Wednesday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Genesis

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

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

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, nobly born, and zealous for the Gospel. They preached fearlessly in their city of Brescia, Lombardy, even while the bishop was given asylum. At Brescia, the brothers were seized and arrested by pagans. Julian, the judge, passed the death sentence and had them beheaded. They were martyred around the year 121. The city of Brescia honors them as its chief patrons. Their relics are deposited in an ancient church that bears their names.

St. Claude de la Colombière()

Saint Claude de la Colombière(2 February 1641 - 15 February 1682) St. Claude was a Jesuit priest and the confessor ofSt. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom God revealed His will for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The emphasis on God’s love for all was an antidote to the extremism and heretical presumptions of the Jansenists. In 1674, after fifteen years of life as a Jesuit, Claude did his period of probation known as the Tertianship. As a result of the Spiritual Exercises, he made a personal vow to faithfully observe the Rule and Constitutions of the Society. Those who lived with him attested that this vow was kept with great integrity and fortitude. Claude showed remarkable preaching skills long before his ordination in 1675. Two months later, he was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Paray-le-Monial. It was there he first encountered Margaret Mary Alacoque. He served as her spiritual friend and confessor for many years after. In 1676, Fr. Claude was sent to England as preacher 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 preached by example, and his words converted a number of Protestants. Although encountering many difficulties, he guided Margaret Mary Alacoque by letter. Fr. Claude's hard work and the English climate eventually weakened his health, and a pulmonary condition threatened to end his work in that country. In November 1678, he was suddenly arrested and thrown into prison, denounced as being a part of the Popish Plot, alleged by Titus Oates, against the English throne. Caught up in the anti-Catholic hysteria resulting from this alleged plot, Fr. Claude was confined in severe conditions where his fragile health took a turn for the worse. St. Claude passed away in 1682 after he was banished and his health further declined. Pope John Paul II canonized Claude de la Colombière in 1992.

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 the Catholic Church, as well as both the Polish and Lithuanian people within in its territories. In the Sopoćko family, of noble lineage, the Polish and Catholic traditions were conserved and developed. The young Michał matured in this religious and patriotic atmosphere. Motivated by a desire for unconditional service to God, theChurch and humanity, Michał entered the Major Seminary in Vilnius. 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, where he opened two mission churches at Miedniki and at Onżadòw, as well as various schools. Informed that the German authorities might arrest him, he left the parish and went to Warsaw. He then became a military chaplain for the Polish army. While dedicated to this ministry, he enrolled as a student in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Warsaw. He obtained a doctoral degree, and at the same time 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 him the Spiritual Director for the Major Seminary. During this time, Fr. Michał also taught for the faculty of Theology at Stefan Batory University. He eventually requested the Archbishop to release him from both the military pastoral care and from the seminary duties. His desire was to dedicate himself entirely to 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, when he became the Spiritual Director of Sr. (now Saint) Faustina Kowalska, from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. He continued to assist the Saint after his transfer to Łagiewniki, where she passed away on October 5, 1938. As her confessor, he undertook a thorough evaluation of Sr. Faustina's mystical experiences concerning devotion to the Divine Mercy. Following his advice, she wrote of these in her "Diary." It is today considered a spiritual classic. The Divine Mercy devotion became a life-giving inspiration for Fr. Michał. With his assistance, and under the direction of Sister Faustina, the artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski painted the first portrait of Jesus as the Divine Mercy. Fr. Michał wrote extensively on the subject of the Divine Mercy. In 1938, he established a committee charged with building the Divine Mercy Church in Vilnius. However, this attempt had to be halted due to the onset of World War II. But despite the war and German occupation, Fr. Michał persisted in his efforts to promote the devotion to the Divine Mercy. Filled with zeal, he constantly helped those who were oppressed and threatened with extermination, for example, numerous Jews. Fortunately, he managed to avoid arrest and imprisonment. In 1942, along with his fellow seminary professors and students, he was forced to go into hiding near Vilnius. He remained concealed for two years. During that time, he played a major role in establishing a new religious congregation. According to the revelations of Sr. Faustina, this congregation was to promote love 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, since two years at Białystok with his diocesan Curia, arranged for Fr. Michał's transfer. Fr. Michał therefore accepted a position as professor in the Archdiocesan Major Seminary. He taught pedagogy, catechetics, homiletics, pastoral theology and spirituality. He also continued the apostolate of the Divine Mercy. He made a concerted effort to obtain official approval for the Divine Mercy devotion. Fr. Michał worked tirelessly on the biblical, theological and pastoral bases by which to explain the doctrinal truth concerning the Divine Mercy devotion. His publications were translated into numerous languages, including Latin, English, French, Italian and Portuguese. 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.

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