Thursday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time

Letter to the Hebrews

Brothers and sisters: You have not approached that which could be touched and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and storm
and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to them,
Indeed, so fearful was the spectacle that Moses said, "I am terrified and trembling."
No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

Psalms

Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,”
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold.
As we had heard, so have we seen
in the city of the LORD of hosts,
In the city of our God;
God makes it firm forever.
O God, we ponder your mercy
within your temple.
As your name, O God, so also your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Of justice your right hand is full.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick--no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them."
So they went off and preached repentance.
They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

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 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.

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 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.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2025 / Catholic Missal of february 2025