Catholic Missal of the day: Thursday, April 16 2026

Thursday of the Second week of Easter

Acts of the Apostles

When the court officers had brought the Apostles in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them,
"We gave you strict orders (did we not?) to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood upon us."
But Peter and the apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him."
When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.

Psalms

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.

St. Engratia and Saragossa's Martyrs((+ 304))

THE EIGHTEEN MARTYRS OF SARAGOSSA and ST. ENCRATIS, or ENGRATIA Virgin and Martyr (+ 304) During the persecution of Diocletian in 304, St. Optatus and seventeen other holy men were martyred on the same day in Saragossa. Two others, Caius and Crementius, were martyred during a second persecution and died from torture. The Church also celebrates St. Encratis, or Engratia, a native of Portugal. Her father had promised her in marriage to a man of quality in Roussillon. She instead consecrated her virginity to Christ and served Him without hindrance. Engratia stole away from her father's house and fled privately to Saragossa. She reproached Governor Dacian for persecuting Christians and was tortured. Her sides were torn with iron hooks, one of her breasts was cut off and part of her liver was pulled out. She was sent back to prison and dlied from her wounds. Her relics and those of Saragossa's martyrs were recovered in 1389.

St. Bernadette Soubirous()

St. Bernadette SoubirousReligious and Visionary (1844-1879) Bernadette was born in Lourdes, France, on January 7, 1844, the daughter of Francis and Louise Soubirous. Hard times had fallen on France and the family lived in extreme poverty. Bernadette was a sickly child. She contracted cholera as a toddler and suffered severe asthma for the rest of her life. Bernadette attended the day school of the Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction from Nevers. By the time of the events at the grotto, her family's financial and social status had declined to the point where they lived in a one-room basement, formerly used as a jail, called le cachot. On February 11, 1858, Bernadette was granted a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a cave on the banks of the Gave River near Lourdes. She was placed in considerable jeopardy when she reported the vision; and crowds gathered when she had futher visits from the Virgin, from February 18 of that year through March 4.The civil authorities tried to frighten Bernadette into recanting her accounts, but she remained steadfast. On February 25, Our Lady revealed a spring, hidden below mud and debris in the cave, whose waters miraculously healed the sick and the lame.On March 25, Bernadette announced that Our Lady claimed to be the Immaculate Conception, which convinced the local priest. Our Lady asked that a church be built on the site and for prayer and penance. Many authorities tried to shut down the spring and delay the chapel's construction. Bernadette's visions reached Empress Eugenie of France, the wife of Napoleon III, who expedited the construction. Crowds gathered, free of harassment from the anticlerical and antireligious officials. Bernadette disliked the attention she attracted and went to the hospice school run by the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, where she finally learned to read and write. Although she considered joining the Carmelites, her health precluded her entering any of the strict contemplative orders.On July 29, 1866, with forty-two other candidates, she took the religious habit of a postulant and joined the Sisters of Charity at their motherhouse at Nevers. She faced harsh treatment from the mistress of novices, but was relieved once her painful, incurable illness was discovered. On her deathbed, Bernadette suffered from severe pain. The Holy Virgin once reminded her, "Penance, Penance, Penance." With heroic generosity and love in the face of immense suffering, Bernadette exclaimed "all this is good for Heaven!" Her final words were, "Blessed Mary, Mother of God, pray for me! A poor sinner, a poor sinner." She passed away in Nevers on April 16, 1879. Lourdes became one of the major pilgrimage destinations in the world, and the spring has produced 27,000 gallons of water each week since emerging during Bernadette's visions. She was not involved in the building of the shrine, as she remained hidden in her monastic enclosure at Nevers. Bernadette was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1933 by Pope Pius XI.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2026 / Catholic Missal of april 2026