Saturday of the Twenty-fourth week in Ordinary Time

First Letter to Timothy

Beloved: I charge (you) before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession,
to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

Psalms

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.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
give thanks to him; bless his name.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable.
A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it.
And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."
Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be.
He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that 'they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.'
This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God.
Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved.
Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of trial.
As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.
But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance."

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 center 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, the expiation of 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. St. Pio was the son of Grazio Forgione and Maria Giuseppa De Nunzio. He was born on May 25, 1887, at Pietrelcina, in the Archdiocese of Benevento. He was baptized the next day and named Francesco. At the age of 12, Francesco received the Sacrament of Confirmation and made his First Holy Communion. On January 6, 1903, at the age of 16, he 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 January 27, 1907, made his solemn profession. Brother Pio was ordained a priest on August 10, 1910, at Benevento. He stayed at home with his family until 1916 because of ill health. That September, he was sent to the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo. The Holy Spirit spoke through Padre Pio 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 May 5, 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." By humility, he relied upon the will of God. Padre Pio lived his love of neighbor 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 and 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 love. For many years, he experienced spiritual suffering. 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 mortified his senses, and 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 honors. He always had a great love for the virtue of chastity. His behavior was modest in all situations and with all people. He sincerely thought of himself as small, weak and infirm, and yet carrying God's gifts obediently: like the donkey carrying Jesus into Jerusalem (St. Jose Maria Escriva). 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 it declined rapidly in the last years of his life. Sister Death took him well-prepared and serene on September 23, 1968, at the age of 81. An extraordinary gathering of people attended his funeral. On February 20, 1971, barely three years after his passing, 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 (stigmata). 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 May 2, 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 September 23 as the date of his liturgical feast. (...) On December 20, in the presence of Pope John Paul II, the Decree on the miracle was promulgated. Finally, on February 28, 2002, the Decree of Canonization was promulgated.Homily at the canonization of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (June 16, 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 laid down her life for Jesus Christ (Mt. 10:39). She is honored in every tradition for her perfect love. St. Thecla encountered Jesus at Iconium, present day Turkey. She received the Holy Spirit while listening to St. Paul preach the Gospel. To follow him, she renounced her title and arranged marriage to a Roman nobleman. In retaliation, the secular authorities burned her at the stake. Miraculously, God saved her. St. Thecla's apostolate with St. Paul converted the hearts of many (Lk. 2:35). She was arrested again; and thrown to starving lions in the colosseum. Miraculously, she was unharmed by the lions and escaped her captors. St. Thecla 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 2023 / Catholic Missal of september 2023