Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Book of Deuteronomy

30,15-20.

Moses said to the people: "Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live,
by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the LORD swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

Psalms

1,1-2.3.4.6.

Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
Not so, the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

9,22-25.

Jesus said to his disciples: "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."
Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?"

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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 in their city of Brescia, Lombardy, even after the bishop was given asylum. In Brescia, the brothers were arrested by secular, pagan authorities. Julian, the judge, sentenced them to death by beheading. The brothers were martyred around the year 121. The city of Brescia honors Sts. Faustinus and Jovita as its chief patrons. Their relics are enshrined at an ancient church named after them.

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St. Claude de la Colombière(Priest (1641-1682))

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Saint Claude de la Colombière(2 February 1641 - 15 February 1682) St. Claude was a Jesuit priest and the confessor ofSt. Margaret Mary Alacoque. St Margaret shared God's design for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The emphasis on God’s love for all counteracted the extremism and heretical presumptions of the Jansenists. In 1674, after fifteen years 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 his vow was kept with perfect 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 that he first encountered 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 hence converted a number of Protestants. Although encountering many difficulties, he continued guiding 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 and his health took a turn for the worse. Fr. Claude passed away in 1682 after he was banished and his health declined further. Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1992.

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Bl. Michał Sopoćko(Priest (1888-1975))

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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 this 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 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 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 him the spiritual director of the Major Seminary. During this time, 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 Sr. (now 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, Fr. Michał 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.

misalcatolico.com

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