Thursday of the Fifth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Genesis

2,18-25.

The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him."
So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name.
The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man,
the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken."
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.
The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

Psalms

128(127),1-2.3.4-5.

Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

7,24-30.

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."
She replied and said to him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps."
Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter."
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

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St. Apollonia(Virgin and Martyr (+ 249))

SAINT APOLLONIA Virgin and martyr and the Martyrs of Alexandria (+ 249) In 249 AD, a persecution against Christians erupted in Alexandria. Metras, an elderly gentleman, was killed first. He was martyred when a mob pierced his eyes with reeds and then stoned him to death. A woman named Quinta was martyred next. She was led to a pagan temple and commanded to practice pagan rites. When she abstained, the mob dragged her outside and stoned her to death. Following these murders, the houses of Christians were plundered and looted. St. Apollonia, an elderly virgin, was prominent among the martyrs. After her teeth were beaten out, she was led outside the city, where a huge fire was kindled, and told she must deny Christ or be burned alive. She was silent for a while, and then, moved by a special inspiration of the Holy Spirit, she leaped into the fire and died in the flames. The same courage showed itself next year when Decius became emperor and the persecution grew till it seemed as if the very elect must fall away. The story of Dioscorus illustrates the courage of the Alexandrian Christians, and the esteem they had for martyrdom. Dioscorus was a boy of fifteen. To the arguments of the judge, he returned wise answers. He was proof against torture. His older companions were executed, but Dioscorus was spared on account of his tender years. "Dioscorus," writes Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria at this time, "remains with us, reserved for some longer and greater combat." There were indeed many Christians who, pale and trembling, offered pagan sacrifice. But the judges themselves were struck with horror at the multitudes who rushed to martyrdom. Women triumphed over torture, till at last the judges were glad to execute them and put an end to the ignominy of their own defeat. The shining courage and heroic virtue these men and women displayed must spur us to live ordinary moments with great love, supernatural motive and attentiveness to the presence of God.

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St. Teilo()

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misalcatolico.com

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2023 / Catholic Missal of february 2023