Catholic Missal of the day: Sunday, March 24 2019
Third Sunday of Lent
Third Sunday of Lent
1. ReadingBook of Exodus
3,1-8a.13-15.]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
103(102),1-2.3-4.6-7.8.11.]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
10,1-6.10-12.]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
13,1-9.]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. Catherine of Sweden(Abbess (1330-1381))
SAINT CATHERINE OF SWEDEN Virgin(1331 to 1381) St. Catherine was the fourth child of St. Bridget and Ulf Gudmarsson. She was born in 1331 or 1332. At the age of 7, she was sent to the abbess of the convent of Riseberg for schooling. St. Catherine's father arranged her marriage to Eggart von Kürnen when she was around 14. When she asked Eggart to join her in a vow of chastity, he agreed. They lived in a state of virginity and devoted themselves to charity and works of mercy. St. Catherine once accompanied St. Bridget to Rome in 1349. Soon after they arrived, St. Catherine received news that her husband had passed away in Sweden. She then lived with St. Bridget and took an active part in the latter's ministry. She also zealously imitated her mother's asceticism. Many suitors pursued St. Catherine, but she had already consecrated her whole being to God. In 1372, she and her brother, Birger, accompanied St. Bridget went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. After they returned, she accompanied St. Bridget during the latter's final illness and death. In 1374, after interring St. Bridget's remains in Wadstena, Sweden, St. Catherine became the head of the foundation. The motherhouse of the Brigittine Order was based in Wadstena. It was also called the Bridgittine Order and the Order of St. Savior. St. Catherine managed the convent in accordance with St. Bridget's rule. She passed away on March 24, 1381.
Bl. Maria Karlowska(Foundress (1865-1935))
Blessed Maria Karlowska Religious(1865-1935) Maria Karlowska was born in the territories under Prussian occupation in 1865. She assisted women who suffered material and moral deprivation. She quickly attracted a group of Christians and together they founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Divine Providence. The Sisters' goal is: "We must proclaim the Heart of Jesus, that is, so to live from him, in him and for him, as to become like him and that in our lives he may be more visible than we ourselves." The Foundress provided shelters for trafficked women and at-risk youth and girls. Her devotion to the Sacred Heart spread throughout the world and bears great fruit in those who cultivate it. Maria Karlowska loved the Church heroically. A love of this kind, according to her, will never say "enough," will never stop midway. She was beatified following a miraculous healing through her intercession. The miracle was verified by a medical board and offices for the causes of saints.
St. Oscar Romero(Archbishop (1917-1980))
Saint Oscar Romero (1917 - , CardinalEarly lifeOscar Romero was born into a large family on August 15, 1917, in El Salvador. Although they had more money than many of their neighbors, Oscar’s family had neither electricity nor running water in their small home, and the children slept on the floor. Oscar’s parents could not afford to send him to school after the age of 12, so he went to work as an apprentice carpenter. He quickly showed great skill, but Oscar was already determined to become a priest. He entered the seminary at the age of 14 and was ordained a priest when he was 25 in 1942. Recognising the power of radio to reach the people, he convinced five radio stations to broadcast his Sunday sermons to peasant farmers who believed they were unwelcome in the churches.In 1970, he became Auxiliary Bishop in San Salvador. In 1974, he became Bishop of Santiago de Maria. At this time, Oscar Romero was described as a conservative, not wanting to break from tradition. He supported the hierarchy who encouraged conformity. He was uncomfortable with social action that challenged political leaders.Growing awarenessDuring his two years as Bishop of Santiago de Maria, Romero was horrified to find that children were dying because their parents could not pay for simple medicines. He began using the resources of the diocese and his own personal resources to help the poor, but he knew that simple charity was not enough. He wrote in his diary that people who are poor should not just receive handouts from the Church or the government, but participate in changing their lives for the future.In 1977, Romero became Archbishop of San Salvador, the capital city. The situation in El Salvador was becoming worse and he couldn’t remain silent any longer. The military were killing the Salvadorian people - especially those demanding justice - such as teachers, nuns and priests, and including Romero’s good friend, Fr. Rutilio Grande. Thousands of people began to go missing. Romero demanded that the President of El Salvador thoroughly investigate the killings, but he failed to act.Voice of the voicelessIn his actions and words, Oscar demanded a peace that could only be found by ensuring people had access to basic needs and their rights upheld. He raised awareness globally about the people in his country who had been killed or "disappeared." When he visited the Vatican in 1979, Oscar Romero presented the Pope with seven detailed reports of murder, torture, and kidnapping throughout El Salvador.In 1979, the number of people being killed rose to more than 3,000 per month. Oscar Romero had nothing left to offer his people except faith and hope. He continued to use the radio broadcast of his Sunday sermons to tell people what was happening throughout the country, to talk about the role of the Church and to offer his listeners hope that they would not suffer and die in vain.MartyrdomOn March 23, 1980, after reporting the previous week’s deaths and disappearances, Oscar Romero began to speak directly to soldiers and policemen: “I beg you, I implore you, I order you... in the name of God, stop the repression!” The following evening, while saying Mass in the chapel of Divine Providence Hospital, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot by an assassin. Only moments before his death, Romero spoke these prophetic words: “Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ will live like the grain of wheat that dies… The harvest comes because of the grain that dies.”
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2019 / Catholic Missal of march 2019
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:37Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:37Z