Catholic Missal of the day: Thursday, January 7 2016
4th day after Epiphany
4th day after Epiphany
1. ReadingFirst Letter of John
4,19-21.5,1-4.]Beloved, we love God because he first loved us.
]If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
]This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
]Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves (also) the one begotten by him.
]In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments.
]For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,
]for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Psalms
72(71),1-2.14.15bc.17.]O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
]He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
]From fraud and violence he shall redeem them,
and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
]May they be prayed for continually;
]day by day shall they bless him.
]May his name be blessed forever;
As long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
All the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
4,14-22.]Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
]He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
]He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read
]and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
]"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
]and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
]Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
]He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
]And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
St. Raymond of Peñafort(Priest (c. 1175-1275))
SAINT RAYMOND OF PEÑAFORTPriest(C. 1175-1275) Raymond was born circa 1175 to a noble Spanish family. Starting the age of 20, he taught philosophy in Barcelona with great success. Ten years later, he earned a doctorate at the University of Bologna. A tender devotion to our Blessed Lady, which he had nurtured since childhood, made him renounce all his honors in middle life and enter the Order of St. Dominic. He founded the Order of Our Lady of Ransom for the Redemption of Captives, together with St. Peter Nolasco and King James of Aragon. The Holy Mother of God appeared to them in visions and bid them ransom Christian slaves from Islamic captors. Raymond ransomed countless Christians and preached a crusade against the Moors. Spain was liberated in the fifteenth century thanks to their efforts. Raymond bid King James of Aragon to extirpate the cause of his sins. When the king tarried, Raymond asked for leave to depart Majorca. However, the king refused and forbade Raymond's conveyance. Hence, Raymond spread his cloak upon the waters, tied one end to his staff as a sail, made the sign of the cross, stepped upon it, and was borne to Barcelona in six hours. He then gathered up his cloak dry and stole into his monastery. The king was overcome by this miracle and became a sincere penitent. Angels, who intercede until the end of time, likely bore Raymond's weight and conveyed him to Barcelona. In 1230, Gregory IX summoned Raymond to Rome, made him his confessor and grand penitentiary, and directed him to compile The Decretals: a collection of the scattered decisions of the popes and councils. When Raymond refused the archbishopric of Tarragona, he was elected as the third general of his Order in 1238. He resigned on account of his age and continued evangelizing the Moors. He lived to be 100 years old, and intercedes now in heaven.
St. Angela Foligno(Religious (1248 - 1309))
Saint Angela of Foligno(1248 – January 4, 1309) St. Angela of Foligno was a Christian mystic. She was a Franciscan tertiary who is known as the Teacher of Theologians. She also led a community that refused to accept enclosure in order to care for lepers and the sick. Some saints show marks of holiness very early, but not Angela! She was from a leading family in Foligno, Italy. Social status was her primary concern. As a wife and mother, she continued a life of distraction. Around the age of 40, she recognized the emptiness of her vain existence and sought God’s help in the Sacrament of Penance. Angela's Franciscan confessor helped her find God’s forgiveness and guided her to prayer and works of charity. Shortly after her conversion, her husband and children died. She then sold her possessions and entered the Secular Franciscan Order. She meditated on the crucified Christ, served the poor of Foligno as a nurse and begged for their needs. Other women later joined her and together they formed a religious community. At her confessor’s advice, Angela wrote her Book of Visions and Instructions. In it, she recalls some of the temptations she suffered after her conversion. She also expresses her thanks to God for the Incarnation of Jesus. She was beatified in 1693 and canonized in 2013.
St. Lucian(Priest and Martyr († 312))
SAINT LUCIANPriest and Martyr( 312) St. Lucian was born in Samosata, Syria. When his parents passed away, he distributed his considerable inheritance among the poor. He then withdrew to Edessa and lived near a holy man named Macarius. The latter conferred his knowledge of Holy Scriptures and formed St. Lucian's spirituality. When St. Lucian was ordained a priest, his time was divided between external duties, works of charity and studying sacred scriptures. He revised the books of the Old and New Testaments and expunged the errors of copyists and heretics. He prepared the way for St. Jerome, who produced the Latin translation known as the Vulgate. After being denounced as a Christian, St. Lucian was thrown into prison and tortured for 12 days. Some Christians visited him in prison on the feast day of Epiphany and brought bread and wine. While chained to the ground on his back, he consecrated the divine mysteries and communicated the faithful who were present. He was soon martyredin prison and was brought by Jesus Christ to Heaven.
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2016 / Catholic Missal of january 2016
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:07Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:07Z