Tuesday of the Thirty-third week in Ordinary Time

2nd book of Maccabees

Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes, a man of advanced age and noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, he spat out the meat, and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as men ought to do who have the courage to reject the food which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately, because of their long acquaintance with him, and urged him to bring meat of his own providing, such as he could legitimately eat, and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty, and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But he made up his mind in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God. He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining:
"At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young men would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus dissimulate for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men, I shall never, whether alive or dead, escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and generously for the revered and holy laws." He spoke thus, and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed, now became hostile toward him because what he had said seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned and said: "The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to him."
This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation.

Psalms

O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over."
And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne(Religious (1769-1852))

Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne Religious, of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1769-1852) Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne was born on August 29, 1769, in Grenoble, France. She was baptized at the Church of St. Louis and named after Rose of Lima and Philip the apostle. She was educated at the Convent of the Visitation of Ste. Marie d'en Haut and became a novice at 18 years old. During the French Revolution, her community was dispersed and she returned to her family home. She spent her time nursing prisoners and those in need. After the Concordat of 1801, she and her companions unsuccessfully tried to reconstruct the monastery of Ste. Marie. In 1804, she learned of a new congregation, the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and offered herself and the monastery to its foundress, Mother Madeleine Sophie Barat. Mother Barat visited Ste. Marie in 1804 and received Rose and several companions as novices in the Society. While Sr. Rose's desire for the consecrated life deepened, so too her call to the missions became more urgent: a call she had heard since adolescence. In a letter to Mother Barat, she confided her spiritual experience during a night of adoration on Holy Thursday: "I spent the entire night in the new World ... carrying the Blessed Sacrament to all parts of the land ... I had all my sacrifices to offer: a mother, sisters, family, my mountain! When you say to me 'now I send you,' I will respond quickly 'I go."' However, it would be another 12 years. In 1818, Sr. Rose's dream was realized. She was sent to the bishop of the Louisiana territory who was looking for a congregation of educators to teach the native and French children. Near St. Louis, Missouri, in St. Charles, Sr. Rose founded the first house of the Society outside France. It was in a log cabin, and with it came all the austerities of frontier life: extreme cold, hard work and lack of funds. She also had difficulty learning English. Communication at best was slow and news often did not arrive from France. Despite setbacks, Sr. Rose and four other religious of the Sacred Heart forged ahead. In 1820, she opened the first free school west of the Mississippi. By 1828, she had founded six houses. These schools were for the young women of Missouri and Louisiana. She also yearned to serve the natives. When she was 72 and no longer superior, a school for the Potawatomi was opened in Sugar Creek, Kansas. Many thought she was too sick, but the Jesuit head of the mission insisted: "She must come; she may not be able to do much work, but she will assure success to the mission by praying for us. Her very presence will draw down all manner of heavenly favors on the work." Sr. Rose was with the Potawatomi for a year before her health declined. However, her pioneer courage did not weaken, and her long hours of contemplation impelled the natives to name her Quah-kah-ka-num-ad, "Woman-Who-Prays-Always." In July 1842, Sr. Rose returned to St. Charles, although her heart never lost its desire for the missions. She wrote, "I feel the same longing for the Rocky Mountain missions, and any others like them, that I experienced in France when I first begged to come to America..." Sr. Rose Philippine Duchesne passed away in St. Charles, Missouri, on November 18, 1852, at the age of 83. The miracles from her intercession are proof of her heroic virtues show that she attained the beatific vision.

St. Odo of Cluny((† 942))

SAINT ODO OF CLUNY ( 942) In 877, on Christmas Eve, a nobleman from Aquitaine implored Jesus and Mary to grant him a son. His prayer was answered and Odo was born. With gratitude, the nobleman consecrated Odo to the Holy Spirit and Saint Martin. Odo was charismatic and talented. He began a novitiate at St. Martin in Tours instead of joining the aristocracy. After some discernment, he took the habit of St. Benedict in Baume. Later, he was elected abbot of the great abbey in Cluny. The pope often called Odo to act as a peacemaker between warring princes. It was on one of these missions that he fell ill. At his entreaty, he was borne from Rome to Tours in 942, where he passed away at his own St. Martin's.

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