Catholic Missal of the day: Saturday, February 4 2017
Saturday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
Saturday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
1. ReadingLetter to the Hebrews
13,15-17.20-21.]Brothers and sisters: Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
]Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.
]Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account, that they may fulfill their task with joy and not with sorrow, for that would be of no advantage to you.
]May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord,
]furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever (and ever). Amen.
Psalms
23(22),1-3a.3b-4.5.6.]The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
]In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
]he refreshes my soul.
]He guides me in right paths
for His names's sake.
]Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
]You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
]Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark
6,30-34.]The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught.
]He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat.
]So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
]People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.
]When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
St. Jane of Valois(Queen and Religious († 1505))
SAINT JANE OF VALOIS Queen and Religious ( 1505) St. Jane of Valois was a queen whose humiliations were remarkable even in the annals of the saints. Her father, Louis XI, hoped for a son to succeed him. He banished Jane from his palace and even attempted her life. At the age of 5, the neglected child offered her whole heart to God and yearned to do some special service in honor of His Holy Mother. At King Louis' wish, though against her own inclination, Jane was wedded to the Duke of Orleans. Toward an indifferent and unworthy husband, her conduct was ever more patient and dutiful. Her prayers and tears saved him from a traitor's death for rebellion and shortened his imprisonment. When her husband ascended the throne as Louis XII, his first act was to repudiate her by false representations. At the final sentence of separation, the saintly queen exclaimed, "God be praised Who has allowed this, that I may serve Him better." She retired to Bourges and founded the Order of the Annunciation in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. Jane thus fulfilled her childhood dream of honoring Mother Mary. Jane was guided by St. Francis of Paula, her childhood director, and overcame serious obstacles that even "good" people raised. In 1501, the rule of the Annunciation was finally approved by Alexander VI. The Order's main goal was imitating Our Lady's ten virtues in the mystery of the Incarnation. The superioress was called Ancelle, "handmaid," in honor of Mary's humility. Jane built and endowed the first convent of the Order in 1502.She passed away in a state of grace after a sanctified life. She was buried in the royal crown and purple, beneath which lay the habit of her Order. She was canonized by Pope Pius XII on May 28, 1950, because of her heroic virtues and the miracles proceeding from her intercession.
St. John de Britto(Martyr († 1693))
SAINT JOHN DE BRITTOMartyr( 1693) John de Britto was a page in Don Pedro II of Portugal's court. His modesty and virtues were sometimes off-putting to his careless companions. When he was dangerously ill, St. Francis Xavier miraculously cured him. With gratitude, his mother vested him for a year in the garb worn by the Jesuit Fathers. From that time, John's heart burned to follow the example of the Apostle of the Indies. On December 17, 1662, John entered the novitiate of the Society in Lisbon. Eleven years later, in spite of his family and the court's opposition, he left everything to evangelize Madura's Hindus. When his mother learned that he was going to the Indies, she used her influence to prevent him from leaving and persuaded the Papal Nuncio to intervene. John wrote, "God, Who called me from the world into religious life, now calls me from Portugal to India." For 14 years, John preached, baptized and converted multitudes. The Holy Cross was his consolation during privations, hardships and persecutions. After 14 years, he was seized, tortured and nearly killed. He was banished from the country and forced to return to Portugal. However, he overcame every obstacle and returned. Like St. John the Baptist, John de Britto suffered defamation and martyrdom. A woman accused him of wrongdoing after being set aside by a converted king. After a painful imprisonment, John was beheaded in 1693. His heroic virtues and the miracles proceeding from his intercession saw him canonized by Ven. Pope Pius XII in 1947.
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2017 / Catholic Missal of february 2017
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:15Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:15Z