Saturday of the Fifth week of Easter

Acts of the Apostles

16,1-10.

Paul reached (also) Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.
The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,
and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.
Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.
They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia.
When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,
so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.
During (the) night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

Psalms

100(99),1-2.3.5.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

15,18-21.

Jesus said to his disciples: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me."

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St. Cristobal Magallanes Jara()

Saint Cristóbal Magallanes JaraMartyr & Priest(1869 - 1927) St. Cristóbal Magallanes was born in 1869 in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara. His parents, Rafael Magallanes and Clara Jara, were poor farmers and devout Catholics. Growing up on a farm, youngCristóbal worked as a shepherd, but felt truly called to look after Christ's sheep. At the age of 19, he entered the seminary, and was ordained a priest when he was30. He taught school in Guadalajara for a time until returning to hishome village of Totatiche to minister as a parish priest. He served there for nearly two decades, opening a carpentry business to provide jobs for local men and helping plan and construct a dam to aid the people of the area. But Father Magallanes was most interested in bringing the Catholic faith to those who had not heard the Good News of Jesus, in this case the Huichol people in the region. During this time in Mexico’s history, the government feared the power of the Catholic Church, and it tried to eliminate the practice of the faith. A constitution even banned the training of priests, and the seminary where youngCristóbal had studied was closed and turned into a museum. So in 1915, Father Magallanes opened his own small seminary in Totatiche and soon had more than a dozen students. The government did not look kindly on this kind of behavior and accused the priest of trying to incite rebellion, even though he preached against violence of any kind.He was on his way to celebrate Mass when he was arrested. Without a trial, he was convicted. He gave away his few possessions to his jailers, and on May 21, 1927, he and 21 other priests and three lay Catholics were executed.His last words to his executioners were, “I die innocent, and ask God that my blood may serve to unite my Mexican brethren.” St. Cristóbal wascanonizedbyPope St. John Paul IIon May 21, 2000.

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St. Eugene de Mazenod(Bishop (1782-1861))

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Eugene de Mazenod Bishop of Marseille, founder of the Congregation of the Missionaries, Oblates of Mary Immaculate (1782-1861) CHARLES JOSEPH EUGENE DE MAZENOD came into a world that was destined to change very quickly. Born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782, he seemed assured of position and wealth from his family, who were of the minor nobility. However, the turmoil of the French Revolution changed all that forever. When Eugene was just eight years old, his family fled France, leaving their possessions behind, and started a long and increasingly difficult eleven-year exile.The Years in Italy The Mazenod family, political refugees, trailed through a succession of cities in Italy. His father, who had been President of the Court of Accounts, Aids and Finances in Aix, was forced to try his hand at trade to support his family. He proved to be a poor businessman, and as the years went on the family came close to destitution. Eugene studied briefly at the College of Nobles in Turin, but a move to Venice meant the end to formal schooling. A sympathetic priest, Don Bartolo Zinelli, living nearby, undertook to educate the young French emigre. Don Bartolo gave the adolescent Eugene a fundamental education, but with a lasting sense of God and a regimen of piety which was to stay with him always, despite the ups and downs of his life. A further move to Naples, because of financial problems, led to a time of boredom and helplessness. The family moved again, this time to Palermo where, thanks to the kindness of the Duke and Duchess of Cannizzaro, Eugene had his first taste of noble living and found it very much to his liking. He took to himself the title of "Count" de Mazenod, did all the courtly things, and dreamed of a bright future.Return to France: the Priesthood In 1802, at the age of 20, Eugene was able to return to his homeland - and all his dreams and illusions were quickly shattered. He was just plain "Citizen" de Mazenod, France was a changed world, his parents had separated, and his mother was fighting to get back the family possessions. She was also intent on marrying off Eugene to the richest possible heiress. He sank into depression, seeing little real future for himself. But his natural qualities of concern for others, together with the faith fostered in Venice, began to assert themselves. He was deeply affected by the disastrous situation of the French Church, which had been ridiculed, attacked and decimated by the Revolution. A calling to the priesthood began to manifest itself, and Eugene answered that call. Despite opposition from his mother, he entered the seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris, and on December 21, 1811, he was ordained a priest in Amiens.Apostolic endeavours: Oblates of Mary Immaculate Returning to Aix-en-Provence, he did not take up a normal parish appointment, but started to exercise his priesthood in the care of the truly spiritually-needy: prisoners, youth, servants, and country villagers. Often in the face of opposition from the local clergy, Eugene pursued his course. Soon, he sought out other equally zealous priests who were prepared to step outside the old, even outmoded, structures. Eugene and his men preached in Provencal, the language of the common people, not in "educated" French. They went from village to village, instructing at the level of the people, spending amazingly long hours in the confessional. In between these parish missions, the group joined in an intense community life of prayer, study and fellowship. They called themselves "Missionaries of Provence." However, so that there would be an assured continuity in the work, Eugene took the bold step of going directly to the Pope and asking that his group be recognized officially as a Religious Congregation of pontifical right. His faith and his persistence paid off, and on February 17, 1826, Pope Leo XII approved the new Congregation, the "Oblates of Mary Immaculate." Eugene was elected Superior General, and continued to inspire and guide his men for 35 years until his death. Together with their growing apostolic endeavours - preaching, youth work, care of shrines, prison chaplaincy, confessors, direction of seminaries, parishes - Eugene insisted on deep spiritual formation and a close community life. He was a man who loved Christ with passion and was always ready to take on any apostolate if he saw it answering the needs of the Church. The "glory of God, the good of the Church and the sanctification of souls" were impelling forces for him.Bishop of Marseilles The Diocese of Marseilles had been suppressed after the 1802 Concordat, and when it was re-established, Eugene's aged uncle, Canon Fortune de Mazenod, was named Bishop. He appointed Eugene Vicar General immediately, and most of the difficult work of rebuilding the Diocese fell to him. Within a few years, in 1832, Eugene himself was named auxiliary bishop. His Episcopal ordination took place in Rome, in defiance of the pretensions of the French Government that it had the right to sanction all such appointments. This caused a bitter diplomatic battle, and Eugene was caught in the middle, with accusations, misunderstandings, threats, and recriminations swirling around him. It was an especially devastating time for him, further complicated by the growing pains of his religious family. Though battered, Eugene steered ahead resolutely, and finally the impasse was broken. Five years later, he was appointed to the See of Marseilles as its Bishop, when Bishop Fortune retired.A heart as big as the world Whilst he had founded the Oblates of Mary Immaculate primarily to serve the spiritually needy and deprived of the French countryside, Eugene's zeal for the Kingdom of God and his devotion to the Church moved the Oblates to the advancing edge of the apostolate. His men ventured into Switzerland, England and Ireland. Because of his zeal, Eugene had been dubbed "a second Paul," and bishops from the missions came to him asking for Oblates for their expanding mission fields. Eugene responded willingly despite small initial numbers, and sent his men out to Canada, to the United States, to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), to South Africa, and to Basutoland (Lesotho). As missionaries in his mould, they fanned out, preaching, baptising, and caring. They frequently opened up previously uncharted lands, established and manned many new dioceses, and in a multitude of ways, they "left nothing undared that the Kingdom of Christ might be advanced." In the years that followed, the Oblate mission thrust continued, so that today the impulse of Eugene de Mazenod is alive in his men in 68 different countries.Pastor of his Diocese During all this ferment of missionary activity, Eugene was an outstanding pastor of the Church of Marseilles - ensuring the best seminary training for his priests, establishing new parishes, building the city's cathedral and the spectacular Shrine of Notre Dame de la Garde above the city. He encouraged his priests to lives of holiness, introduced many Religious Congregations to work in the diocese, and led his fellow Bishops in support of the rights of the Pope. He grew into a towering figure in the French Church. In 1856, Napoleon III appointed him a Senator, and at his death he was the senior bishop of France.Legacy of a Saint May 21, 1861 saw Eugene de Mazenod returning to his God at the age of 79, after a life crowded with achievements, many of them born in suffering. For his religious family and for his diocese, he was a founding and life-giving source: For God and for the Church, he was a faithful and generous son. As he lay dying, he left his Oblates a final testament, "Among yourselves, charity, charity, charity: In the world, zeal for souls." He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on December 3, 1995.

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St. Hospitius(Recluse (+ 681))

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SAINT HOSPITIUS, Recluse (+681) St. Hospitius took sanctuary in the ruins of an old tower near Villafranca, one league from Nice in Provence. He girded himself with a heavy iron chain and lived on bread and dates only. During Lent, he ate only roots in order to fast and conform his life to the anchorites of Egypt. For his heroic virtues, Hospitius received gifts of prophecy and miracles from the Holy Trinity. He foretold the ravages of the Lombards in Gaul. When the Lombards arrived at the tower where Hospitius lived, seeing his chain, they mistook him for a criminal. On questioning him, Hospitius acknowledged that he was a great sinner and unworthy to live, whereupon one of the soldiers lifted his sword to strike. In that moment, the soldier's arm stiffened and became numb, and it was not until Hospitius made the sign of the cross over it that the man recovered. The soldier embraced Christianity, renounced the world, and passed the rest of his days serving God. When Hospitius felt his last hour had arrived, he removed his chain and knelt in prayer. Then, stretching himself on a little bank of earth, he calmly gave up his soul to God on the 21st of May, 681.

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