Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorial of St. Callistus I, Pope and martyr (†third century). His name is associated with the catacombs of Rome and the veneration of the martyrs.
Mass Readings
First Reading – Jl 4:12-21
Thus says the LORD: Let the nations bestir themselves and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there will I sit in judgment upon all the neighboring nations. Apply the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; Come and tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for great is their malice. Crowd upon crowd in the valley of decision; For near is the day of the LORD in the valley of decision. Sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withhold their brightness. The LORD roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem raises His voice; The heavens and the earth quake, but the LORD is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the children of Israel. Then shall you know that I, the LORD, am your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain; Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall pass through her no more. And then, on that day, the mountains shall drip new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk; And the channels of Judah shall flow with water: A fountain shall issue from the house of the LORD, to water the Valley of Shittim. Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom a desert waste, Because of violence done to the people of Judah, because they shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem for all generations. I will avenge their blood, and not leave it unpunished. The LORD dwells in Zion.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12 (R.12a)
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about Him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of His throne. R.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim His justice,
and all peoples see His glory. R.
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to His holy name. R.
Gospel – Lk 11:27-28
While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Featured Saints
St. Angadreme, abbess (†c.695). She desired to consecrate herself to God; when her father promised her in marriage, a terrible illness served to break the commitment. Miraculously cured, she entered the Benedictine monastery of Oroërdes-Vierges, near Beauvais, where she eventually became the abbess.
St. Venantius of Luni, bishop (†fourth century). A friend of Pope St. Gregory the Great, he dedicated himself especially to the helping the clerics and monk in his diocese of Luni, Italy.
St. Dominic Loricatus, priest (†1060). Priest of the Camaldolese Order who, after having been ordained through simony, decided to become a hermit and lead a life of penance and austerity in San Severino, Italy.
Blesseds Stanislaus Mysakowski and Francis Rosłaniec, priests and martyrs (†1942). Put to death in gas chambers in Dachau, Germany.
Blessed Roman Lysko, priest and martyr (†1949). Priest of the Archeparchy of Lviv, he died by immurement for his faithfulness during religious persecution in Ukraine.
Blessed Didacus Kagayama Haito, martyr (†1619). Noble Samurai and governor of the city. He was beheaded in Kokura, Japan, while he prayed, holding a crucifix.
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