Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Featured Saints
Blessed Marie Catherine de St. Augustine, virgin (†1668). Optional Memorial in Canada. Religious of the Congregation of the Sister Hospitallers of Mercy of St. Augustine in Quebec, Canada; her charity shone in her care for the sick.
St. Boniface IV, Pope (†615). Benedictine monk elevated to the Pontifical Throne. He transformed the Pantheon into a church dedicated to Our Lady and the martyrs.
St. Benedict II, Pope (†685). Successor of Leo II, he was outstanding for his love of poverty, humility, affability, patience and generous almsgiving.
St. Gibrian, priest (†c. 515). Irish priest who became a pilgrim in Gaul for the love of Christ.
St. Victor, martyr (†304). A soldier of the Imperial army, he was tortured and finally beheaded during the persecution of Maximian for refusing to sacrifice to the gods.
St. Acacius, martyr (†fourth century). Centurion of the imperial army, he was scourged, tortured and beheaded in Constantinople for his Christian Faith.
St. Wiro, missionary (†c. 700). Tradition holds that, with his companions Plechelm and Otger, he carried out a large-scale apostolate in the Roermond region of Holland.
Blessed Angelo de Massaccio, priest and martyr (†circa 1458). Prior of the Camaldolese Monastery of Santa Maria della Serra, in Italy, and intrepid defender of the observance of the Lord’s Day.
Blessed Ulrika Nisch, virgin (†1913). Religious from the Sisters of Charity of the Holy Cross in Germany, she completed humble tasks with heroic abnegation.
Mass Readings
First Reading – Acts 16:1-10
Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him, and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number. They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps100:1b-2, 3, 5(R.2a)
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before Him with joyful song.R.
Know that the LORD is God;
He made us, his we are;
his people, the flock He tends. R.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations. R.
Gospel – Jo 15,18-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent Me.”
