Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
Mass Readings
First Reading – 1 Kgs 10:1-10
The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame, came to test him with subtle questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue, and with camels bearing spices, a large amount of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject in which she was interested. King Solomon explained everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from him that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters, his banquet service, and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD, she was breathless. “The report I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true,” she told the king. “Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes, I have discovered that they were not telling me the half. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard. Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD, your God, whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel. In his enduring love for Israel, the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice.” Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40 (R.30a)
R. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in Him, and He will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication. R.
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom
and his tongue utters what is right.
The law of his God is in his heart,
and his steps do not falter. R.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
He is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in Him. R.
Gospel – Mk 7:14-23
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” When He got home away from the crowd His disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”
Featured Saints
Blessed Pius IX, Pope (†1878). He proclaimed the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and Papal Infallibility. He mentored religious Congregations and convoked the First Vatican Council. See also: Blessed Pius IX: Pontiff, Pastor and Father.
St. John Lantrua of Triora, priest and martyr (†1816). Franciscan religious who, after serving as professor of philosophy and theology in Italy, was sent to minister in China; he was martyred in Changsha.
St. Giles (Egidio) Mary of St. Joseph, religious (†1812). He exercised the functions of cook, porter and mendicant in the Franciscan monastery of Naples. He often assisted the dying, preparing them to receive the last Sacraments.
St. Richard, layman (†c. 720). Father of Sts. Willibald, Winnebald and Walburga, he died at Lucca, Italy, while on pilgrimage with his two sons from England to Rome.
Blesseds Anselm Polanco, Bishop, and Philip Ripoll, priest, martyrs (†1939). Shot in Pont de Molins, near Gerona, during the religious persecution perpetrated during the Spanish Civil War.
Blessed Rizzerio, priest (†1236). Hearing a sermon of St. Francis of Assisi while a student at the University of Bologna, he joined the group of his disciples. Later, troubled by fear for his eternal salvation, he had recourse to his Founder who, making the Sign of the Cross, delivered him permanently from this disquietude.
Blessed Peter Verhun, priest and martyr (†1957). Ukrainian priest who died in the prison camp of Angarsk, in Siberia, Russia, for his fidelity to the Catholic Faith.
Blessed Rosalie Rendu, virgin (†1856). Religious from the Daughters of Charity, she worked in the poorest suburb of Paris, visiting the homes of the neediest. She inspired many wealthy youths to practice charity.
Blessed Mary of Providence Smet, virgin (†1871). She made a private vow of chastity and was dedicated to apostolate in parishes in Lille, France. She later founded, in Paris, the Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls, dedicated to assisting the Souls in Purgatory.
Image gallery
