Catholic Missal of the day: Wednesday, February 15 2017
Wednesday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time
Wednesday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time
1. ReadingBook of Genesis
8,6-13.20-22.]At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark,
]and he sent out a raven, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from the earth.
]Then he sent out a dove, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth.
]But the dove could find no place to alight and perch, and it returned to him in the ark, for there was water all over the earth. Putting out his hand, he caught the dove and drew it back to him inside the ark.
]He waited seven days more and again sent the dove out from the ark.
]In the evening the dove came back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf! So Noah knew that the waters had lessened on the earth.
]He waited still another seven days and then released the dove once more; and this time it did not come back.
]In the six hundred and first year of Noah's life, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water began to dry up on the earth. Noah then removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was drying up.
]Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird, he offered holocausts on the altar.
]When the LORD smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself: "Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the desires of man's heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done.
]As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
Psalms
116(115),12-13.14-15.18-19.]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.
]My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
]In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark
8,22-26.]When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
]He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, "Do you see anything?"
]Looking up he replied, "I see people looking like trees and walking."
]Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
]Then he sent him home and said, "Do not even go into the village."
Sts. Faustinus and Jovita(Martyrs († c. 121))
SAINTS FAUSTINUS and JOVITAMartyrs( c. 121) Sts. Faustinus and Jovita were brothers and noblemen. They preached in their native city of Brescia, Lombardy. When a persecution erupted due to Emperor Trajan's policies, the bishop sought asylum. Sts. Faustinus and Jovita were were scrutinized because of their preaching. THey were arrested by secular authorities and the judge, Julian, sentenced them to beheading. They were martyred around the year 121. Sts. Faustinus and Jovita are venerated as patron saints of Brescia. Their relics are enshrined at the ancient church of San Faustino Maggiore.
St. Claude de la Colombière(Priest (1641-1682))
Saint Claude de la Colombière(2 February 1641 - 15 February 1682) St. Claude was a Jesuit priest and the confessor ofSt. Margaret Mary Alacoque. The latter promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St. Margaret's emphasis on God’s love for all counteracted the extremism and heresiesof the Jansenists. In 1674, after fifteen years as a Jesuit, Claude did his period of probation known as the Tertianship. Following the Spiritual Exercises, he took vows to faithfully observe the rule and constitutions of the Society. Those who lived with him attested that he kept his vows with perfect integrity and fortitude. Claude was a remarkable preacher even before he was ordained in 1675. After two months, he was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Paray-le-Monial. There, he met Margaret Mary Alacoque. He served as her spiritual friend and confessor for many years. In 1676, Fr. Claude was sent to England to preach to Mary of Modena, then the Duchess of York. He took up residence at the Court of St. James and observed all his religious duties as a member of the Society. He frequently preached by example and thus converted a number of Protestants. Although encountering many difficulties, he continued guiding Margaret Mary Alacoque by letter. Fr. Claude's duties and the English climate eventually weakened his health; and a pulmonary condition threatened to end his work there. In November 1678, he was arrested and imprisoned: denounced as being a part of the Popish Plot, alleged by Titus Oates, against the English throne. Caught in the anti-Catholic hysteria resulting from this alleged plot, Fr. Claude was confined in severe conditions until his health took a turn for the worse. He passed away in 1682 after banishment. He was canonized in 1992 by Pope John Paul II.
Bl. Michał Sopoćko(Priest (1888-1975))
Blessed Michał Sopoćko Priest (1888-1975) Michał Sopoćko was born on November 1, 1888, in Nowosady (Juszewszczyzna), then under Imperial Russia.The Czarist authority persecuted Catholic Lithuanians and Poles. In the Sopoćko family of noble lineage, the Polish and Catholic traditions were conserved and practiced. The young Michał matured in a religious and patriotic atmosphere. Motivated by a desire for unconditional service to God, theChurch and humanity, Michał entered Vilnius' Major Seminary. On June 15, 1914, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Franciszek Karewicz. For four years (1914-1918), Fr. Michał worked as a parochial vicar in Taboryszki. He opened two mission churches in Miedniki and Onżadòw in addition to several schools. Informed that the German authorities might arrest him, he went to Warsaw and became a military chaplain for the Polish army. While dedicated to this ministry, he enrolled at University of Warsaw's Faculty of Theology. He obtained a doctoral degree and graduated from the National Pedagogical Institute. In 1924, he became a coordinator of the regional military chaplaincies based in Vilnius. In 1927, Archbishop Romuald Jalbrzykowski made Fr. Michał the spiritual director of the Major Seminary. Fr. Michał also taught for the faculty of Theology at Stefan Batory University. He eventually requested to be released from his military and seminary duties and pivoted toward theological pursuits. In 1934, he received the title of 'docent' in pastoral theology. While teaching, he never forgot the importance of pastoral service. He was the rector of St. Michael Church and a confessor for religious sisters. One of the most significant events of Fr. Michał's life occurred in 1933. He became the spiritual director of Saint Faustina Kowalska, from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. He continued assisting her after transferring to Łagiewniki, where she passed away on October 5, 1938. As her confessor, he undertook a thorough evaluation of her mystical experiences concerning devotion to the Divine Mercy. She followed his advice and wrote her experiences in a diary. The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska is a spiritual classic. With Fr. Michał's assistance and Sister Faustina's direction, the artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski painted the first portrait of Jesus as the Divine Mercy. Fr. Michał wrote extensively on the subject. In 1938, he established a committee to build the Divine Mercy Church in Vilnius. However, the Church's construction was postponed due to World War II. Inspite of war and the Nazi occupation, Fr. Michał continued promoting devotion to the Divine Mercy. He zealously helped those who were oppressed and threatened with extermination, including numerous Jews. In 1942, Fr. Michał was forced to go into hiding near Vilnius, together with his fellow seminary professors and students. He remained concealed for two years. During that time, he played a major role in establishing a new religious congregation for the Divine Mercy. After the war, he wrote the congregation's constitution. He became actively engaged in the growth and development of what we know as the Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Mercy. In 1947, Archbishop Jałbrzykowski, arranged for Fr. Michał's transfer to the Archdiocesan Major Seminary. Fr. Michał taught pedagogy, catechetics, homiletics, pastoral theology and spirituality. He also continued the apostolate of the Divine Mercy. He worked tirelessly on its biblical, theological and pastoral bases. His publications were translated into numerous languages, including Latin, English, French, Italian and Portuguese. The 3 o'clock prayer and Chaplet of Divine Mercy are God's assurances to the world. Fr. Michal Sopoćko passed away on February 15, 1975, in his apartment on Poleska Street. He was popularly acclaimed for his sanctity. He was buried in the parish cemetery in Białystok. Following the inauguration of the process for his beatification, his body was moved to the Church of the Divine Mercy (November 30, 1988). He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on September 28, 2008.
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2017 / Catholic Missal of february 2017
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:15Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:15Z