Saturday of the Third week of Easter

Acts of the Apostles

9,31-42.

The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
As Peter was passing through every region, he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda.
There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed.
Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed." He got up at once.
And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated means Dorcas). She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
Now during those days she fell sick and died, so after washing her, they laid (her) out in a room upstairs.
Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, "Please come to us without delay."
So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, "Tabitha, rise up." She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.
He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive.
This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord.

Psalms

116(115),12-13.14-15.16-17.

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant; the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

6,60-69.

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father."
As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

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St. Catherine of Siena((1347-1380))

SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA Virgin and Doctor of the ChurchCo patron of Europe - Feast in Europe (1347-1380) St. Catherine, the daughter of a humble tradesman, was raised up to be the guide and guardian of the Church in one of the darkest periods of its history, the fourteenth century. As a child, prayer was her delight. She would say the Hail Mary on each step as she mounted the stairs, and was granted in reward a vision of Christ in glory. When seven years old, she made a vow of virginity, and afterward endured bitter resentment and mistreatment for refusing to marry. Our Lord gave her his heart in exchange for her own, communicated her with his own hands, and stamped on her body the print of his wounds. At the age of fifteen, she entered the Third Order of St. Dominic, but continued to reside in her father's shop, where she united a life of active charity with the prayer of a contemplative saint. From this obscure home, the seraphic virgin was summoned to defend the Church's cause. Armed with Papal authority, and accompanied by three confessors, she travelled through Italy, reducing rebellious cities to the obedience of the Holy See, and winning hardened souls to God. In the face of impossibility, well-nigh of the whole world, she sought out Gregory XI at Avignon, brought him back to Rome, and by her letters to the kings and queens of Europe made good the Papal cause. She was the counsellor of Pope Urban VI, and sternly rebuked the disloyal cardinals who had part in electing an antipope. Long had the holy virgin foretold the terrible schism, which began ere she died. Day and night she wept and prayed for unity and peace, but the devil excited the Roman people against the Pope, so that some sought the life of Christ's Vicar. With intense earnestness did St. Catherine beg our Lord to prevent this enormous crime. In spirit, she saw the whole city full of demons tempting the people to resist and even slay the Pope. The seditious temper was subdued by Catherine's prayers, but the devils vented their malice by scourging the Saint herself, who gladly endured all for God and his Church. Her experiences of being buffeted by demons reflect those of other saints like Padre Pio; and even other Christians who experienced demonic assault. Hence her trust and intercession may be relied upon with those who have conquered; foremost the Blessed Virgin. She passed away at Rome in 1380, age thirty-three. Her intercession for causes has been firmly established. She looks upon all who trust in her with love; interceeding on our behalf before God forever.

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St. Hugh of Cluny(Abbot (1024-1109))

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SAINT HUGH Abbot of Cluny (1024-1109) St. Hugh was a prince related to the sovereign house of the dukes of Burgundy. He was educated by his pious Mother, and under the care of Hugh, Bishop of Auxerre, his great-uncle. From his childhood, he was exceedingly given to prayer and meditation, and his life was remarkably innocent and holy. One day, hearing an account of the wonderful sanctity of the monks of Cluny under St. Odilo, he was so moved that he set out that moment; and going thither, humbly begged the monastic habit. After a rigid novitiate, he made his profession in 1039, being sixteen years old. His extraordinary virtue, especially his admirable humility, obedience, charity, sweetness, prudence and zeal, gained him the respect of the whole community. Upon the death of St. Odilo, in 1049, though only twenty-five years old, he succeeded to the government of that great abbey, which he held sixty-two years. He received to the religious profession Hugh, Duke of Burgundy, and passed away on the twenty-ninth of April in 1109, aged eighty-five.He was canonized twelve years after his death by Pope Calixtus II.

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Bl. Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation((1770-1824))

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Bl. Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation Foundress, Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament (1770-1824) Caterina Sordini was born on April 16, 1770, at Grosseto, Italy. She was the fourth of nine children born into a truly Catholic family. When she was seventeen, her father arranged for her to marry a maritime merchant. At first, she was against it, but later complied with her father's wishes. The young man gave her a casket of jewels and, having adorned herself, turned to admire her reflection in the mirror, but saw the image of the Crucified Christ who asked: "Do you want to leave me for another?" She took the question seriously; and in February 1788, visited the Franciscan Tertiary Monastery in Ischia di Castro. Caterina entered then and there, thus shocking her father who had thought it was merely a visit. She was clothed six months later, taking the name of Sr. Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation. On February 19, 1789, she fell into ecstasy and saw a vision of "Jesus seated on a throne of grace in the Blessed Sacrament, surrounded by virgins adoring him" and heard him telling her: "I have chosen you to establish the work of perpetual adorers who, day and night, will offer me their humble adoration..." Thus, she was called to become a foundress and to spend her life adoring Jesus in the Eucharist. In that turbulent period for the Church, she set an example to all. She was elected Abbess on April 20, 1802. The period of her governance was accompanied by extraordinary phenomena and an increasingly fervent spiritual life, and the abbey thrived. With the consent of her spiritual director and the local bishop, she drafted the rules of the new Institute and set out for Rome on May 31, 1807. On July 8, she and a few Sisters moved into Sts. Joachim and Anne convent near the Trevi Fountain. Under the French occupation, it was confiscated and the Napoleonic laws suppressed her order. She was exiled to Tuscany.There, she formed a new group of Adorers. On March 19, 1814, when they could return to Rome, they settled at Sant'Anna al Quirinale. On February 13, 1818, Pope Pius VII approved the Institute dedicated to perpetual, solemn, public exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Mother Mary Magdalene passed away in Rome on April 29, 1824. She was buried at Sant'Anna al Quirinale. In 1839, her remains were translated to the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, the new generalate of the Perpetual Adorers in Rome.Pope John Paul II decreed her heroic virtues in 2001; and Pope Benedict XVI beatified her on May 3, 2008.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2023 / Catholic Missal of april 2023