Friday of the Fifth week of Lent

Book of Jeremiah

I hear the whisperings of many: "Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!" All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. "Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him."
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!

Psalms

I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?"
The Jews answered him, "We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize (and understand) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
(Then) they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said, "John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true."
And many there began to believe in him.

St. Stanislas(Bishop and Martyr (1030-1079))

SAINT STANISLAS Bishop and Martyr (1030-1079) St. Stanislas was born in answer to his parents' prayers, who were advanced in age. Out of gratitude, they dedicated him to God. He was ordained, became a holy priest, and in time was elected bishop of Cracow. The King of Poland, Boleslas II, outraged the whole kingdom by kidnapping the wife of one of his nobles. Against this public scandal, 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 that 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. Popular 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. Stanislas excommunicated him. In defiance of the censure, on April 11, 1079, the king went to a chapel where the bishop was celebrating Mass and sent in three companies of soldiers to kill him. Each company left saying they had been scared by a light from heaven. The king then rushed in and killed the Saint with his own hand.

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)()

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