Friday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
Featured Saints
St. Maximus of Turin, bishop. († fifth century). Renowned preacher and prolific theological author. He participated in the Synod of Milan in 451 and in the Council of Rome in 465.
St. Eurosia, virgin and martyr (†c. 714). Princess of Bohemia who, according to tradition, was promised in marriage to the prince of the throne of Aragon and Navarre in Spain, but was attacked close to Jaca by Moors, and died confessing her Faith.
St. Adalbert, deacon and abbot (†740). Born in Northumbria, England, became a disciple of St. Willibrord, and accompanied on mission to Friesland (present-day Holland) and evangelized the Egmond region with great success.
St. William of Vercelli, abbot (†1142). Tireless apostle of prayer life and contemplation, he founded numerous monasteries in southern Italy and died in Goleto.
St. Prosper of Aquitaine, monk (†circa 463). Fought against the Semipelagian heretics. He authored several theological works defending Augustinian doctrine on grace and the gift of perseverance. He served as chancellor to Pope St. Leo the Great.
Blessed John of Spain, monk (†1160). Born in Spain, he was the founder and first prior of the Chartreuse of Le Reposoir, Switzerland. At the request of the Superior General, Saint Anselm, he established the feminine branch.
St. Solomon III, martyr (+874). As King of Brittany, he upheld justice, favouring the construction of monasteries and the erection of Episcopal Sees in his kingdom. Having abdicated, he was blinded and killed in a church by his enemies.
Blessed Marie Lhuillier, virgin and martyr (†1794). Religious from the Canons Regular Hospitallers of the Mercy of Jesus, beheaded during the French Revolution in Laval, France, for her unwavering fidelity to the religious vows.
Blessed Dorothy of Montau, widow (†1394). After the death of her husband, she withdrew to a cell beside the Cathedral of Marienwerder, in Germany to dedicated herself to a life of prayer and penance.
Mass Readings
First Reading – Gn 17:1, 9-10, 15-22
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said: “I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless.”God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.” God further said to Abraham: “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai; her name shall be Sarah. I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. Him also will I bless; he shall give rise to nations, and rulers of peoples shall issue from him.” Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?” Then Abraham said to God, “Let but Ishmael live on by your favor!” God replied: “Nevertheless, your wife Sarah is to bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac. I will maintain my covenant with him as an everlasting pact, to be his God and the God of his descendants after him. As for Ishmael, I am heeding you: I hereby bless him. I will make him fertile and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve chieftains, and I will make of him a great nation. But my covenant I will maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you by this time next year.” When he had finished speaking with him, God departed from Abraham
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 (R.4)
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear Him.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored. R.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table. R.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life. R.
Gospel – Mt 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him.
And then a leper approached, did Him homage, and said,
“Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
