Thursday of the Third week of Lent

Book of Jeremiah

7,23-28.

Thus says the LORD: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper.
But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day, I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed; they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them, they will not listen to you either; when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them: This is the nation which does not listen to the voice of the LORD, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech.

Psalms

95(94),1-2.6-7.8-9.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

11,14-23.

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons."
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

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St. Catherine of Sweden (1330 + 1381)()

SAINT CATHARINE OF SWEDEN Virgin(1331 + 1381) The fourth child of St. Bridget and her husband, Ulf Gudmarsson, born 1331 or 1332. At the age of seven, she was sent to the abbess of the convent of Riseberg to be educated. She soon showed, like her mother, a desire for a life of self-mortification and devotion to spiritual things. At the command of her father, when about thirteen or fourteen years, she married a noble of German descent, Eggart von Kürnen. She at once persuaded her husband, who was a very religious man, to join her in a vow of chastity. Both lived in a state of virginity and devoted themselves to the exercise of Christian perfection and active charity. In spite of her deep love for Eggart, Catherine accompanied her mother to Rome, where St. Bridget went in 1349. Soon after her arrival, Catherine received news of the death of her husband in Sweden. She now lived constantly with her mother, took an active part in St. Bridget's fruitful labours, and zealously imitated her mother's ascetic life. Although the distinguished and beautiful young widow was surrounded by suitors, she steadily refused all offers of marriage. In 1372, St. Catherine and her brother, Birger, accompanied their mother on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. After their return to Rome St. Catherine was with her mother in the latter's last illness and death. In 1374, in obedience to St. Bridget's wish, Catherine brought back her mother's body to Sweden for burial at Wadstena, of which foundation she now became the head. It was the motherhouse of the Brigittine Order, also called the Order of St. Saviour. Catherine managed the convent with great skill and made the life there one in harmony with the principles laid down by its founder. She passed away on March 24, 1381; and now reigns with Jesus in heaven.

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Bl. Maria Karlowska (1865-1935)()

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Blessed Maria Karlowska Religious(1865-1935) Maria Karlowska was born in the territories under Prussian occupation in 1865. She worked as a true Samaritan among women suffering great material and moral deprivation. Her holy zeal quickly attracted a group of Christian disciples, with whom she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Divine Providence. For herself and her Sisters she set the following goal: "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." Her devotion to the Saviour's Sacred Heart bore fruit in a great love for people. She felt an insatiable hunger for love. A love of this kind, according to Blessed Maria Karlowska, will never say "enough," will never stop midway. Precisely this happened to her, who was, as it were transported by the current of love of the Divine Paraclete. Thanks to this love, she restored to many souls the light of Christ and helped them regain lost dignity.

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Saint Oscar Romero (1917 - 1980)()

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Saint Oscar Romero (1917 - , CardinalEarly lifeOscar Romero was born into a large family on August 15, 1917 in El Salvador. Althoughthey had more money than many of their neighbours, Oscar’s family had neitherelectricity 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 twelve, so he wentto work as an apprentice carpenter. He quickly showed great skills, but Oscar wasalready determined to become a priest. He entered the seminary at the age of fourteenand 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 whoencouraged 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 becausetheir parents could not pay for simple medicines. He began using the resources of the diocese and his own personalresources to help the poor, but he knew that simple charity was not enough. He wrote in his diary that people who arepoor should not just receive handouts from the Church or the government but participate in changing their lives for thefuture.In 1977, Romero became Archbishop of San Salvador, the capital city. The situation in El Salvador was becoming worseand he couldn’t remain silent any longer. The military were killing the Salvadorian people - especially those demandingjustice such as teachers, nuns and priests – including Romero’s good friend, Fr Rutilio Grande.Thousands of people began to go missing. Romero demanded that the President of El Salvador thoroughlyinvestigate the killings, but he failed to do so.Voice of the voicelessIn his actions and words, Oscar demanded a peace that could only be found by ensuring people had access to basicneeds 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 ofmurder, torture, and kidnapping throughout El Salvador.In 1979, the number of people being killed rose to more than 3000 per month. Oscar Romero had nothing left to offer hispeople except faith and hope. He continued to use the radio broadcast of his Sunday sermons to tell people what washappening throughout the country, to talk about the role of the Church and to offer his listeners hope that they would notsuffer and die in vain.MartyrdomOn March 23, 1980, after reporting the previous week’s deaths and disappearances, Oscar Romero began to speakdirectly to soldiers and policemen: “I beg you, I implore you, I order you... in the name of God, stop the repression!” Thefollowing evening, while saying Mass in the chapel of Divine Providence Hospital, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shotby a paid assassin.Only moments before his death, Romero spoke these prophetic words: “Those who surrender to the service of the poorthrough love of Christ will live like the grain of wheat that dies… The harvest comes because of the grain that dies.” Likemany great leaders who have fought for truth, Oscar Romero was killed and became a martyr, but his voice could not besilenced. He is a symbol of hope in a country that has suffered poverty, injustice and violence.

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