Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Book of Sirach

If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live;
There are set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.
Before man are life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him.
Immense is the wisdom of the LORD; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.
The eyes of God see all he has made; he understands man's every deed.
No man does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin.

Psalms

Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
Who seek him with all their heart.
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
And keep your words.
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.

First Letter to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters: We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.
Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory,
and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written: "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,"
this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.'
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."
You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'
But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.'
But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.'
But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."

Martyrs of Abitene()

A translation of the homily Benedict XVI gave during the closing Mass of the 24th Italian National Eucharistic Congress, in the esplanade of Marisabella: "This Eucharistic congress, which comes to a close today, intended to present Sunday again as a 'weekly Easter,' expression of the identity of the Christian community and center of its life and mission. The theme chosen, 'We Cannot Live without Sunday,' takes us back to the year 304, when Emperor Diocletian prohibited Christians, under pain of death, to possess the Scriptures, to meet on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist and to build premises for their assemblies. In Abitene, a small village in what today is Tunis, 49 Christians, meeting in the home of Octavius Felix, were taken by surprise on a Sunday while celebrating the Eucharist, defying the imperial prohibitions. Arrested, they were taken to Carthage to be interrogated by the proconsul Anulinus. "Significant, in particular, was the response given to the proconsul by Emeritus, after being asked why he had violated the emperor's order. He said: 'Sine dominico non possumus,' we cannot live without meeting on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist. We would not have the strength to face the daily difficulties and not succumb. After atrocious tortures, the 49 martyrs of Abitene were killed. Thus, they confirmed their faith with the shedding of blood. They died but they were victorious; we now remember them in the glory of the risen Christ."

St. Benedict of Anian(Abbot (c.750 - 821))

SAINT BENEDICT OF ANIAN(c. 750-821) St. Benedict was the son of Aigulf, Governor of Languedoc. In his early youth, he served as a cup-bearer to King Pepin and his son, Charlemagne. At age twenty, grace flooded Benedict's soul when he received the Sacraments and Traditions that Jesus handed to the Apostles. While serving nobly at his station in Court, he accepted God's invitations to deny sensible pleasures: thus mortifying his senses. A narrow escape from drowning caused him to pursue a vocation and enter the cloister of St. Seine. As a reward for his heroic self-denial in the monastic state, God bestowed upon Benedict the gift of tears (Alban Butler). As the monastery's procurator, Fr. Benedict attended to others' needs with humility and serenity. He was hospitable to the poor and to guests alike. Declining the abbacy, Fr. Benedict established a hermitage on the brook Anian, spending years in holy solitude. Souls were sent to Fr. Benedict by the Holy Spirit. He counselled them; and their numbers swelled to such proportions that he built a large abbey in reponse to their needs. In a short time, Fr. Benedict became the abbot of three hundred monks. Fr. Benedict became the great restorer of monastic discipline throughout France and Germany. He created a perfect code of discipline that is used to this day. The Rule of St. Benedict is profound and simple. It includes moderation of speech, listening as a form of prayer, and prayer with heartfelt compunction. Fr. Benedict excluded jealousies and acted with perfect charity - that is, everything done for God. In a Provincial Council of 813 presided by King Charlemagne, a decree obliged all Western monks to adopt the rule of St. Benedict.

St. Damian()

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