Friday of the Twenty-fifth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Ecclesiastes

There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task which God has appointed for men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts, without men's ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done.

Psalms

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I trust.
LORD, what is man, that you notice him;
the son of man, that you take thought of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days, like a passing shadow.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'"
Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Messiah of God."
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."

St. Pio da Pietrelcina(Capuchin Priest (1887-1968) - Memorial)

PADRE PIO DA PIETRELCINACapuchin priest(1887-1968)"Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal 6:14). Like the Apostle Paul, Padre Pio da Pietrelcina placed the Holy Cross at the centre of his life and apostolic work. The Cross was his strength, wisdom and glory. In the Cross, he became like the Holy One: a victim, a sacrifice and an expiation for sin. In emulating the Crucified Christ, he could have said: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). Serving those who came to him in ever greater numbers, he was the spiritual father of an immense host of sons and daughters. This follower of Saint Francis of Assisi was born on 25 May 1887 at Pietrelcina in the Archdiocese of Benevento, the son of Grazio Forgione and Maria Giuseppa De Nunzio. He was baptized the next day and christened Francesco. At the age of twelve, he received the Sacrament of Confirmation and made his First Holy Communion. On 6 January 1903, at the age of sixteen, Francesco entered the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars at Morcone. On January 22, he took the Franciscan habit and the name Brother Pio. At the end of his novitiate year, he took simple vows, and on 27 January 1907 made his solemn profession. Brother Pio was ordained a priest on 10 August 1910 at Benevento. He stayed at home with his family until 1916 for health reasons. In September of that year, he was sent to the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo. By practicing the Traditions, Padre Pio acted like the "Wonderful Counselor ... The Prince of Peace" (Is. 9:6). The Holy Spirit spoke through him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the celebration of the Eucharist. As part of his apostolate, he founded the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (House for the Relief of Suffering), which opened on 5 May 1956. Padre Pio did everything in the light of faith. He passed the day and a large part of the night in conversation with God. He would say: "In books we seek God, in prayer we find him. Prayer is the key which opens God's heart". In humility, he relied upon the will of God. Padre Pio lived his love of neighbour by welcoming, for more than fifty years, countless people who had recourse to his ministry and his confessional, his counsel and his consolation. He was almost besieged: they sought him in church, in the sacristy, in the friary. And he gave himself to everyone, rekindling faith, dispensing grace, bringing light. But especially in the poor, the suffering and the sick he saw the image of Christ, and he gave himself particularly to them. He exercised to an exemplary degree the virtue of prudence, acting and counselling in the light of God. His concern was the glory of God and the good of souls. He treated everyone with justice, frankness and great respect. The virtue of fortitude shone in him. He understood very early in life that his would be the way of the Cross, and he accepted it at once with courage and out of love. For many years, he experienced spiritual sufferings. For years he endured the pains of his wounds with admirable serenity. When he had to submit to investigations and restrictions in his priestly ministry, he accepted everything with profound humility and resignation. In the face of unjust accusations and calumnies he remained silent, trusting always in the judgement of God, of his immediate superiors and of his own conscience. Padre Pio habitually practised mortification in order to gain the virtue of temperance, in keeping with the Franciscan style. He was temperate in his attitude and in his way of life. He always obeyed the commands of his Superiors, even when they were burdensome. His obedience was supernatural in intention, universal in its scope and complete in its execution. He lived the spirit of poverty with total detachment from self, from earthly goods, from his own comfort and from honours. He always had a great love for the virtue of chastity. His behaviour was modest in all situations and with all people. He sincerely thought of himself as useless, unworthy of God's gifts, full of weakness and infirmity, and at the same time blessed with divine favours. Amid so much admiration around him, he would say: "I only want to be a poor friar who prays". From his youth, his health was not very robust, and especially in the last years of his life it declined rapidly. Sister Death took him well-prepared and serene on 23 September 1968 at the age of eighty-one. An extraordinary gathering of people attended his funeral. On 20 February 1971, barely three years after the death of Padre Pio, Pope Paul VI, speaking to the Superiors of the Capuchin Order, said of him: "Look what fame he had, what a worldwide following gathered around him! But why? Perhaps because he was a philosopher? Because he was wise? Because he had resources at his disposal? It is because he said Mass humbly, heard confessions from dawn to dusk and was - it is not easy to say it - one who bore the wounds of our Lord. He was a man of prayer and suffering". In the years following his death, his reputation for sanctity and miracles grew steadily, and became established in the Church, all over the world and among all kinds of people. (...) On 2 May 1999, in the course of a solemn concelebrated Mass in St Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II, by his apostolic authority, beatified the Venerable Servant of God Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, naming 23 September as the date of his liturgical feast. (...) On 20 December, in the presence of Pope John Paul II, the Decree on the miracle was promulgated. Finally, on 28 February 2002 the Decree of Canonization was promulgated.Homily at the canonization of St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (16 June 2002)1. "For my yoke is easy and my burden light" (Mt 11: 30). Jesus' words to his disciples, which we just heard, help us to understand the most important message of this solemn celebration. Indeed, in a certain sense, we can consider them as a magnificent summary of the whole life of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, today proclaimed a saint. The evangelical image of the "yoke" recalls the many trials that the humble Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo had to face. Today we contemplate in him how gentle the "yoke" of Christ is, and how truly light is his burden when it is borne with faithful love. The life and mission of Padre Pio prove that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted out of love, are transformed into a privileged way of holiness, which opens onto the horizons of a greater good, known only to the Lord. 2. "But may I never boast except in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal 6,14). Is it not, precisely, the "glory of the Cross" that shines above all in Padre Pio? How timely is the spirituality of the Cross lived by the humble Capuchin of Pietrelcina. Our time needs to rediscover the value of the Cross in order to open the heart to hope. Throughout his life, he always sought greater conformity with the Crucified, since he was very conscious of having been called to collaborate in a special way in the work of redemption. His holiness cannot be understood without this constant reference to the Cross. In God's plan, the Cross constitutes the true instrument of salvation for the whole of humanity and the way clearly offered by the Lord to those who wish to follow him (cf. Mk 16,24). The Holy Franciscan of the Gargano understood this well, when on the Feast of the Assumption in 1914, he wrote: "In order to succeed in reaching our ultimate end we must follow the divine Head, who does not wish to lead the chosen soul on any way other than the one he followed; by that, I say, of abnegation and the Cross" (Epistolario II, p. 155). 3. "I am the Lord who acts with mercy" (Jer 9,23). Padre Pio was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making himself available to all by welcoming them, by spiritual direction and, especially, by the administration of the sacrament of Penance. I also had the privilege, during my young years, of benefitting from his availability for penitents. The ministry of the confessional, which is one of the distinctive traits of his apostolate, attracted great crowds of the faithful to the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo. Even when that unusual confessor treated pilgrims with apparent severity, the latter, becoming conscious of the gravity of sins and sincerely repentant, almost always came back for the peaceful embrace of sacramental forgiveness. May his example encourage priests to carry out with joy and zeal this ministry which is so important today (...). 4. "You, Lord, are my only good". This is what we sang in the responsorial psalm. Through these words, the new Saint invites us to place God above everything, to consider him our sole and highest good. In fact, the ultimate reason for the apostolic effectiveness of Padre Pio, the profound root of so much spiritual fruitfulness can be found in that intimate and constant union with God, attested to by his long hours spent in prayer and in the confessional. He loved to repeat, "I am a poor Franciscan who prays" convinced that "prayer is the best weapon we have, a key that opens the heart of God". This fundamental characteristic of his spirituality continues in the "Prayer Groups" that he founded, which offer to the Church and to society the wonderful contribution of incessant and confident prayer. To prayer, Padre Pio joined an intense charitable activity, of which the "Home for the Relief of Suffering" is an extraordinary expression. Prayer and charity, this is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio's teaching, which today is offered to everyone.5. "I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because ... these things ... you have revealed to little ones" (Mt 11,25). How appropriate are these words of Jesus, when we think of them as applied to you, humble and beloved Padre Pio. Teach us, we ask you, humility of heart so we may be counted among the little ones of the Gospel, to whom the Father promised to reveal the mysteries of his Kingdom. Help us to pray without ceasing, certain that God knows what we need even before we ask him. Obtain for us the eyes of faith that will be able to recognize right away in thepoor andsuffering the face of Jesus. Sustain us in the hour of the combat and of the trial and, if we fall, make us experience the joy of the sacrament of forgiveness. Grant us your tender devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother. Accompany us on our earthly pilgrimage toward the blessed homeland, where we hope to arrive in order to contemplate forever the glory of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.Amen.

St. Thecla(Virgin & Martyr (1st century))

SAINT THECLA Virgin and Martyr(1st century) St. Thecla was born in 30 AD. She triumphed over persecution, a loyal friend to the very end. She is venerated in all the Traditions. St. Thecla first encountered Jesus Christ at Iconium, present day Turkey. She received the Holy Spirit in listening to the Gospel, as told by St. Paul. In renouncing her title and marriage to a Roman noble, and choosing to follow St. Paul, she was burned at the stake. Miraculously, God saved her. Preaching side by side with St. Paul, she was again arrested; and this time thrown to wild beasts in the colosseum. But she was spared every harm, survived the persecution, escaped, and gained her liberty. St. Thecla not only accepted death for Jesus Christ, she was also daring and virtuous. She went on to preach with St. Paul and lived happily, becoming a healer and doctor of souls. Her memory is celebrated in Churches throughout Turkey and Syria.

St. Constantius()

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