Catholic Missal of the day: Wednesday, February 6 2019
Wednesday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
Wednesday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
1. ReadingLetter to the Hebrews
12,4-7.11-15.]Brothers and sisters: In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
]You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him;
]for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges."
]Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?
]At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.
]So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
]Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.
]Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
]See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled,
Psalms
103(102),1-2.13-14.17-18a.]Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
]Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
]As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
]For he knows how we are formed,
remembers that we are dust.
]But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity
to eternity toward those who fear him,
and his justice toward children's children
]among those who keep his covenant.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark
6,1-6.]Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.
]When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
]Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
]Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house."
]So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
]He was amazed at their lack of faith.
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 2019 / Catholic Missal of february 2019
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:35Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:35Z