Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop
St. Martin of Tours, Bishop of this city, appointed in 371. He was born in Hungary and abandoned a military career in order to become a religious. It was during his time as a soldier that the famous episode took place of his cutting his cloak in half to clothe a beggar suffering from the cold. He went on to found several monasteries, including that of Ligugé, o the oldest in Europe.
Mass Readings
First Reading – Rom 16:3-9, 16, 22-27
Brothers and sisters: Greet Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I am grateful but also all the churches of the Gentiles; greet also the Church at their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the firstfruits in Asia for Christ. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners; they are prominent among the Apostles and they were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole Church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you. Now to him who can strengthen you, according to my Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 10-11 (R.1b)
R. I will praise Your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless You,
and I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
His greatness is unsearchable. R.
Generation after generation praises Your works
and proclaims Your might.
They speak of the splendor of Your glorious majesty
and tell of Your wondrous works. R.
Let all Your works give You thanks, O LORD,
and let Your faithful ones bless You.
Let them discourse of the glory of Your Kingdom
and speak of Your might. R.
Gospel – Lk 16:9-15
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.”The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”
Featured Saints
St. Veranus, bishop (†fifth century). Governed the Diocese of Vence, France with wisdom and sanctity; he supported the letter of St. Leo the Great against monophysitism.
St. Theodore the Studite, abbot (†826). Abbot of the Stoudios Monastery in Constantinople; under his governance were formed saints and martyrs who died as victims of the iconoclast persecutions.
St. Bartholomew, abbot (†1055). Disciple of St. Nilus of Rossano, whom he helped found the Abbey of St. Mary of Grottaferrata, near Rome; he developed this monastery into a school of arts and sciences.
St. Marina de Omura, virgin and martyr (†1634). Dominican tertiary who was imprisoned and burned alive in Nagasaki, Japan, for her Christian Faith.
Blessed Vincent Eugene Bossilkov, bishop and martyr (†1952). Religious of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, he was tortured and shot by the Bolshevist regime in Bulgaria for refusing to renounce the Pope.
Blessed Vincenza Maria, virgin (†1855). With Blessed Charles Steeb, she founded the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Verona, Italy.
Blessed Alice Kotowska, virgin and martyr (†1939). Religious from the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection, she was killed by a Nazi firing squad in Laski Piasnica, Poland.
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