Wednesday after Epiphany
Featured Saints
St. John Neumann, bishop (†1860). Memorial in the USA. Redemptorist religious, Bishop of Philadelphia. He provided aid to poor immigrants, and a Christian education to children.
St. Charles of St. Andrew Houben, priest (†1893). Dutch Passionist religious, missionary in Ireland; zealous minister of the Sacrament of Confession.
St. Emiliana, virgin (†sixth century). Paternal aunt of St. Gregory the Great; she died in Rome.
St. Genoveva Torres Morales, virgin (†1956). Foundress of the Institute of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Angels in Zaragoza, Spain.
Blessed Maria Repetto, virgin (†1890). Religious of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Refuge on Mount Calvary in Genoa, Italy, she was outstanding in comforting the afflicted, particularly remembered for her devoted care of epidemic victims.
Blessed Marcelina Darowska, religious (†1911). After the death of her husband and firstborn son, she consecrated herself to God and founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jazlowice, Ukraine, for the education of youth.
Mass Readings
First Reading 1 Jn 4:11-18
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the day of judgment
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13 (R. cf.11)
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment. R.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. R.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save. R.
Gospel – Mk 6:45-52
After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
