Tuesday of the Fifth week in Ordinary Time

1st book of Kings

8,22-23.27-30.

Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of the whole community of Israel, and stretching forth his hands toward heaven,
he said, "LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you keep your covenant of kindness with your servants who are faithful to you with their whole heart.
"Can it indeed be that God dwells among men on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my God, and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant, utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple, the place where you have decreed you shall be honored; may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel which they offer in this place. Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.

Psalms

84(83),3.4.5.10.11.

My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young?
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
Blessed are they who dwell in your house!
Continually they praise you.
O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

7,1-13.

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.'
You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say, "How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses father or mother shall die.'
Yet you say, 'If a person says to father or mother, "Any support you might have had from me is qorban"' (meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things."

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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."

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St. Dorothy(Virgin and Martyr (+ 304))

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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 Dorothy to choose between apostasy and death, Dorothy bravely chose Jesus. After being tortured, Dorothy was put under the authority of two apostates. The Holy Spirit kindled fire in their hearts; and the two apostates 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 the way to execution, a lawyer called Theophilus mocked Dorothy, telling her to have Jesus send him apples or roses. Before dying, a child appeared beside Dorothy with three apples and three roses. Dorothy asked the child to take the apples and roses to Theophilus and tell him they were presents from Jesus' garden. The child entered Theophilus' room and the latter recognized the child as an angel in disguise. Theophilus later converted and was martyred.

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Bl. Alfonso Maria Fusco(Founder (1839-1910))

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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 serenity. 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. In Pagani, only a short distance from Angri, the relics of St. Alfonso Maria de' Liguori were preserved. They went to St. Alfonso's tomb in 1838 to pray. There, the Redemptorist Francesco Saverio Pecorelli told them, "You will have a son." As a child, Alfonso revealed 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. When he was 7, Alfonso 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," Alfonso entered the episcopal Seminary of Nocera dei Pagani. On May 29, 1863, he was ordained by the Archbishop of Salerno, Monsignor Anthony Salomone, amid his family and community. Quickly, Fr. Alfonso distinguished himself among the clergy of the Collegiata of St. John the Baptist in Angri. His fervor and spirit manifested in regular attendance at liturgical services and through diligently administering the sacraments. During the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially, Fr. Alfonso revealed his paternal understanding of his penitents. He devoted himself to evangelization through prayer and simple, heartfelt preaching. The daily life of Father Alfonso 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, Bl. Alfonso saw Jesus of Nazareth calling him to become a founder. A meeting with Maddalena Caputo of Angri impelled Father Alfonso to move more quickly in the foundation of the institute. On September 25, 1878, Ms. Caputo and three other young women met at night in the Scarcella house in the Ardinghi district of Angri. There, they took vows of poverty, union with God and charity in educating orphans. The Congregation of the Baptistine Sisters of the Nazarene was thus founded. Their first house was named the Little House of Providence, and more followed. Bishop Saverio Vitagliano's unjustified attempt to remove Father 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, were moments of great suffering for Fr. Alfonso. He prayed in anguish at the small chapel of the Mother House in Angri and in the church of St. Joachim in Rome. Fr. Alfonso did not leave many writings. He spoke, rather, with the witness of his life. The writings we have by him bear witness to his evangelical wisdom. From the testimony of those who knew him, he had immense love for the Eucharist, the Passion of Jesus, and was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He would often repeat 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. He, together with Maddalena Caputo, 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 peace of the Holy Family.Bl. Alfonso's 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.

misalcatolico.com

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2024 / Catholic Missal of february 2024