king then rushed in and murdered the bishop. St. Stanislaus was martyred for Christ and freedom of speech. He is the patron of Poland and Kraków.
St. Gemma Galgani((1878-1903))
St. Gemma Galgani(1878-1903) St. Gemma Galgani was born in a small Italian town near Lucca on March 12, 1878. At a very young age, she began praying regularly and frequently. She made her First Communion on June 17, 1887. At the school run by the Sisters of St. Zita, Gemma was loved by her teachers and her fellow pupils. Although quiet and reserved, she always had a smile for everyone. She was a good student, but had to quit school due to chronic ill health. Throughout her life, Gemma was favored with many mystical experiences and special graces. These were often misunderstood by others, causing ridicule. Gemma suffered these heartaches as reparations, remembering that Our Lord had been misunderstood and ridiculed. Gemma had an immense love for the poor and helped them in any way she could. After her father's death, the 19-year-old took charge of raising her seven brothers and sisters. When some were old enough to share the responsibility, she lived briefly with a married aunt. At this time, two young men proposed to her. However, she wanted silence and retirement, and to pray and speak only with God. Gemma returned home and almost immediately became very ill with meningitis. The illness caused her to feel like she was a burden on the relatives who cared for her. She recognized temptation and prayed for help to the Venerable Passionist, Gabriel Possenti (Gabriel was later canonized). Through his intercession, she was miraculously cured. Gemma's poor health prevented her from becoming a nun. She offered this disappointment to God as a sacrifice. She predicted that the Passionists would establish a monastery in Lucca; and it happened two years after her death. Today, her relics are enshrined at the Passionist monastery in Lucca. On June 8, 1899, Gemma had an interior warning that some unusual grace was to be granted to her. She had pain in her hands, feet and heart, and blood poured from them. Every Thursday evening, Gemma fell into rapture and the wounds appeared. The stigmata remained until Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Gemma's stigmata appeared until the last three years of her life, when her confessor forbade her from accepting them. Gemma's confessor arranged her stay with a family named Giannini, where she was allowed more freedom for her spiritual life. She had many ecstacies and her words spoken during these raptures were recorded by her confessor and a relative of her adoptive family. At the end of her ecstacies, she returned to normal and went on quietly and serenely. She often saw her guardian angel, who she was on familiar terms with. She often sent her guardian angel on errands, usually to deliver a letter or oral message to her confessor in Rome. In January of 1903, Gemma was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She died quietly in the company of the parish priest on April 11, at age 25. The parish priest said, "She died with a smile which remained upon her lips, so that I could not convince myself that she was really dead." During the apostolic investigations into her life, all witnesses testified that there was no artfulness in Gemma's manner. Most of her severe penances and sacrifices were hidden from those who knew her. She was beatified in 1933 and canonized on May 2, 1940, only 37 years after her death.
St. Gemma Galgani (1878 - 1903)()
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2016 / Catholic Missal of april 2016
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:03Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:03Z