Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare)

2nd book of Chronicles

36,14-16.19-23.

In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD'S temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.
But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy.
They burnt the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces afire, and destroyed all its precious objects.
Those who escaped the sword he carried captive to Babylon, where they became his and his sons' servants until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.
All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah: "Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while seventy years are fulfilled."
In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing:
"Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: 'All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!'"

Psalms

137(136),1-2.3.4-5.6.

By the rivers of Babylon
we sat mourning and weeping
when we remembered Zion.
On the poplars of that land
we hung up our harps.
There our captors asked us
for the words of a song;
Our tormentors, for a joyful song:
"Sing for us a song of Zion!"
But how could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand wither.
May my tongue stick to my palate
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem
beyond all my delights.

Letter to the Ephesians

2,4-10.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

3,14-21.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

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St. Marie Eugenie of Jesus(Foundress of the Religious of the Assumption (1817-1898))

Saint Marie Eugenie of JesusFoundress of the Religious of the Assumption (1817 - 1898) Anne Marie Eugenie was born in 1817, in Metz, after Napoleon's defeat and the restoration of the monarchy. Her family was non-believing and financially comfortable. It seemed unlikely that Anne Marie would trace a new spiritual path across the Church in France. Anne Marie's father was a follower of Voltaire and a liberal, and made his fortune in banking and in politics. Her mother provided education, which developed Anne Marie's character and gave her a strong sense of duty. Family life developed Anne Marie's intellectual curiosity, romantic spirit, interest in social questions and a broad world view. Like her contemporary, George Sand, Anne Marie went to Mass on feast days and received the sacraments of initiation, but did so according to custom and without knowledge or conviction. However, her First Communion was a mystical experience that foretold the secret of her future. She did not grasp its prophetic meaning until much later when she recognized it as her path toward totally belonging to Jesus Christ and the Church. Anne Marie's youth was happy, but not without suffering. When she was a child, her elder brother and a baby sister passed away. She was also frail; and a fall from a horse left permanent injuries. Anne Marie was mature for her age and learned how to hide her feelings and face up to events. After a prosperous period for her father, she experienced the failure of his banks, the misunderstanding and eventual separation of her parents and the loss of all security. She had to leave her family home and go to Paris with her mother; while Louis, closest to her in age and a faithful companion, went to live with their father. Anne Marie went to Paris only to see her mother die from cholera. At the age of 15, she was now alone in a society that was worldly and superficial. She thus searched in anguish for truth and meaning. When she was 19, Anne Marie attended the Lenten Conferences at Notre Dame in Paris, preached by the young Abbe Lacordaire, who was already well-known for his talent as an orator. Lacordaire was a former disciple of Lamennais, who envisioned a renewed Church with a special place in the world. He understood his time and wanted to change it. He understood young people, their questions and their desires, their idealism and their ignorance of both Christ and the Church. His words touched Anne Marie's heart, answered her many questions and aroused her generosity. Anne Marie envisaged Christ as the universal liberator and His kingdom on earth established as a peaceful and just society. "I was truly converted," she wrote, "and I was seized by a longing to devote all my strength or rather all my weakness to the Church which, from that moment, I saw as alone holding the key to the knowledge and achievement of all that is good." Just at this time, another preacher, also a former disciple of Lamennais, appeared on the scene. In the confessional, Father Combalot recognized that he had encountered a chosen soul who would be the foundress of the Congregation he had envisaged. He persuaded Eugenie to undertake his work by showing how the Congregation was willed by God who had chosen her to establish it. He convinced her that only by education could she evangelize minds, make families truly Christian and thus transform the society of her time. Anne Marie accepted the project as God's will for her and allowed the Abbe Combalot to guide her. At 22, Anne Marie became foundress of the Religious of the Assumption, whose members consecrate their whole life and strength to extending the Kingdom of Christ in themselves and in the world. In 1839, Mademoiselle Eugenie Milleret, with two other young women, began a life of prayer and study in a flat at rue Ferou near the church of St. Sulpice in Paris. In 1841, under Madame de Chateaubriand, Lacordaire, Montalembert and their friends' patronage, the Sisters opened their first school. In a relatively short time, there were sixteen Sisters of four nationalities in the community. Anne Marie and her community wanted to link the ancient and the new: uniting the past treasures of the Church's spirituality and wisdom with a type of religious life and education able to satisfy the demands of modern minds. It was a matter of respecting the values of the period and making the Gospel penetrate the culture of a new industrial and scientific era. The spirituality of the Congregation, centered on Christ and the Incarnation, was both deeply contemplative and dedicated to apostolic action. It was a life given to God and the love and service of others. Anne Marie's long life covered almost the whole of the 19th century. She loved her times passionately and took an active part. Progressively, she channeled all her energy and gifts into the Congregation, which became her life's work. God gave her Sisters and many friends. One of her first Sisters was an Irish mystic who Anne Marie called, "half of myself." Kate O'Neill (called Mother Therese Emmanuel in religion) is considered as a co-foundress. Father Emmanuel d'Alzon became Anne Marie's spiritual director soon after the foundation; and was a father, brother or friend according to the seasons. In 1845, he founded the Augustinians of the Assumption and the two founders helped each other in a multitude of ways over a period of forty years. Both had a gift for friendship and they inspired many lay people to work with them and the Church. Together, as they followed Christ and labored with him, the religious and laity traced the path of the Assumption and took their place in the great cloud of witnesses. In the last years of her life, Mother Anne Marie Eugenie experienced a progressive physical weakening, which she lived in silence and humility. She received the Eucharist for the last time on March 9, 1898; and on the 10th, she gently passed over to the Lord. She was beatified by Pope Paul VI on February 9, 1975, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on June 3, 2007.

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The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste((† c. 320))

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THE FORTY MARTYRS OF SEBASTE ( c. 320) The forty martyrs were soldiers quartered in Sebaste (modern Turkey) around 320 A.D. When their legion was ordered to offer pagan sacrifice, the forty men declined. As punishment, they were scourged and torn with iron hooks, chained together and left to a lingering death. In the dead of winter, the men were condemned to freeze on the icy surface of a pond. With Christ so near during the trial, they removed their own garments and went toward the pond singing hymns. The secular authorities placed hot baths nearby to tempt them, yet not one renounced his faith. They remained steadfast and passed away one by one. Among the forty, there was a young soldier who held out the longest. When the officers came to cart away the bodies, they asked him to change his mind, but the soldier's mother encouraged him to triumph. He made a sign of recognition before being carried away: loyal and true to the very end. Forever in heaven, the martyrs praise God and intercede for us. We may call upon them for courage to obey the Holy Spirit.

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St. Macarius()

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misalcatolico.com

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