Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent
Optional memorial of St. Casimir (†1484). Patron of Poland and Lithuania, son of King Casimir IV of Poland. He died at the age of 25, after a life marked by piety, abnegation and austerity, even renouncing marriage so as to better serve God and help the poor.
Mass Readings
First Reading – 2 Kgs 5:1-15ab
Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper. Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife. “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,” she said to her mistress, “he would cure him of his leprosy.” Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said. “Go,” said the king of Aram. “I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments. To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!” When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.” Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. The prophet sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?” With this, he turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.” So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4 (R. see 42:3)
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God. R.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God? R.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place. R.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God! R.
Gospel – Lk 4:24-30
Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl Him down headlong. But He passed through the midst of them and went away.
Featured Saints
Blessed Zoltan Lajos Meszlényi, Bishop and martyr (†1951). Auxiliary Bishop of Esztergom, Hungary, he was deported to the concentration camp of Kistarcsa, where he died after being subjected to extreme ill-treatment and torture for eight months.
Blessed Placide Viel, virgin (†1877). French religious, elected second Superior General of the Sisters of the Christian Schools; she gave great impetus to the congregation during thirty years of governance, humbly enduring many setbacks and misunderstandings.
St. Basinus, bishop (†705). He became a monk in the Benedictine Monastery of St. Maximinus of Trier, Germany, and was elected abbot. He was later appointed Bishop of the same city.
St. John Anthony Farina, bishop (†1888). Great pastor and educator. He founded the Institute of the Sisters Teachers of St. Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts, for the education of poor girls, in Vicenza, Italy.
St. Peter, abbot (†1123). Benedictine monk; elected Bishop of Policastro. Weary of the pomp of worldly life, he returned to his monastery, where, as abbot, he renewed religious discipline.
Blessed Robert Spiske, priest (†1888). Diocesan priest; he founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Hedwig in Krakow, Poland.
Blessed Humbert of Savoy, monk (†1188). Compelled to leave the cloister to attend to public duties, he soon returned to monastic life with redoubled dedication.
Blessed Marie Louise of Lamoignon, widow (†1825). After her husband was guillotined, she founded the Order of the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis in Vannes, France.
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