Thursday of the Third week in Ordinary Time

Letter to the Hebrews

Brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,
and since we have "a great priest over the house of God,"
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.
We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.
We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Psalms

The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear."
He also told them, "Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

St. Bathildes(Queen (c. 634-680))

SAINT BATHILDES Queen. (c. 634-680) St. Bathildes was an Anglo Saxon slave who became a Christian queen. She was sold at a very young age to Erkenwald, the mayor of the palace under King Clovis II. When she grew up, Erkenwald was so impressed by her prudence and virtues that he placed her in charge of his household. St. Bathildes was acquainted with King Clovis II and became his royal consort. Her virtues increased in accordance with the demands of her life and status. Holy Angels certainly assist in nurturing each virtue; as Scripture says, "You will see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (Jn 1:51). King Clovis II gave Bathildes authority for the protection of the Church, care of the poor and furtherance of religious undertakings. Before passing away, he appointed Queen Bathildes regent of the kingdom. She forbade the enslavement of Christians, did all in her power to promote piety and filled France with hospitals and religious houses. When her son, Clotaire, was of age, Queen Bathildes withdrew from the world and entered the convent of Chelles. There, she seemed to entirely forget her queenship. She was distinguished from the rest of the community only by her humility, obedience to spiritual superiors and devotion to the sick, whom she comforted and served with wonderful charity. When Queen Bathildes was near death, God visited her with a severe illness. She bore her affliction patiently and united her suffering to Jesus' Cross. She breathed forth her soul with prayer on January 30, 680. Amid the Church Triumphant in heaven, St. Bathildes reigns with Jesus Christ in our true native land.

Bl. Columba Marmion(Abbot (1858-1923))

Bl. Columba Marmion Third Abbot of Maredsous (1858-1923) Bl. Columba Marmion was born in Dublin, Ireland, on April 1, 1858, to an Irish father (William Marmion) and a French mother (Herminie Cordier). He was named Joseph Aloysius at birth. He entered the Dublin diocesan seminary in 1874 and completed his theological studies at the College of the Propagation of the Faith in Rome. He was ordained a priest at St. Agatha of the Goths on June 16, 1881. Fr. Columba wanted to be a missionary monk in Australia, but was won over by the liturgical atmosphere of the newly founded Abbey of Maredsous in Belgium. He visited the Abbey before returning to Ireland in 1881. His bishop then appointed him curate in Dundrum and professor at the major seminary in Clonliffe (1882-86). As the chaplain at a convent of Redemptorist nuns and at a women's prison, he learned to guide souls, to hear confessions, to counsel and to help the dying. In 1886, he received his bishop's permission to become a monk. He voluntarily renounced a promising ecclesiastical career and was welcomed at Maredsous in Belgium by Abbot Placidus Wolter. His novitiate, under the iron rule of Dom Benoît D'Hondt and among a group of young novices, proved all the more difficult because he had to change habits, culture and language. But saying that he had entered the monastery to learn obedience, he let himself be molded by monastic discipline, community life and choral prayer until his solemn profession on February 10, 1891. Fr. Columba received his first "obedience" or mission when he was assigned to the small group of monks sent to found the Abbey of Mont César in Louvain. Although it unsettled him, he generously and obediently forged ahead. He was entrusted with the task of Prior beside Abbot de Kerchove, and served as spiritual director and professor to all the young monks studying philosophy or theology in Louvain. He preached retreats in Belgium and in the United Kingdom and gave spiritual direction to many communities, including the Carmelite nuns. He became the confessor of Mons. Joseph Mercier, the future Cardinal, and the two formed a lasting friendship. During this period, Maredsous Abbey was governed by Dom Hildebrand de Hemptinne, its second Abbot, who in 1893 would become, at the request of Leo XIII, the first Prelate of the Benedictine Confederation. Fr.Columba was thus elected the third Abbot of Maredsous on September 28, 1909, receiving the abbatial blessing on October 3. Ab. Columbawas placed at the head of a community of more than 100 monks, with a humanities college, a trade school and a farm. He also edited the Revue Bénédictine and other publications. He also helped the Anglican monks of Caldey when they wished to convert to Catholicism. Ab. Columba's greatest ordeal was the First World War. His decision to send the young monks to Ireland so that they could complete their education in peace led to many anxieties. It also caused misunderstandings and conflicts between the two generations within the community. German lay brothers, who had been present since the monastery's foundation by Beuron Abbey, had to be sent home (despite the Benedictine vow of stability). After the war, a small group of monks was dispatched to the Monastery of the Dormition in Jerusalem to replace the German monks expelled by the British authorities. Finally, the Belgian monasteries were separated from the Beuron Congregation; and in 1920, the Belgian Congregation of the Annunciation was set up with Maredsous, Mont César and St. André of Zevenkerken. Fr. Columba's sole comfort during this period was preaching and giving spiritual direction. His secretary, Dom Raymond Thibaut, prepared his spiritual conferences for publication: Christ the Life of the Soul (1917), Christ in His Mysteries (1919) and Christ the Ideal of the Monk (1922). He was already considered an outstanding abbot (Queen Elisabeth of Belgium consulted with him at length) and a great spiritual author. Bl. Columba Marmion passed away during a flu epidemic on January 30, 1923. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000.

St. Hyacinthe Mariscotti()

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