Book of Proverbs

9,1-6.

Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns;
She has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table.
She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city:
"Let whoever is simple turn in here; to him who lacks understanding, I say,
Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!
Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding."

Psalms

34(33),2-3.4-5.6-7.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.

Letter to the Ephesians

5,15-20.

Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise,
making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.
And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
addressing one another (in) psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts,
giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

6,51-58.

Jesus said to the crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

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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. His father died when he was 4 years old and his mother sold their modest property at a loss to pay the family's 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. During this period, 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 of the suppression of the Jesuits in Spain 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 felt impelled to appeal 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.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2024 / Catholic Missal of august 2024