Wednesday of the Fifth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Genesis

At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens--
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth and was watering all the surface of the ground--
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.
The LORD God gave man this order: "You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and bad. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die."

Psalms

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are well filled with good things.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile."
When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them, "Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles.
From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile."

Martyrs of Abitene((+304))

A translation of Benedict XVI's homily 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 at 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, the governor of Languedoc. In his youth, he served as a cup-bearer to King Pepin and his son Charlemagne. At the age of 20, grace transformed Benedict's soul when he received the sacraments. He began mortifying his senses while at court: giving his body a little less than it asked for (Josemaria Escriva). A narrow escape from drowning caused him to pursue a religious 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. Fr. Benedict declined the abbacy and established a hermitage on the brook Anian. He spent years in holy solitude while counseling and directing those sent to him by the Holy Spirit. His disciples became so numerous that he built a large abbey. 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 implemented the code of discipline of Saint Benedict, the patron saint of Europe. Saint Benedict's Rule is profound and simple. It includes speaking moderately, listening as a form of prayer and praying with heartfelt compunction instead of many words. The Benedictine Sunday Mass is sung in Latin and the chants are as ancient as they are profound and melodic. In a Provincial Council of 813, presided by King Charlemagne, a decree obliged all Western monks to adopt the rule of Saint Benedict. Benedictine monasteries are found on six continents and are centers of worship, learning and direction.

St. Damian()

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2025 / Catholic Missal of february 2025