Third Sunday of Lent

Book of Exodus

Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed.
So Moses decided, "I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned."
When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Here I am."
God said, "Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
I am the God of your father," he continued, "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
But the LORD said, "I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering.
Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the country of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
"But," said Moses to God, "when I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"
God replied, "I am who am." Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you."
God spoke further to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the Israelites: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. "This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations.

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.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.

First Letter to the Corinthians

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea,
and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
All ate the same spiritual food,
and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ.
Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.
These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.
Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer.
These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come.
Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them --do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!"
And he told them this parable: "There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener, 'For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. (So) cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?'
He said to him in reply, 'Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'"

St. Joseph Bilczewski(Bishop (1860-1923))

Saint Joseph Bilczewski Bishop (1860-1923) Blessed Archbishop Joseph Bilczewski was born on April 26, 1860 in Wilamowice, near Kęty, in the present day Diocese of Bielsko Żywiec, then part of the Diocese of Krakow. Having finished elementary school at Wilamowic and Kęty, he attended high school at Wadowice, receiving his diploma in 1880. On July 6, 1884 he was ordained in Krakow by Cardinal Albino Dunajewski. In 1886, he received a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Vienna. Following advanced studies in Rome and Paris, he passed the qualifying exam at the Jaghellonic University of Krakow. The following year, he became professor of Dogmatic Theology at the John Casimir University of Leopoli. He also served as Dean of Theology prior to becoming Rector of the University. During his tenure at the University, he was appreciated as a professor by his students and also enjoyed the friendship and respect of his colleagues. He arduously dedicated himself to scientific work and, despite his young age, acquired notoriety as a learned man. His extraordinary intellectual and relational abilities were recognized by Francis Joseph, the Emperor of Austria, who presented Monsignor Joseph to the Holy Father as a candidate for the vacant Metropolitan See of Leopoli. The holy father, Leo XIII, responded positively to the Emperor's proposal; and on December 17, 1900, he named the forty year old Monsignor Joseph Bilczewski Archbishop of Leopoli of the Latin Rite.Given the complex social, economic, ethnic and religious situation, care for the large diocese required of the Bishop a deep commitment and called for great moral effort, strong confidence in God, and a faith enlivened by a continual contact with God. Archbishop Joseph Bilczewski became known for his abundant goodness of heart, understanding, humility, piety, commitment to hard work and pastoral zeal which sprang from his immense love for God and neighbor.Upon taking possession of the Archdiocese of Leopoli he spelled out very clearly his pastoral plan which can be summed up in the words "totally sacrifice oneself for the Holy Church". Among other things he pointed out the need for the development of devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament and frequent reception of Holy Communion. A particular form of pastoral action of Archbishop Bilczewski were the pastoral letters and appeals addressed to the priests and the faithful of the Archdiocese. In them, he spoke of the problems of faith and morals of the time as well as of the most pressing issues of the social sphere. He also explained devotion to the Eucharist and to the Sacred Heart in them and the importance of religious and moral formation of children and youth in the family and in school. He taught for the Church and for the Holy Father. Above all, he took great care to cultivate many priestly vocations. He saw the priest as first and foremost a teacher of faith and an instrument of Christ, a father for the rich as well as for the poor. Taking the place of Christ on Earth, the priest was to be the minister of the Sacraments, and for this reason his whole heart had to be dedicated to the celebration of the Eucharist, nourishing the people of God with the body of Christ (Jn 6:55). He often exhorted the priests to adoration of the most Blessed Sacrament. In his pastoral letter devoted to the Eucharist, he invited the priests to participate in the priestly associations: The Association for Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament and the Association of Aid to Poor Catholic Churches whose goal was to rejuvenate the zeal of the priests themselves. He also dedicated a great deal of care to the preparation of children and to full participation in the Mass, desiring that every Catechesis would lead children and youth to the Eucharist. Archbishop Joseph Bilczewski promoted the construction of churches and chapels, schools and day-care centers. He developed teaching to help enable the growth in the instruction of the faithful. He materially and spiritually helped the more important works which were springing up in his Archdiocese. His holy life, filled with prayer, work and works of mercy led to his meriting great appreciation and respect on the part of those of various faiths, rites and nationalities present in the Archdiocese. No religious or nationalistic conflicts arose during the tenure of his pastoral work. He was a proponent of unity, harmony and peace. On social issues he always stood on the side of the people and of the poor. He taught that the base of social life had to be justice made perfect by Christian love. During the First World War, when souls were overtaken with hate and a lack of appreciation of the other, he pointed out to the people the infinite love of God, capable of forgiving every type of sin and offense. He reminded them of the need to observe the commandments of God and particularly that of brotherly love. Sensitive to the social questions regarding the family and youth, he courageously proposed solutions to problems based on the love of God and of neighbor. During his 23 years of pastoral service, he changed the face of the Archdiocese of Leopoli. Only his death on March 20, 1923 could end his vast and far-sighted pastoral action. He was prepared for death and accepted it with peace and submission as a sign of God's will, which he always considered sacred.He left this world having enjoyed a universal recognition of holiness. Wanting to rest among those for whom he was always father and protector, in accord with his desires, he was buried in Leopoli in the cemetery of Janów, known as the cemetery of the poor. Thanks to the efforts of the Archdiocese of Leopoli, the process for his beatification and canonization was initiated. The first step was concluded on December 17, 1997 with the declaration of the life of heroic virtue of Archbishop Joseph Bilczewski by The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. In June 2001, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints recognized as miraculous the fact of the rapid lasting and unexplainable "quo ad modum" healing through the intercession of Archbishop Bilczewski of the third degree burns of Marcin Gawlik, a nine year old boy, thus opening the way for his beatification.The beatification took place in the Diocese of Leopoli on June 26, 2001 during Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Visit to the Ukraine.He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 23, 2005 at Rome.

St. Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus((1842-1912))

SAINT MARIA JOSEFA OF THE HEART OF JESUS SANCHO DE GUERRA Religious (1842-1912)I- LIFE AND WORKS Saint Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus, eldest daughter of Bernabe Sancho, chair-maker, and of Petra de Guerra, housewife, was born in Vitoria (Spain) on September 7, 1842, and was baptized the following day. According to the custom practiced then, she was confirmed two years after, on August 10, 1844. Her father died when she was seven years old; her mother prepared her for the First Communion that she received at ten years old. At the age of fifteen she was sent to Madrid to some relatives to receive education and a more complete formation. The characteristic traits of her infancy and childhood were: a strong piety to the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary, a remarkable sensibility towards the poor and the sick and an inclination to solitude. She returned to Vitoria at the age of eighteen and manifested to her mother the desire to enter in a monastery, feeling an attraction to the cloistered life. From adulthood, Blessed Maria Josefa used to repeat: "I was born with a religious vocation." She lived through many various experiences, but listened faithfully to counsel from both priests and family, before finding the definitive form of her vocation. She was, in fact, to be on the point of entering to the Conceptionists contemplative of Aranjuez in 1860, but was prevented by the occurrence of a grave sickness of typhus. Her mother helped her to overcome the disappointment. In the succeeding months, it seemed to her understanding that the Lord calls her to a type of religious active life. For this, she decided to enter in the Institute of the Servants of Mary, recently founded in Madrid by Saint Soledad Torres Acosta. With the coming of the time of her profession, she was assailed with grave doubts and uncertainty on her effective call in that Institute. She opened her soul to various confessors and from their advices she felt that she was mistaken on her vocation. The meetings with the holy Archbishop Claret and the serene conversations with the same Saint Soledad Torres Acosta, gradually arrived to the decision of leaving the Institute of the Servants of Mary to give life to a new religious family, that had for its aim the exclusive assistance to the sick in the hospitals and in their homes. Sharing this same ideal with three other Servants of Mary, who with the permission of Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, went out together with her with the same purpose. The new foundation was made in Bilbao in the spring of 1871, when Maria Josefa was twenty nine years old. Since then, and for the succeeding forty one years, she was superior of the new Institute of the Servants of Jesus. She embarked on difficult trips to visit the different communities until a long sickness confined her in the house of Bilbao. Obliged to stay on bed or in an armchair, she continued to follow the events of the various communities with in and outside Spain through a painstaking and precious correspondence. On her death, on March 20, 1912, which happened after long years of suffering, there were 43 houses founded and the number of her Sisters reached more than one thousand. Her holy death caused great impact to Bilbao and in other numerous localities where she was known through the houses of her Institute. In the same way, her funeral had an extraordinary resonance. She was buried in the municipal cemetery of Bilbao. In 1926, her fame of sanctity grew and her mortal remains were transferred to the Mother House of the Institute and have been buried in the chapel until now.II- SPIRITUALITY The writings and the testimonies of the eye-witnesses put in evidence the central points of the spirituality of Blessed Maria Josefa:1) Great love to the Eucharist and to the Sacred Heart.2) Profound adoration to the mystery of Redemption and intimate participation to the sufferings of Christ and to his Cross.3) Total dedication to the service of the sick in a context of contemplative spirit. Here are some significant expressions taken from her writings: "The charity and mutual love constitute even in this life the paradise of the community. Without cross we cannot live wherever we go, because the religious life is a life of sacrifice and of abnegation. The foundation of greatest perfection is the fraternal charity."(Don Pablo B. Aristegui, Beata Maria Josefa del Cuore di Gesù, Mensajero, Bilbao, 1992, p. 97). "Don't believe sisters that the assistance consists only in giving medicines and food to the sick. There is another type of assistance that must never be forgotten and it is the assistance of the heart that adjusts and enter in sympathy with the person who suffers and go to meet his necessities." (Ibidem, p. 100). "We form in the Divine Heart of Jesus our center to communicate with Him. We can do it with the frequency that we desire without fear of molesting anyone; only with Jesus will be our intimacy.'' (Consejos y Maximas de Nuestra Venerada Madre Fundadora. Madrid, Imprenta Juan Bravo, 1994, p. 15).III- CHARISM TO SERVE THE SICK The particular footprint imprinted by Ma. Josefa to the Institute of the Servants of Jesus reflects her interior experience of a soul consecrated to the charitable service of the neighbor, especially to the sick, in a climate of contemplative spirit. We find her concept well-expressed in the Directorio de Asistencias, written by herself, where it is understood and affirmed what the Servant of Jesus provide for the sick, that she accompanies until the door of eternity, a blessing better than that of a missionary who with his preaching call those who are lost to the right path of life. "In this manner, as written in the functional manuals of our Institute, designed to procure the corporal health of the neighbor, is elevated to a great height, making our active life more perfect than that of a contemplative, as taught by the angelic teacher St. Thomas who says about the works directed to the salvation of souls derived from contemplation." (Directorio de Asistencias de la Congregación Religiosas Siervas de Jesús de la Caridad, Vitoria, 1930, p. 9). With this spirit, the Servants of Jesus, from the death of their Mother Maria Josefa and until now, have continued their service to the sick, with a generous oblation of life which reminds that of their Foundress. Furthermore, in conformity to the progress of times and the necessities of the modern life, from the primary end of the assistance to the sick, the assistance to old persons in residences and the reception and assistance to the children in day care centers, some others were added, such as: provision of food to the indigents, centers for those afflicted with AIDS, day care centers for the aged, pastoral health care and other works of beneficence and charities, above all in the poorest places of Latin America and Asia. Today, in actuality, the 1,050 Religious of the Institute of the Servants of Jesus are present in Spain and in other countries such as Italy, France, Portugal, Chile, Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Paraguay and Philippines.IV- ITINERARY OF THE CAUSE Few years after the death of Mother Maria Josefa, the Institute of the Servants of Jesus planned to start the Cause of the Canonization, but because of the adverse circumstances due to the Spanish civil war of 1936 and the Second World War, was able to realize the plan only after almost thirty years.a) On May 31, 1951, was the start of the Informative Ordinary Process in Bilbao.b) On January 7, 1972 the Decretum super introductione Causae.c) On September 7, 1989 was promulgated the Decretum super Virtutibus.d) On September 27, 1992 she was solemnly beatified in Saint Peter's Square.e) On October 1, 2000 she was canonized by John Paul II.

St. Wulfran(Archbishop (+720))

SAINT WULFRAN Archbishop(+720) St. Wulfran's father was an officer in the armies of King Dagobert. He spent some years in the court of King Clotaire III and the king's mother, St. Bathildes. St. Wulfran was humble and deeply in love with Jesus Christ and Mama Mary. Through prayer and the Sacraments, he learned to overcome concupiscence and the vanities of the world. Wulfran wasconsecrated Archbishop of Sens in 682. He governed the diocese for two and a half years with great zeal and humility. A tender compassion for the blindness of idolaters in Friesland, and the example of zealous English preachers, moved him to resign his bishopric, seek advice in a retreat at Fontenelle, and enter Friesland as a poor missionary priest. He baptized multitudes, among them a son of King Radbod, and drew the people from their custom of sacrificing people to idols. On a certain occasion, Ovon having been selected as a victim of a sacrifice to devils, St. Wulfran earnestly begged his life of King Radbod; but the people ran tumultuously to the palace, and would not suffer what they called a sacrilege. After many words, they consented, but on condition that Wulfran's God should save Ovon's life. The Saint betook himself to prayer; the man, after hanging on the gibbet two hours, and being left for dead, fell to the ground by the breaking of the cord; being found alive he was given to the Saint, and became a monk and priest at Fontenelle. St. Wulfran also miraculously rescued two children from being drowned in honor of idols. Radbod, who had been an eye-witness to this last miracle, promised to become a Christian; but as he was going to step into the baptismal font, he asked where the great number of his ancestors and nobles were in the next world. The prince then refused to be baptized, and passed away before St. Willibrord could entreat him to conversion. Shortly after, St. Wulfran retired to Fontenelle to prepare himself for death; and passed away on April 20, 720.

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