Catholic Missal of the day: Friday, February 23 2018
Friday of the First week of Lent
Friday of the First week of Lent
1. ReadingBook of Ezekiel
18,21-28.]Thus says the Lord GOD: If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
]None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
]Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord GOD. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live?
]And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die.
]You say, "The LORD'S way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
]When a virtuous man turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
]But if a wicked man, turning from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life;
]since he has turned away from all the sins which he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Psalms
130(129),1-2.3-4.5-7a.7bc-8.]Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
]LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
]If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
]But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
]I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
]My soul waits for the Lord
more than sentinels for dawn.
]Let Israel wait for the LORD.
]For with the LORD is kindness
]and with him is plenteous redemption;
]and he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew
5,20-26.]Jesus said to his disciples: "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."
St. Polycarp(Bishop and Martyr († 167))
SAINT POLYCARP Bishop and Martyr( 167) St. Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of St. John. He exhorted the Philippians to practice fraternal love and to refute heresy. After meeting the apostate Marcion in Rome, he linked heresy with Satan. In the year 167, a persecution erupted in Smyrna. When St. Polycarp heard his pursuers at the door, he resigned himself to the will of God. He was offered freedom in exchange for cursing Jesus; and replied: "Eighty-six years I have served Him and He never did me wrong. How can I blaspheme my Savior?" When threatened with immolation, he told the proconsul, "Your fire lasts only a little, but the fire prepared for the wicked lasts forever." During St. Polycarp's execution, he was unharmed by the flames. His tormentor then stabbed him in the heart. His remains were burned and discarded. St. Polycarp's biographers wrote, "We took up the bones, more precious than the richest jewels or gold, and deposited them in a fitting place, at which may God grant us to assemble with joy to celebrate the birthday of the martyr to his life in Heaven!"
St. Serenus(Martyr († 307))
SAINT SERENUS Martyr( 307) St. Serenus was a Grecian. He quitted estate, friends and country to serve God in celibacy, penance and prayer. He bought a garden in Sirmium, Pannonia, modern Serbia, cultivated it with his own hands and lived on its fruits and herbs. One day, St. Serenus was approached by a woman and her two daughters. He asked them to withdraw out of consideration, but the woman became incensed. She told her husband that Serenus had insulted her. The husband demanded justice and sent a letter to the province's governor enabling him to obtain satisfaction. When St. Serenus appeared in court, he testified that the women came into his garden uninvited and that he asked them to withdraw for privacy's sake. The officer dropped the prosecution; but the governor, suspecting St. Serenus was Christian, asked him, "Who are you, and what is your religion?" St. Serenus, prompted by the Holy Spirit, replied that he was Christian. He was then sentenced to death for eluding the emperor's edicts and refusing to sacrifice to Roman gods. No sooner was the sentence pronounced than St. Serenus was carried off and beheaded. He was martyred on February 23, 307. He gained the beatific vision and sees God face to face forever.
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2018 / Catholic Missal of february 2018
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:24Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:24Z