Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Exodus

In those days, God delivered all these commandments :
"I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;
you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation;
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.
"You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain.
"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
"Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you.
"You shall not kill.
"You shall not commit adultery.
"You shall not steal.
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him."

Psalms

The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
They are more precious than gold,
Than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
Or honey from the comb.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Jesus said to His disciples: "Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

St. Pedro Poveda Castroverde(Priest & Martyr (1874-1936))

Saint Pedro Poveda CastroverdePriest and Martyr, Founder of the Teresian Association(1874-1936) Pedro Poveda was born on 3 December 1874 in Linares, Spain, to a truly Christian family. From early childhood, he felt called to become a priest; and in 1889, he entered the diocesan seminary in Jaén. Because of financial difficulties, he transferred to the Diocese of Guadix, Grenada, where the Bishop had offered him a scholarship. He was ordained a priest on 17 April 1897. After ordination, Fr. Poveda taught in the seminary and served the diocese in many other ways. In 1900, he completed a licentiate in theology at Seville, and later began an apostolate among the "cave-dwellers," those who lived in dugouts in the hills outside of Guadix. Here, he built a school for children and workshops for adults that provided professional training and Christian formation. He was misunderstood, however, and had to leave this special ministry. Fr. Poveda headed for the solitude of Covadonga in the mountains of northern Spain. In 1906, he was appointed canon of the Basilica of Covadonga in Asturias, where the Blessed Virgin is venerated under this title. He devoted much time to prayer, and reflected particularly on the problem of education in Spain. He understood that the Lord was inviting him to open new paths in the Church and in the society of his time. He began to published articles and pamphlets on the question of the professional formation of teachers and was also in contact with other persons who felt the need for the presence and action of Christians in society. The opposition between faith and science was becoming more and more evident in the culture of his day, which carried with it a de-Christianization of the public education system. Fr. Poveda, after his apostolic experience in Guadix and his years of reflection and prayer in Covadonga, understood better the need to provide Christian formation for teachers who work in the State school system. He believed that a solid faith and professional qualifications were both needed to keep the Gospel message alive. In 1911, he opened the St. Teresa of Avila Academy as a residence for students and the starting point of the Teresian Association, dedicated to the spiritual and pastoral formation of teachers. The following year, he joined the Apostolic Union of Secular Priests and started new pedagogical centres and some periodicals. To further his work, Fr. Poveda moved to Jaén, where he taught in the seminary, served as spiritual director of Los Operarios Catechetical Centre, and worked at the Teacher Training College. In 1914, he opened Spain's first university residence for women in Madrid. Meanwhile, the Teresian Association continued to develop, spreading to various groups and areas, and leading to its ecclesiastical and civil approval in Jaén. Fr. Poveda offered the Teresian Association as a new path of Christian life and evangelization created with and for lay persons, forming them to be witnesses of the Gospel, according to his expression: "To believe firmly and to keep silent is not possible." He wanted the adherents to be ready to give their lives for the faith and expressed the same desire himself. In 1921, Fr. Poveda moved to Madrid and was appointed chaplain of the Royal Palace. A year later, he was named a member of the Central Board against illiteracy, but most of his time was devoted to the Teresian Association, which received papal approval in 1924. Although he did not direct the Association, as its founder he worked to consolidate and promote the various dimensions of its mission as it spread to Chile and later to Italy (1934). It was during the religious persecution in Spain that Fr. Poveda would be called to martyrdom. At dawn on 28 July 1936, when told by his persecutors to identify himself, he said, "I am a priest of Christ." He martyred for his beliefs and never renouncing his faith. He was beatified on 10 October 1993; and canonized on 3 May by Pope John Paul II.

St. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (1910-1946)()

Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (1910-1946) Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception was born in Kudamalur, the Arpookara region, in the diocese of Changanacherry, India, on the 19th of August 1910, of the ancient and noble family of Muttathupadathu. From her birth, Alphonsa's life was marked by the cross, which is the royal way of conforming to the will to God. Her mother, Maria Puthukari, gave birth in the eighth month of pregnancy when a snake wrapped itself around her waist during sleep. Eight days later, the 28th of August, Alphonsa was baptised according to the Syro-Malabar rite by Fr. Joseph Chackalayil. She was named Annakutty, a diminutive of Anne, and was the last of five children. Her mother passed away three months after giving birth, and Annakutty spent her early infancy in her grandparent's home in Elumparambil. There, she lived happily and received human and Christian formation. Her grandmother, a pious and charitable woman, communicated the joy of the faith, love for prayer and charity towards the poor. At five years of age, Annakutty already knew how to lead, with a total enthusiasm, the evening prayer of the family gathered, in accordance with the Syro-Malabar custom, in the "prayer room." Annakutty received the Eucharistic bread for the first time on the 11th of November 1917. She used to say to her friends: "Do you know why I am so particularly happy today? It is because I have Jesus in my heart!" In a letter to her spiritual father, on the 30th of November 1943, she confided the following: "Already from the age of seven I was no longer mine. I was totally dedicated to my divine Spouse. Your reverence knows it well." In the same year of 1917, she began to attend the elementary school of Thonnankuzhy, where she also established a sincere friendship with the Hindu children. When the first school cycle ended in 1920, the time had come to transfer to Muttuchira, to the house of her aunt, Anna Murickal, whom her mother had entrusted. Annakutty's aunt was severe and demanding, and at times despotic and violent in demands. Assiduous in religious practices, she accompanied her niece, but did not share the young girl's friendship with the Carmelites of the close-by Monastery or her long periods of prayer at the foot of the altar. She was, in fact, determined to procure an advantageous marriage for Annakutty. Annakutty's virtue was manifested in accepting her aunt's severe and rigid education as a path of humility and patience for the love of Christ. She resisted continual attempts at engagement, which her aunt pushed on her. To get out of a commitment to marriage, Annakutty burned herself by putting her foot into a heap of embers. "My marriage was arranged when I was thirteen years old. What had I to do to avoid it? I prayed all that night... then an idea came to me. If my body were a little disfigured no one would want me! ... O, how I suffered! I offered all for my great intention." The girl's attempt to disfigure her beauty did not fully succeed in freeing her from the attentions of suitors. During the following years, she had to defend her vocation, even during the year of probation when an attempt to give her in marriage was made, with the complicity of the Mistress of Formation herself. "O, the vocation which I received! A gift of my good God!.... God saw the pain of my soul in those days. God distanced the difficulties and established me in this religious state." It was Fr. James Muricken, her confessor, who directed her towards Franciscan spirituality and put her in contact with the Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists. Annakutty entered their college in Bharananganam in the diocese of Palai on the 24th of May 1927, to attend seventh class as an intern student. The following year, on the 2nd of August 1928, Annakutty began her postulancy, taking the name of Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception in honor of St. Alphonsus Liguori, whose feast it was that day. She was clothed in the religious habit on the 19th of May 1930, during the first pastoral visit made to Bharananganam by the Bishop, Msgr. James Kalacherry. The period 1930-1935 was characterised by grave illness and moral suffering. She could teach the children in the school at Vakakkad only during the scholastic year 1932. Then, because of her weakness, she carried out the duties of assistant-teacher and catechist in the parish. She also worked as a secretary, especially to write official letters because of her beautiful script. The canonical novitiate was introduced into the Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists in 1934. Though wishing to enter immediately, Sr Alphonsa was only admitted on the 12th of August 1935 because of her ill health. About one week after the beginning of her novitiate, she had a haemorrhage from the nose and eyes and a profound organic wasting and purulent wounds on her legs. The illness escalated to the point that her life was in danger. Thankfully, God intervened: During a novena to The Servant of God Fr. Kuriakose Elia Chavara - a Carmelite who today is a Blessed - Annakutty was miraculously and instantaneously cured. Having restarted her novitiate, she wrote the following proposals in her spiritual diary: "I do not wish to act or speak according to my inclinations. Every time I fail, I will do penance... I want to be careful never to reject anyone. I will only speak sweet words to others. I want to control my eyes with rigour. I will ask pardon of the Lord for every little failure and I will atone for it through penance. No matter what my sufferings may be, I will never complain and if I have to undergo any humiliation, I will seek refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus." The 12th of August 1936, the feast of St. Clare, the day of Annakutty's perpetual profession, was a day of inexpressible spiritual joy. She had realised her desire - guarded for a long time in her heart and confided to her sister Elizabeth when she was only 12 years old: "Jesus is my only Spouse, and no other." Jesus, however, wished to lead His spouse to perfection through a life of suffering. "I made my perpetual profession on the 12th of August 1936 and came here to Bharanganam on the following 14th. From that time, it seems, I was entrusted with a part of the cross of Christ. There are abundant occasions of suffering... I have a great desire to suffer with joy. It seems that my Spouse wishes to fulfil this desire." Painful illnesses followed one after another: typhoid fever, double pneumonia, and, the most serious of all, a dramatic nervous shock, the result of a fright on seeing a thief during the night of the 18th of October 1940. Her state of psychic incapacity lasted for about a year, during which she was unable to read or write. In every situation, Sr Alphonsa always maintained recollectedness and a charitable attitude towards the Sisters. In 1945, she had a violent outbreak of illness. A tumour, which had spread throughout her organs, transformed her final year of life into a continuous agony. Gastroenteritis and liver problems caused violent convulsions and vomiting up to forty times a day: "I feel that the Lord has destined me to be an oblation, a sacrifice of suffering... I consider a day in which I have not suffered as a day lost today." With this attitude of a victim for the love of Jesus, happy until the final moment and with a smile of innocence always on her lips, Sr Alphonsa quietly and joyfully brought her earthly journey to a close in the convent of the Franciscan Clarists at Bharananganam at 12:30 on the 28th July 1946, leaving behind the memory of a Sister full of love and a saint. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception Muttathupadathu was proclaimed Blessed by Pope John Paul II in Kottayam, India, on the 8th of February 1986. She was canonized on the 12th of October 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI. With that canonization the Church in India presents its first Saint to the veneration of the faithful of the whole world. Faithful from every part of the world have come together in a single act of thanksgiving to God in her name and in a sign of the great oriental and western traditions, Roman and Malabar, which Sr Alphonsa lived and harmonised in her saintly life.

St. Victor(Pope and Martyr († 198))

Saint Victor IPope and Martyr( 198)Third Class Pope St. Victor governed the Church in the time of Emperor Severus. He confuted Theodotus Coriarius and wrote on the question of Easter. Crowned with martyrdom, he was buried at Vatican hill on the fifth day before the Calends of August.

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