Friday of the Seventh week of Easter

Acts of the Apostles

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus.
Since they spent several days there, Festus referred Paul's case to the king, saying, "There is a man here left in custody by Felix.
When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.
I answered them that it was not Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge.
So when (they) came together here, I made no delay; the next day I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in.
His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected.
Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive.
Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges.
And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar."

Psalms

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."
He then said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

St. Charles Lwanga & his companions()

Saint Charles Lwanga and companionsThe 22 Martyrs of Uganda (+ 1886-1887) Charles Lwanga was one of 22 Ugandan martyrs who converted from paganism. Though he was baptized the night before being put to death, he was already a moral leader. He was the chief of the royal pages and was considered the strongest athlete of the court. He was also known as "the most handsome man of the Kingdom of the Uganda." Charles instructed his friends in the Catholic Faith and personally baptized boy pages. He inspired and encouraged his companions to remain chaste and faithful. He protected his companions, ages 13-30, from the immoral acts and homosexual demands of the Babandan ruler, Mwanga. Mwanga was a superstitious king who originally was tolerant of Catholicism. However, his chief assistant, Katikiro, slowly convinced him that Christians were a threat to his rule. The premise was if these Christians would not bow to him, nor make sacrifices to their pagan god, nor pillage, massacre, nor make war, what would happen if his whole kingdom converted to Catholicism? When Charles was sentenced to death, he seemed very peaceful, one might even say, cheerful. He was to be executed by being burnt to death. While the pyre was being prepared, he asked to be untied so that he could arrange the sticks. He then lay down upon them. When the executioner said that Charles would be burned slowly to death, Charles replied by saying that he was very glad to be dying for the True Faith. Charles was burned to death by Mwanga's order on June 3, 1886. He made no cry of pain, but just twisted and moaned, "Kotanda! (O my God!)." Pope Paul VI canonized Charles Lwanga and his companions on June 22, 1964. We celebrate his memorial on June 3rd of the Roman Calendar. St. Charles is the Patron of the African Youth of Catholic Action.

St. John XXIII(Pope (1881-1963))

SAINT JOHN XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli) Pope (from October 28 1958 to June 3 1963) (1881-1963) Blessed Pope John XXIII was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in Sotto il Monte, Diocese of Bergamo on November 25, 1881. He was the fourth in a family of fourteen. The family worked as sharecroppers. It was a patriarchal family in the sense that the families of two brothers lived together, headed by his great-uncle Zaverio, who had never married and whose wisdom guided the work and other business of the family. Zaverio was Angelo's godfather, and to him he always attributed his first and most fundamental religious education. The religious atmosphere of his family and the fervent life of the parish, under the guidance of Fr. Francesco Rebuzzini, provided him with training in the Christian life. He entered the Bergamo seminary in 1892. Here he began the practice of making spiritual notes, which he continued in one form or another until his death, and which have been gathered together in the Journal a Soul. He also began the deeply cherished practice of regular spiritual direction. In 1896, he was admitted to the Secular Franciscan Order by the spiritual director of the Bergamo seminary, Fr. Luigi Isacchi. He made a profession of its Rule of life on May 23, 1897. From 1901 to 1905, he was a student at the Pontifical Roman Seminary. He was ordained in the church of Santa Maria in Monte Santo on August 10, 1904, in Rome's Piazza del Popolo. In 1905, he was appointed secretary to the new Bishop of Bergamo, Giacomo Maria Radini Tedeschi. He accompanied the bishop during pastoral visitations and collaborated with him in many initiatives: a Synod, management of the diocesan bulletin, pilgrimages and social works. In the seminary, he taught history, patrology and apologetics. He was an elegant, profound, effective and sought-after preacher. These were the years of his deepening spiritual encounter with two saints who were outstanding pastors: St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis de Sales. They were years, too, of deep pastoral involvement and apprenticeship, as he spent every day beside "his" Bishop, Radini Tedeschi. When the Bishop passed away in 1914, Fr. Angelo continued to teach in the seminary and to minister in various pastoral areas. When Italy went to war in 1915, he was drafted as a sergeant in the medical corps and became a chaplain to wounded soldiers. When the war ended, he opened a "Student House" for the spiritual needs of young people. In 1919, Fr. Angelo was made spiritual director of the seminary, but in 1921, he was called to the service of the Holy See. Benedict XV brought him to Rome to be the Italian president of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In 1925, Pius XI named him Apostolic Visitator in Bulgaria, raising him to the episcopate with the titular Diocese of Areopolis. For his episcopal motto, Fr. Angelo chose Oboedientia et Pax, "Obedience and Peace," which became his guiding motto for the rest of his life. On March 19, 1925, he was elected bishop and left for Bulgaria. He was granted the title Apostolic Delegate and remained in Bulgaria until 1935, visiting Catholic communities and establishing relationships of respect and esteem with other Christian communities. In the aftermath of the 1928 earthquake, his solicitude was everywhere present. He endured in silence the misunderstandings and other difficulties of a ministry on the fringes of society, and thus refined his sense of trust and abandonment to Jesus crucified. In 1935, he was named Apostolic Delegate in Turkey and Greece. The Catholic Church was present in many ways in the young Turkish republic. His ministry among the Catholics was intense, and his respectful approach and dialogue with the worlds of Orthodoxy and Islam became a feature of his tenure. When the Second World War broke, out he was in Greece. He tried to get news from the prisoners of war to their families and assisted many Jews to escape by issuing "transit visas" from the Apostolic Delegation. In December 1944, Pius XII appointed him Nuncio in France. During the last months of the war and the beginning of peace, he aided prisoners of war and helped to normalize the ecclesiastical organization of France. He visited the great shrines of France and participated in popular feasts and in important religious celebrations. He was an attentive, prudent and positive observer of the new pastoral initiatives of the Bishops and clergy of France. His approach was always characterized by striving for Gospel simplicity, even amid the most complex diplomatic questions. The sincere piety of his interior life found expression each day in prolonged periods of prayer and meditation. In 1953, he was elected Cardinal and sent to Venice as Patriarch. He was filled with joy at the prospect of ending his days in the direct care of souls, as he had always desired since becoming a priest. He was a wise and enterprising pastor, following the model pastors he had always venerated and walking in the footsteps of St. Laurence Giustiniani, first Patriarch of Venice. As he advanced in years, his trust in the Lord grew in the midst of energetic, enterprising and joyful pastoral labours. At the death of Pius XII, Cardinal Angelo was elected Pope on October 28, 1958, taking the name John XXIII. His pontificate, which lasted less than five years, presented him to the entire world as an authentic image of the Good Shepherd. Meek and gentle, enterprising and courageous, simple and active, he carried out the Christian duties of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy: visiting the imprisoned and the sick, welcoming those of every nation and faith, and bestowing on all his exquisite fatherly care. His social magisterium in the encyclicals Pacem in Terris and Mater et Magistra were deeply appreciated. Pope John XXIII convoked the Roman Synod, established the Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law and summoned the Second Vatican Council. He was present as Bishop in his Diocese of Rome through his visitation of the parishes, especially those in the new suburbs. The faithful saw in him a reflection of the goodness of God and called him "the good Pope." He was sustained by a profound spirit of prayer. He launched an extensive renewal of the Church, while radiating the peace of one who always trusted in the Lord. Pope John XXIII passed away on the evening of June 3, 1963 in a spirit of profound trust in Jesus and of longing for his embrace. He was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II on September 3, 2000 in Rome.(From L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English September 6 2000)

Bl. Ignatius Mayolan((1869-1915))

Blessed Ignatius Maloyan Armenian Catholic Archbishop & Martyr (1869-1915) Ignatius Maloyan (Shoukrallah), son of Melkon and Faridé, was born in 1869 in Mardin, Turkey.His parish priest, noticing signs of a priestly vocation, sent him to the convent of Bzommar-Lebanon. He was then fourteen years old. After finishing his superior studies in 1896, the day dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he was ordained in the Church of Bzommar convent, became a member of the Bzommar Institute and adopted the name of Ignatius in remembrance of the famous martyr of Antioch. During the years 1897 to 1910, Father Ignatius was appointed parish priest in Alexandria and Cairo, where his good reputation was widespread. His Beatitude Patriarch Boghos Bedros XII appointed Fr. Ignatius as his assistant in 1904. Because of a disease affecting his eyes and causing difficulty in breathing, Fr. Ignatius returned to Egypt and stayed there until 1910. The Diocese of Mardin being in a state of anarchy, Patriarch Sabbaghian sent Fr. Ignatius Maloyan to restore order.On October 22, 1911, the Synod of Bishops assembled in Rome and elected Fr. Ignatius Archbishop of Mardin. He took over his new assignment and planned on renewing the wrecked Diocese, encouraging especially the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Unfortunately, at the outbreak of the First World War, the Armenians residing in Turkey, then allied with Germany, began to endure unspeakable sufferings. In fact, April 24, 1915 marked the beginning of a veritable campaign of extermination, the Armenian genocide. On April 30, 1915, Turkish soldiers surrounded the Armenian Catholic Bishopric and church in Mardin on the basis that they were hide-outs for arms. At the beginning of May, the Bishop gathered his priests and informed them of the dangerous situation. On June 3, 1915, Turkish soldiers dragged Bishop Maloyan in chains to court with twenty seven other Armenian Catholic personalities. The next day, twenty five priests and eight hundred and sixty two believers were held in chains. During the trial, the chief of the police, Mamdooh Bek, asked the Bishop to convert to Islam. The bishop answered that he would never betray Christ and His Church. Mamdooh Bek hit Bp. Ignatius on the head with the rear of his pistol and ordered him put in jail. The soldiers chained Bp. Ignatius' feet and hands, threw him on the ground and hit him mercilessly. With each blow, the Bishop was heard saying, "Oh Lord, have mercy on me, oh Lord, give me strength," and asked the priests present for absolution. With that, the soldiers went back to hitting him; and they extracted his toe nails. On June 9, Bp. Ignatius' mother visited him and cried for his state. But the valiant Bishop encouraged her. On the next day, the soldiers gathered four hundred and forty seven Armenians. The soldiers, along with the convoys, took the desert route. The bishop encouraged his parishioners to remain firm in their faith. Then all knelt with him. He prayed to God that they accept martyrdom with patience and courage. The priests granted the believers absolution. The Bishop took out a piece of bread, blessed it, recited the words of the Eucharist and gave it to his priests to distribute among the people. One of the soldiers, an eye witness, recounted this scene: "That hour, I saw a cloud covering the prisoners and from all emitted a perfumed scent. There was a look of joy and serenity on their faces." After a two-hour walk, the soldiers attacked the prisoners and killed them before the bishop's eyes. After the massacre of the two convoys came Bp. Ignatius' turn. Mamdooh Bek again asked Bp. Ignatius to convert to Islam. The bishop answered: "I've told you I shall live and die for Jesus Christ. I take pride in the Cross of my Lord." Mamdooh got very angry, drew his pistol and shot Bp. Ignatius. Before he breathed his last, Bp. Ignatius said: "My God, have mercy on me; into your hands I commend my spirit." Bp. Ignatius Mayolan was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II on October 7, 2001 in Rome. He reigns with Jesus and the Church Triumphant, interceding on our behalf forever and ever.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2022 / Catholic Missal of june 2022