Friday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time

Letter to the Hebrews

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never forsake you or abandon you."
Thus we may say with confidence: "The Lord is my helper, (and) I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Psalms

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
For he will hide me in his abode
in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me in the shelter of his tent,
he will set me high upon a rock.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread, and people were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; That is why mighty powers are at work in him."
Others were saying, "He is Elijah"; still others, "He is a prophet like any of the prophets."
But when Herod learned of it, he said, "It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up."
Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias's own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."
He even swore (many things) to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom."
She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."
The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request, "I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

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 who were esteemed for their virtue. 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 Revolution broke out in France. It was compulsory for the clergy to take an oath of support for the civil Constitution starting 1790. Numerous priests, faithful to the Church, refused to take the oath. They 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 that he was celebrating Mass and was offended that she had not been told.Later, in a discussion with her mother, she blurted out: "Be careful or I will tell that Pierre is not really Pierre." To avoid any indiscretion on the part of her daughter, Madame Rendu admitted the truth.Jeanne Marie was thus educated in an atmosphere of faith exposed to danger. She made her first communion by candlelight in the basement of her home. 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 entire family. Jeanne Marie, aware of her responsibility as the eldest, helped her mother care for her younger sisters. When people calmed down after the Terror, Madame Rendu sent Jeanne Marie to the Ursuline Sisters in Gex for education. Jeanne Marie stayed at their boarding school for two years. She discovered the hospital where the Daughters of Charity cared for the sick and obtained her mother's 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 besought her mother. After consulting Fr. de Varicourt, the senior priest in Gex, Madame Rendu gave her happy and emotional consent to Jeanne. On May 25, 1802, Jeanne Marie arrived at the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity, rue du Vieux Colombier, in Paris. She was nearly 17 years old! The reopening of the Seminary, which had been suppressed by the Revolutionaries, took place in December 1800. On their arrival, 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 the advice of her physician and that of her godfather, Fr. Emery, Jeanne Marie 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, the most impoverished district of the quickly-expanding capital.Jeanne Marie, who received the name Sr. Rosalie, made her apprenticeship accompanying Sisters who visited the sick and the poor. Between times, she taught catechism and reading to little girls at the free school. In 1807, Sr. Rosalie, surrounded by the Sisters of her Community, made vows for the first time. In 1815, Sr. Rosalie became Superior of the Community at rue des Francs Bourgeois. Two years later, the Community moved to rue de l'Epée de Bois for reasons of space and convenience. Sr. Rosalie's qualities of devotedness, natural authority, humility, compassion and organization would be revealed. "Her poor," as she would call them, became more and more numerous during this troubled time. The ravages of a triumphant economic liberalism accentuated the destitution of those most rejected. She sent her Sisters into the hidden recesses of St. Médard Parish to bring 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. Sr. Rosalie's 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. She was the center of a charitable movement that characterized Paris and France in the first half of the 19th century. Sr. Rosalie's experience was priceless for these young people. She directed their apostolate, guided their coming and going in the suburbs and gave them addresses of families in need. 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 in the peace of the Holy Family on February 7, 1856, after a brief illness.After the funeral rite at St. Médard Church in her parish, 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()

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