Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Featured Saints
St. Denis, bishop and companions, martyrs, (†third century). First Bishop of Paris, he was decapitated together with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius on the hill of Montmartre, in the vicinity of the city. The chapel that was built over his tomb grew into the Abbey of Saint-Denis. (Optional Memorial.)
St. John Leonardi, priest (†1609). Founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God, in 1574, and of the Congregation of Christian Doctrine, for the purpose of catechising youth and instructing adults against the errors of the Protestant Reformation. In Rome, he became a a close friend of St. Philip Neri and founded there a seminary for formation of missionary priests. (Optional Memorial.)
St. Louis Bertrand, priest (†1581). Spanish Dominican missionary who preached the Gospel to South American Indians and defended them against the abuse of colonizers .
St. Deusdedit, martyr (†c. 834). Abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino, Italy. Imprisoned by order of the tyrant Sicardus, he died as a result of starvation and neglect.
St. Gunther, hermit (†1045). Abandoning all earthly goods, he embraced the monastic life in the Benedictine Order. After some years, he opted for the hermitic life, withdrawing to the forests of Bavaria and Bohemia.
St Abraham, patriarch. Heeding God’s call, he left Ur of the Chaldeans in search of the Promised Land.
St. Publia (†fourth century). A holy widow of Antioch who lived with a group of consecrated women after after her husband’s death. She suffered flogging by order of Emperor Julian for singing
psalms which condemned idolatry.
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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.”
