Thursday of the Second week of Lent

Book of Jeremiah

Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, But stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.
More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the LORD, alone probe the mind and test the heart, To reward everyone according to his ways, according to the merit of his deeds.

Psalms

Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
Not so, the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'
He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

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, Poland. He was born in the Diocese of Bielsko Żywiec, then part of the Diocese of Krakow. He finished elementary school in Wilamowice and Kęty, attended high school in Wadowice, and received his diploma in 1880. On July 6, 1884, he was ordained in Krakow by Cardinal Albino Dunajewski. In 1886, Fr. Joseph 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 a professor of dogmatic theology at the John Casimir University of Leopoli. He also served as dean of theology prior to becoming university rector. During his tenure, he was appreciated by his students and enjoyed the friendship and respect of his colleagues. He arduously dedicated himself to scientific work and, despite his young age, acquired fame as a learned man. Fr. Joseph's extraordinary intellectual and social 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, caring for the large diocese required Joseph's utmost commitment and moral effort. His pastoral plan 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. Archbishop Bilczewski addressed pastoral letters and appeals to the priests and the faithful. He pointed out the need for frequent reception of Holy Communion, devotion to the Sacred Heart and the formation of children and youth in the family and school. He spoke about the problems of faith and morals of the time as well as pressing social issues. 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. He often exhorted 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 spiritual formation 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, chapels, schools and day-care centers. He developed guidelines for instructing the faithful and materially and spiritually supported important works in his archdiocese. His holy life, filled with prayer, good deeds and works of mercy led to his meriting great appreciation and respect on the part of those of various faiths, rites and nationalities. 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 lack of appreciation, he pointed out the infinite love of God, capable of forgiving every type of sin and offense. He reminded them to observe the Commandments and particularly that of brotherly love. Sensitive to the social questions regarding the family and youth, he courageously proposed solutions to the 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. His passing on March 20, 1923, engendered further support of his pastoral initiatives. Abo. Joseph Bilczewski was prepared for death and fully accepted God's will with peace and serenity.He left the world universally recognized for his holiness. He wanted to rest among those whom had he served and was buried in Leopoli, at the cemetery of Janów, known as the cemetery of the poor. The Archdiocese of Leopoli initiated the process for his beatification and canonization; and on December 17, 1997, Pope John Paul II declared his heroic life and virtues. 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 Abp. Joseph's intercession, of the third degree burns of nine-year-old Marcin Gawlik. The miracle opened the way for Abp. Joseph's beatification 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, in 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 some relatives in Madrid 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 onset of a severe case 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 Saint Soledad Torres Acosta helped Sr. Maria Josefa arrive to the decision of leaving the Institute of the Servants of Mary and founding a new religious family. The aim was to assist the sick in the hospitals and in their homes. With the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo's permission, Sr. Maria Josefa and thee other Servants of Mary started the new foundation. The new foundation started in Bilbao in the spring of 1871, when Sr. Maria Josefa was twenty nine. For the next 41 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 to the house in Bilbao. She continued following the events of the various communities in and outside Spain through a painstaking and precious correspondence. When she passed away on March 20, 1912, after long years of suffering, there were 43 houses of the Servants of Jesus and the number of her Sisters reached more than one thousand. Her passing was felt in Bilbao and other numerous localities. 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 chapel of the Institute's mother house.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 spirit of Ma. Josefa brought forth the Institute of the Servants of Jesus. Her writings reflect the interior movements of a soul consecrated to the Church and serving the sick. We find her concept well-expressed in the Directorio de Asistencias, where the Servant of Jesus provides for the sick, accompanies the suffering until the door of eternity, and calls 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 that reminds us of their Foundress. The Servants of Jesus also assist the elderly in residences and provide assistance to children in day care centers. They support food security, 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 Mother Maria Josefa's Sisters initiated the process for her canonization. However, the Spanish civil war and the Second World War delayed the motion.a) 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, the Decretum super Virtutibus was promulgated.d) On September 27, 1992, Ma. Maria Josefa 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 King Dagobert's army. Wulfran was privileged to attend King Clotaire III and St. Bathildes' court. He wasconsecrated archbishop of Sens in 682 and ministered for two and a half years. He emulated the English preachers and began evangelizing Friesland. He left the comfort of his see to minister in remote communities. After a retreat in Fontenelle, he entered Friesland as a poor missionary priest. Wulfran's baptism of King Radbod's son helped end the custom of sacrificing people to idols. On one occasion, Ovon was being sacrificed; and life his was spared when Wulfran interceded. King Radbod's palace was in tumult because people called saving Ovon a sacrilege. The persecutors demanded that God save Ovon and hanged him on the gibbet for two hours. Miraculously, he was found alive. Ovon later became a monk and priest in Fontenelle. Wulfran miraculously rescued two children from being drowned as sacrifices. Radbod witnessed that miracle and sought baptism, but was swayed by the allure of power. He asked where his ancestors and nobles were in the afterlife and then quit the baptism. Wulfran would retire in Fontenelle. He passed away on April 20, 720.

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