Catholic Missal of the day: Thursday, August 18 2016
Thursday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Thursday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
1. ReadingBook of Ezekiel
36,23-28.]Thus says the LORD: I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations, in whose midst you have profaned it. Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
]For I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land.
]I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
]I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts.
]I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees.
]You shall live in the land I gave your fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Psalms
51(50),12-13.14-15.18-19.]A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
]Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
]Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
]I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
]For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
]My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew
22,1-14.]Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying,
]“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
]He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.
]A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast."'
]Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.
]The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
]The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
]Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
]Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.'
]The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests.
]But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
]He said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence.
]Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'
]Many are invited, but few are chosen."
St. Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga(Priest (1901-1952))
Saint Alberto Hurtado CruchagaPriest(1901-1952) Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga was born in Viña del Mar, Chile, on January 22, 1901. When he was 4 years old, his father died and his mother sold their property to pay off debts. Alberto and his brother lived with relatives and often moved from one family to another. At an early age, he experienced poverty, homelessness and being at the mercy of others. He completed his secondary education, was given a scholarship to the Jesuit College in Santiago and became a member of the Sodality of Our Lady. He developed a lively interest in the poor and spent time with them every Sunday afternoon in the slums. After completing his secondary education in 1917, Alberto wanted to become a Jesuit, but he postponed his novitiate to take care of his mother and younger brother. He worked in the afternoons and evenings while studying law at the Catholic University. Meanwhile, he continued caring for the poor and visiting them every Sunday. Obligatory military service interrupted his studies, but he fulfilled his duty and earned his degree in August 1923. On August 14, 1923, Alberto entered the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Chillán. In 1925, he went to Córdoba, Argentina, and studied humanities. In 1927, he was sent to Spain to study philosophy and theology. However, because Spain suppressed the Jesuits in 1931, he went to Belgium and studied theology in Louvain. He was ordained a priest on August 24, 1933, and in 1935 obtained a doctorate in pedagogy and psychology. After completing his Tertianship in Drongen, Belgium, Fr. Alberto returned to Chile in January 1936. He was a professor of religion at Colegio San Ignacio and of pedagogy at the Catholic University of Santiago. He was entrusted with the Sodality of Our Lady for the students and involved them in catechizing the underprivileged. He frequently directed retreats and offered spiritual direction to many young men, accompanying several of them in their response to the priestly vocation and contributing to the formation of many Christian laymen. In 1941, Fr. Alberto published his most famous book: "Is Chile a Catholic Country?" The same year, he was asked to assume the role of Assistant for the Youth Movement of the Catholic Action, first within the Archdiocese of Santiago and then nationally. He performed these roles with an exceptional spirit of initiative, dedication and sacrifice. In October 1944, while giving a retreat, he appealed to his audience to consider the many poor people of Santiago, especially the numerous homeless children. This request evoked a ready and generous response. Thus began the initiative for which Fr. Alberto is especially well-known: a form of charitable activity that provided not only housing, but a home-like milieu for the homeless: "El Hogar de Cristo." By means of contributions from benefactors and the active collaboration of committed laity, Fr. Alberto opened the first house for children. This was followed by a house for women and then one for men. The poor found a warm home in "El Hogar de Cristo." The houses multiplied and took on new dimensions. In some houses, there were rehabilitation centers; in others, trade-schools and so on. In 1945, he visited the United States to study the "Boys Town" movement and to consider how it could be adapted to Chile. The last six years of his life were dedicated to the development of various forms in which "El Hogar" could exist and function. In 1947, Fr. Alberto founded the Chilean Trade Union Association (ASICH) to promote a union movement inspired by the social teaching of the Church. Between 1947 and 1950, he wrote three important works on trade unions, social humanism and Christian social order. In 1951, he founded "Mensaje," a well-known Jesuit periodical dedicated to explaining the doctrine of the Church.Fr. Alberto passed away from pancreatic cancer on August 18, 1952. While enduring terrible pain, he was often heard saying, "I am content, Lord." From his return to Chile after his Tertianship up to his death, a matter of only fifteen years, Fr. Alberto accomplished all the works described above. His apostolate was the expression of a personal love for Christ the Lord: characterized by a great love for poor and abandoned children, an enlightened zeal for the formation of the laity and a lively sense of Christian social justice. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 23, 2005.
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2016 / Catholic Missal of august 2016
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:04Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:04Z