Saturday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time

Letter to the Hebrews

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

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

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) Born to royal parents and herself a queen, St. Jane of Valois led a life remarkable for its humiliations even in the annals of the saints. Her father, Louis XI, who had hoped for a son to succeed him, banished Jane from his palace. It is said that he even attempted her life. At the age of five, the neglected child offered her whole heart to God, and yearned to do some special service in honor of His blessed Mother. At King Louis' wish, though against her own inclination, Jane was married to the Duke of Orleans. Toward an indifferent and unworthy husband, her conduct was ever most 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 - by false representations - one who, through twenty-two years of cruel neglect, had been his true and loyal wife. At the final sentence of separation, the saintly queen exclaimed, "God be praised Who has allowed this, that I may serve Him better." Retiring to Bourges, she there realized her long-formed desire of founding the Order of the Annunciation, in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. Guided by St. Francis of Paula, her childhood director, St. Jane of Valois overcame serious obstacles which even "good" people raised against the Order. In 1501, the rule of the Annunciation was finally approved by Alexander VI. The chief aim of the institute was to imitate the ten virtues practised by Our Lady in the mystery of the Incarnation. The superioress was called Ancelle, "handmaid," in honor of Mary's humility. St. Jane built and endowed the first convent of the Order in 1502.She passed away in a state of grace after a sanctified life; and was buried in the royal crown and purple, beneath which lay the habit of her Order. Owing to her heroic virtues and the miracles proceeding from her intercession, St. Jane of Valois was canonized on May 28, 1950, by Pope Pius XII.

St. John de Britto(martyr (+1693))

SAINT JOHN DE BRITTOMartyr(+ 1693) Don Pedro II of Portugal, when a child, had among his little pages a modest boy of rich and princely parents. Much had John de Britto — for so was he called — to bear from his careless-living companions, to whom his holy life was a reproach. A terrible illness made him turn for aid to St. Francis Xavier, a Saint so well loved by the Portuguese. When, in answer to his prayers, he recovered, his mother vested him for a year in the dress worn in those days 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, he entered the novitiate of the Society at Lisbon; and eleven years later, in spite of the most determined opposition of his family and of the court, he left all to go and convert the Hindus of Madura. When John's mother knew that her son was going to the Indies, she used all her influence to prevent him from leaving his own country, and persuaded the Papal Nuncio to interfere. "God, Who called me from the world into religious life, now calls me from Portugal to India," was the reply of the future martyr. For fourteen years, John toiled: preaching, converting and baptizing multitudes at the cost of privations, hardships and persecutions. At last, after being seized, tortured and nearly killed, he was banished from the country. Forced to return to Portugal, John once more broke through every obstacle and went back to his labor of love. Like St. John the Baptist, he died a victim to the anger of a morally-destitute woman whom a convert king had put aside. After a painful imprisonment, John was beheaded in 1693. Following miracles through his intercession,St. John de Britto was canonized by Ven. Pope Pius XII in 1947.

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