Wednesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time

2nd book of Kings

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here; the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan." "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live," Elisha replied, "I will not leave you." And so the two went on together.
Fifty of the guild prophets followed, and when the two stopped at the Jordan, stood facing them at a distance.
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up and struck the water, which divided, and both crossed over on dry ground.
When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha answered, "May I receive a double portion of your spirit."
"You have asked something that is not easy," he replied. "Still, if you see me taken up from you, your wish will be granted; otherwise not."
As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
When Elisha saw it happen he cried out, "My father! my father! Israel's chariots and drivers!" But when he could no longer see him, Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in two.
Then he picked up Elijah's mantle which had fallen from him, and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan.
Wielding the mantle which had fallen from Elijah, he struck the water in his turn and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over.

Psalms

How great is the goodness, O LORD,
which you have in store for those who fear you,
And which, toward those who take refuge in you,
you show in the sight of the children of men.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men;
You screen them within your abode
from the strife of tongues.
Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!
The LORD keeps those who are constant,
but more than requites those who act proudly.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

St. Juliana Falconieri((1270-1340))

SAINT JULIANA FALCONIERI(1270-1340) St. Juliana Falconieri was born in answer to prayer in 1270. Her father built the splendid church of the Annunziata in Florence, while her uncle, Blessed Alexius, became one of the founders of the Servite Order. Under his care, Juliana grew up, as he said, more like an angel than a human. Such was her modesty that she never used a mirror or gazed upon a man's face. The mere mention of sin made her shudder; and once, hearing a scandal through gossip, she fell into a swoon. Juliana's devotion to the sorrows of Our Lady drew her to the Servants of Mary. At the age of 14, she refused an offer of marriage and received the Servants' habit from St. Philip Benizi. Her sanctity attracted many novices, for whose direction she was bidden to draw up a rule. Thus, she became the foundress of the "Mantellate." She was with her children as their servant rather than their mistress. Outside her convent, she led a life of apostolic charity: converting sinners, reconciling enemies and healing the sick. Sr. Juliana was sometimes rapt for days in ecstasy; and her prayers saved the Servite Order when it was in danger of being suppressed. She passed away from a stomach disease that prevented her from eating. She endured her constant agony cheerfully: grieving only for the privation of Holy Communion. She was visited in her last hour by angels in the form of white doves, and the Child Jesus, who crowned her with a garland of flowers. Before dying, Juliana asked to see and adore the Blessed Sacrament. It was brought to her cell and reverently laid on a corporal, which was placed over her heart. At the moment she expired, the Sacred Host disappeared. Afterward, the form of the Host was found stamped upon her heart in the exact spot over where it had been placed.

St. Romuald(Abbot (c. 952-1027))

SAINT ROMUALD Abbot (c. 952-1027) In his youth, St. Romuald was troubled by temptations of the flesh. To escape them, he had recourse to hunting, and conceived a love for solitude. In 976, Sergius, his father, a nobleman of Ravenna, quarrelled with a relative about an estate and slew him in a duel. Romuald, horrified at his father's deed, entered the Benedictine monastery in Classe for a forty days' penance. This penance ended in his own vocation to religion. After three years in Classe, some bad example of his fellow monks induced Romuald to depart and live as a hermit near Venice. There, he was joined by Peter Urseolus, the duke of Venice, who sought redemption after usurping power. Together, they led an austere and penetential life; and were frequently assaulted by demons. St. Romuald founded many monasteries, the chief of which was in Camaldoli. It was in a wild, desert place, with a church surrounded by separate cells for the solitaries. Romuald's disciples were hence called Camaldolese. He is said to have seen a vision of a mystic ladder and his white-clothed monks ascending by it to heaven. Among his first disciples were Sts. Adalbert and Boniface, apostles of Russia, and Sts. John and Benedict of Poland, martyrs for the faith. He was an intimate friend of the emperor St. Henry, and was reverenced and consulted by many great men of his time. If there was a saint of the silver lining, it would be St. Romuald. He discovered his vocation after his father's act of revenge and the temptations besetting him. The scandal of some monks in Classe brought him Urseolus, his first disciple, whom he reformed. Finally, the persecutions of others made him settle in Camaldoli and found a new order. Romuald passed away as he had foretold twenty years earlier: in his monastery of Val Castro, on June 19, 1027.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2024 / Catholic Missal of june 2024