Saturday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
Featured Saints
Blessed Andrew Jacinto Longhin, bishop (†1936). Capuchin religious appointed Bishop of Treviso (Italy) by St. Pius X; he helped deserters and prisoners during World War I and defended the rights of the weakest members society.
St. José María Robles Hurtado, priest and martyr (†1927). Fervent propagator of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Out of religious hatred, he was hanged from a tree in Guadalajara during the Mexican revolution.
Sts. John and Paul, martyrs († fourth century Rome). Brothers who were beheaded for their Faith on Mount Coleius, under Julian the Apostate.
St. Pelagius of Córdoba, martyr (†925). In face of the lascivious
insinuations of Caliph Abderrahman III, this youth of 13 years was torn to pieces with iron pliers in Cordoba, Spain, for proclaiming his faith in Christ and defending his chastity.
St. Joseph Ma Taishun, martyr (†1900). Doctor and catechist who was put to death at sixty years of age, during the anti-Christian persecution in China.
Blesseds Nicholas Konrad, priest, and Vladimir Pryjma, martyrs (†1941). Nicholas was the pastor of Stradch, Ukraine, and Vladimir, conductor of the parish choir. Both were shot by Soviet police agents in the forest near Stradch, Ukraine, as they returned from a visit to a sick man, to whom they had brought the last Sacraments.
Blessed Jacob Ghazir Haddad, priest (†1954). Capuchin priest, founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross in Beirut, Lebanon.
Blessed Andrew Iscak, priest and martyr (†1941). Diocesan priest and professor of Theology in Lviv, Ukraine, gunned to death by Soviet Soldiersin his parish in Sykhiv .
Blessed Raymond Petiniaud de Jourgnac (†1794). For being a priest, he was imprisoned in inhumane conditions on a ship anchored in Rochefort, France, and died there consumed by wounds and vermin.
Mass Readings
First Reading – Gn 18:1-15
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the Terebinth of Mamre, as Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot. Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground, he said: “Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree. Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way.” The men replied, “Very well, do as you have said.” Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, “Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls.” He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it. Then Abraham got some curds and milk, as well as the steer that had been prepared, and set these before them; and he waited on them under the tree while they ate. They asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” He replied, “There in the tent.” One of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son.” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years, and Sarah had stopped having her womanly periods. So Sarah laughed to herself and said, “Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old, am I still to have sexual pleasure?” But the LORD said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?’ Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.” Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, “I didn’t laugh.” But he replied, “Yes you did.”
Responsorial Psalm – Ps Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55 (R.cf.54b)
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” R.
“For He has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.” R.
“He has mercy on those who fear Him
in every generation.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.” R.
“He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for He has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.” R.
Gospel – Mt 8:5-17
When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached Him and appealed to Him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have You enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those following Him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven,
but the children of the Kingdom
will be driven out into the outer darkness,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
And Jesus said to the centurion,
“You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.”
And at that very hour his servant was healed.
Jesus entered the house of Peter,
and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
He touched her hand, the fever left her,
and she rose and waited on Him.
When it was evening, they brought Him many
who were possessed by demons,
and He drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick,
to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet:
He took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
