Catholic Missal of the day: Saturday, February 6 2016
Saturday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
Saturday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
1. Reading1st book of Kings
3,4-13.]Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because that was the most renowned high place. Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.
]In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you."
]Solomon answered: "You have shown great favor to your servant, my father David, because he behaved faithfully toward you, with justice and an upright heart; and you have continued this great favor toward him, even today, seating a son of his on his throne.
]O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
]I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
]Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?"
]The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
]So God said to him: "Because you have asked for this--not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right--
]I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.
]In addition, I give you what you have not asked for, such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.
Psalms
119(118),9.10.11.12.13.14.]How shall a young man be faultless in his way?
By keeping to your words.
]With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
]Within my heart I treasure your promise,
That I may not sin against you.
]Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your laws.
]With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your mouth.
]In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
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. Paul Miki & his companions(Martyrs († 1597) - Memorial)
SAINTS PAUL MIKI & HIS COMPANIONS Martyrs ( 1597) The Gospel was preached in Japan after St. Francis Xavier arrived in 1549. Fearing the invasion of his kingdom, Japanese emperor Taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi banished all foreign religious in 1587. When fifteen Franciscans visited Japan in 1593, they were martyred alongside six religious, three Jesuits, two Japanese converts and fifteen Japanese tertiaries. They were tortured and crucified on February 5, 1597, on the Hill of Wheat, Tateyama, Nagasaki. Among the martyrs was St. Paul Miki, a Jesuit scholastic. He was born in 1565, entered the Society of Jesus in Japan and gave his life to God. The martyrs were canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1862. They behold God face to face because of their heroic virtues and the miracles proceeding from their intercession.********"The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason that I die. I believe that I am telling the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain."
St. Dorothy(Virgin and Martyr († 304))
SAINT DOROTHY Virgin and Martyr ( 304) St. Dorothy lived in Cæsarea, modern Kayseri, Turkey. Her parents were martyred during Diocletian's persecution. When the governor forced her to choose between apostasy and death, she bravely chose Jesus. After being tortured, Dorothy was put under the authority of two apostates. The Holy Spirit kindled fire in the apostates' hearts they declared their love for Jesus. As punishment for returning to the faith, the two women, together with Dorothy, were first beaten and then burned with plates of red-hot iron. On their way to being executed, a lawyer called Theophilus mocked Dorothy, telling her to have Jesus send him apples or roses. Before dying, a child appeared beside her with three apples and three roses. She asked the child to take the apples and roses to Theophilus and tell him they were presents from Jesus' garden. When the child brought the gifts, Theophilus recognized that it was an angel. Theophilus later converted and was martyred.
Bl. Alfonso Maria Fusco(Founder (1839-1910))
Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco Priest (1839-1910) Alfonso Maria Fusco was born on March 23, 1839, in Angri, the province of Salerno, southern Italy. His parents, Aniello Fusco and Josephine Schiavone, were farmers. They raised their five children with love and Christian ethics. Aniello and Josephine were married in the Collegiata of St. John the Baptist on January 31, 1834. However, the cradle they had lovingly prepared remained empty for four years. After praying before St. Alfonso Marie de'Liguori's tomb in 1838, the Redemptorist Francesco Saverio Pecorelli told them, "You will have a son." Thus, Alfonso was conceived. As a child, Alfonso had a mild and gentle character. He prayed regularly and was charitable toward the poor. His teachers were priests who instructed him and prepared him for his first Communion. At 7 years old, he received his First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Alfonso was 11 years old when he told his parents he wanted to become a priest. On November 5, 1850, "freely and with the sole desire to serve God and the Church," he entered the episcopal Seminary of Nocera dei Pagani. On May 29, 1863, he was ordained by the Archbishop of Salerno, Monsignor Anthony Salomone. Fr. Alfonso quickly distinguished himself amid the Collegiata of St. John the Baptist in Angri. His fervor and spirit manifested in regular attendance at liturgical services and by diligently administering the sacraments. Especially during the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he revealed his paternal understanding of his penitents. He devoted himself to evangelization through prayer and simple, heartfelt preaching. Fr. Alfonso's daily life was of a zealous priest. His vocation to transmit family values to the poor prompted him to found an orphanage and an institute of sisters. Like St. Alfonso Maria de' Liguori, he saw Jesus of Nazareth calling him to become a founder. A meeting with Maddalena Caputo of Angri impelled him to move more quickly in founding the institute. On September 25, 1878, Ms. Caputo and three young women met at night in the Scarcella house in the Ardinghi district of Angri and took vows of poverty, union with God and charity in educating orphans. Thus, the Congregation of the Baptistine Sisters of the Nazarene was founded. Their first house was named the Little House of Providence, and more followed. Bishop Saverio Vitagliano's unjustified attempt to remove Fr. Alfonso as director, and his own daughter's refusal to open the door of the house on Via Germanico in Rome, coupled with the words of Cardinal Respighi for him to withdraw, caused him great suffering. He frequently prayed at the small chapel of the Mother House in Angri and at the church of St. Joachim in Rome. Hedid not leave many writings, but his actions witnessed to his holiness. From others' testimony, he had immense love for the Eucharist and the Passion of Jesus; and was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He often repeated to his Sisters, "Let us become saints, following Jesus closely..." At a time when education was the privilege of the few, denied to the poor and to women, Fr. Alfonso and the Sisters gave orphans a peaceful life, education and a trade to master. He wanted the Sisters to begin their studies as soon as possible so they could teach. Through their instruction and evangelization, they prepared the way for Jesus in the hearts, minds and souls of the children. Fr. Alfonso's spirit was anchored in Divine Providence. Together with Maddalena Caputo, he grew the Congregation in a short period of time. They soon opened new houses in Campania and other regions of Italy. During the night of February 5, 1910, Fr. Alfonso began feeling unwell. He received the sacraments on the morning of February 6 and passed away in the Holy Family's peace. His life was an act of gratitude to God and the Church. God's grace continues helping the Sisters' work across four continents. On February 12, 1976, Pope Paul VI recognized Bl. Alfonso's heroic virtues. On October 7, 2001, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him blessed and offered him as a model to priests and educators.
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2016 / Catholic Missal of february 2016
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:07Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:07Z