Catholic Missal of the day: Tuesday, February 7 2017
Tuesday of the Fifth week in Ordinary Time
Tuesday of the Fifth week in Ordinary Time
1. ReadingBook of Genesis
1,20-31.2,1-4a.]God said, "Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky." And so it happened:
]God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw how good it was,
]and God blessed them, saying, "Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth."
]Evening came, and morning followed--the fifth day.
]Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds." And so it happened:
]God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. God saw how good it was.
]Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."
]God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.
]God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth."
]God also said: "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
]and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the green plants for food." And so it happened.
]God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed--the sixth day.
]Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
]Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
]So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.
]Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation. At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens--
Psalms
8,4-5.6-7.8-9.]When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
]What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
]You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
]You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
]All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
]The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
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."
Bl. Rosalie Rendu(Foundress (1786-1856))
Blessed Rosalie Rendu Daughter of Charity (1786-1856) Jeanne Marie Rendu, the eldest of four girls, was born on September 9 in Confort, a district of Gex, in the Jura Mountains of France and Switzerland. Her parents were small property owners. Jeanne Marie was baptized the day she was born at the parish church of Lancrans. Her godfather was Jacques Emery, a family friend and future superior general of the Sulpicians in Paris. Jeanne Marie Rendu was three years old when the French Revolution broke out. Starting 1790, it was compulsory for the clergy to take an oath of support for the civil Constitution. Numerous priests refused and were chased from their parishes, lynched or executed.Thus, the Rendu family home became a refuge for persecuted priests. The bishop of Annecy found refuge at the Rendu family home under the assumed name "Pierre." Jeanne Marie discovered him celebrating Mass and later told her mother, "Be careful or I will tell that Pierre is not really Pierre." Hence, Jeanne Marie was educated in an atmosphere of faith exposed to danger. She made her first communion by candlelight in the basement. The death of her father on May 12, 1796, and the passing of her youngest sister at four months old, on July 19 of the same year, shook the family. Jeanne Marie, aware of her responsibility as the eldest, helped care for her younger sisters. When the Terror subsided, Jeanne Marie was sent to the Ursuline Sisters in Gex for education and stayed at their boarding school for two years. She discovered the hospital where the Daughters of Charity cared for the sick and obtained consent to join them. God's call, which she had sensed for many years, became clear: she would become a Daughter of Charity. In 1802, Armande Jacquinot, from the village of Lancrans, confided to Jeanne Marie that she was leaving for Paris to become a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Jeanne Marie leaped at the opportunity and told her mother. After consulting Fr. de Varicourt, the senior priest in Gex, Jeanne's mother gave happy and emotional consent. On May 25, 1802, Jeanne Marie arrived at the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity, rue du Vieux Colombier, in Paris. They were welcomed by 50 young women in formation.Jeanne Marie was anxious to give her very best in this new life, but her health was weakened by the sustained effort it demanded. On her physician's advise and that of her godfather, Fr. Emery, she was sent to the house of the Daughters of Charity in the Mouffetard District. Jeanne Marie's calling to action, devotion and service was needed in Mouffetard, Paris' most impoverished district. She received the name Sr. Rosalie and made her apprenticeship accompanying Sisters who visited the sick and the poor. She also taught catechism and reading to little girls at the free school. In 1807, surrounded by her Sisters, she made vows for the first time. In 1815, Sr. Rosalie became Superior of the Community at rue des Francs Bourgeois. Two years later, they moved to rue de l'Epée de Bois for additional space and convenience. Sr. Rosalie's devotedness, natural authority, humility, compassion and organization were revealed. "Her poor," as she called them, became more and more numerous during this troubled time. She sent her Sisters into the recesses of St. Médard Parish bringing supplies, clothing, care and a comforting word. To assist Mouffetard's residents, Sr. Rosalie opened a free clinic, a pharmacy, a school, an orphanage, a child‑care center, a youth club for young workers and a home for the elderly without resources. Soon, a whole network of charitable services would be established to counter poverty. Her example edified and encouraged her Sisters. She often told them, "Be a milestone where all those who are tired have the right to lay down their load." She was so simple, and lived so poorly, as to let the presence of God shine through her. Sr. Rosalie's faith, solid as a rock and clear as a spring, revealed Jesus Christ in all circumstances. She daily experienced the conviction of St. Vincent: "You will go and visit the poor ten times a day, and ten times a day you will find God there ... you go into their poor homes, but you find God there." Her prayer life was intense, as a Sister affirmed, "She continually lived in the presence of God. Even if she had a difficult mission to fulfill, we were always assured of seeing her go to the chapel or finding her on her knees in her office." Sometimes, there was a need to "leave God for God," as Vincent de Paul taught. Once, while accompanying a Sister on a charitable visit, she said to her: "Sister, let's begin our meditation!" She suggested the plan, the outline, in a few simple, clear words and entered into prayer. Sr. Rosalie spoke with God about families in distress, elderly persons who risked dying alone and all suffering souls. "Never have I prayed so well as in the streets," she would say.One of her companions remarked that, "the poor themselves noted her way of praying and acting. Humble in her authority, Sr. Rosalie would correct us with great sensitivity and had the gift of consoling. Her advice, spoken justly and given with all her affection, penetrated our souls." Shewas also attentive to the manner in which she received the poor. Her spirit of faith saw in them our "lords and masters." "The poor may insult you. The ruder they are, the more dignified you must be," she said. "Remember, Our Lord hides behind those rags." Sr. Rosalie's superiors sent her postulants and young Sisters. To one of her Sisters in crisis, she gave this advice: "If you want someone to love you, you must be the first to love; and if you have nothing to give, give yourself." As the number of Sisters increased, the charity office became a house of charity with a clinic and a school.Sr. Rosalie's reputation grew in all the districts of Paris and beyond. She surrounded herself with efficient and dedicated collaborators. Donations flowed in quickly as the rich were unable to resist this persuasive woman. Even the former royalty did not forget her in their generosity. Bishops, priests, the Ambassador of Spain (Donoso Cortéz), Carlo X, General Cavaignac, and the most distinguished men of state and culture, even the Emperor Napoleon III with his wife, were often seen at her parlor. Students of law, medicine, science, technology, engineering, teacher‑training and all the other important schools came seeking information and recommendations. They asked her at which door they should knock before performing a good work. Among these was Blessed Frederick Ozanam, co‑founder of the "Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul," and the Venerable Jean Léon Le Prevost, future founder of the Religious of St. Vincent de Paul. They came seeking advice to undertake projects. Sr. Rosalie was the center of a charitable movement that characterized Paris and France in the first half of the 19th century. Sr. Rosalie also formed a friendship with the Superioress of Bon Saveur in Caen and requested that she too welcome those in need. She was particularly attentive to priests and religious suffering from psychiatric difficulties. Her correspondence was short but touching, considerate, patient and respectful toward all. Hardships were not lacking in the Mouffetard District. Epidemics of cholera followed one after another. Lack of hygiene and poverty fostered their virulence. Most particularly, in 1832 and 1846, the dedication shown - and risks taken - by Sr. Rosalie and her Sisters were beyond imagination. She herself was seen picking up dead bodies in the streets. During the uprisings of July 1830 and February 1848, barricades and bloody battles were the marks of the working class stirred up against the rent-seeking elite. Archbishop Affre, the archbishop of Paris, was killed while trying to intervene between the fighting factions. Sr. Rosalie was deeply grieved at his passing. She herself climbed the barricades to try and help the wounded fighters irrespective of the side they were fighting on. When order was reestablished, Sr. Rosalie tried to save a number of people who were victims of fierce repression. She was helped a great deal by the mayor of the district, Dr. Ulysse Trélat, a true republican, who was also very popular.In 1852, Napoleon III awarded Sr. Rosalie the Cross of the Legion of Honor. She was ready to refuse this individual honor, but Fr. Etienne, Superior General of the Priests of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, made her accept it. Always in fragile health, Sr. Rosalie never took a moment of rest, but managed to overcome fatigue and fevers. However, increasing sickness and the amount of work that needed to be done eventually broke her strong resistance. During the last two years of her life, she became progressively blind. She passed away on February 7, 1856, after a brief illness.After the funeral rite at St. Médard Church, a large and emotional crowd followed her remains to the Montparnasse Cemetery. They came to show their respect for the works she had accomplished and to show their affection for this "out of the ordinary" sister. Numerous newspaper articles witnessed to the admiration that Sr. Rosalie received. L'Univers, the principal Catholic newspaper of the time, edited by Louis Veuillot, wrote as early as February 8: "Our readers understand the significance of the sadness that has come upon the poor of Paris. They join their sufferings with the tears and prayers of the unfortunate."Il Consitutionnel, the newspaper of the anticlerical left, wrote: "The unfortunate people of the 12th district have just experienced a regrettable loss. Sr. Rosalie, Superior of the Community at rue de l'Epée de Bois died yesterday after a long illness. For many years this respectable woman was the salvation of the numerous needy in this district." Le Moniteur, the Empire's official newspaper wrote: "Funeral honors were given to Sr. Rosalie with unusual splendor. For more than fifty years this holy woman was a friend to others in a district where there are many unfortunate people to care for, and all these grateful people accompanied her remains to the church and to the cemetery. A guard of honor was part of the cortege." Numerous visitors flocked to the Montparnasse Cemetery. From the miracles attributed to her interession, it became difficult for Daughters of Charity to visit Bl. Rosalie's resting place. Thus, her body was transferred to a more accessible site near the cemetery's entrance. On St. Rosalie's simple tomb are engraved these words: "To Sister Rosalie, from her grateful friends, the rich and the poor." Anonymous hands continue bringing flowers to her gravesite: a lasting yet discreet homage to this humble daughter of St. Vincent de Paul.
St. Mel()
St. Richard of Lucca()
Roman Martyrology: At Lucca in Tuscany, around 720, the burial of Saint Richard, father of Saints Winebald, Willibald and Walburge, who, on his way from England on a pilgrimage to Rome with his sons, where he died.
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2017 / Catholic Missal of february 2017
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:15Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:15Z