Liturgy of the Hours
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Prayer Hours
▶About Today
February 23
Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr
Commemoration
“Stand fast therefore in these things and follow the example of the Lord, being firm in the faith and immovable, in love of the brotherhood kindly having affection for one to another, partners with the truth, forestalling one another in the gentleness of the Lord, despising no man.” [1]
St. Polycarp was a Christian bishop early in the 2nd century. A letter addressed to him by St. Ignatius tells him to care for the Church and his own surviving epistle shows he encouraged the Philippians on the path of righteousness. Additionally, St. Iraneus praises his defense of orthodoxy and his energy in combating heresy. During a visit to Rome, St. Polycarp spoke to the bishop, Anicetus, who agreed to let the Eastern churches calculate the date of Easter in their own way. He was arrested and martyred during a pagan festival in Smyrna, when he refused to deny Christ.[2][3][4]
Written by Sarah Ciotti and Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD
[1] St. Polycarp, “Epistle of St. Polycarp,” in The Apostolic Fathers, ed. John Lightfood (Baker Book House: 1956), 10.
[2] F.L. Cross and E.A. Livingstone, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (London: Oxford University Press, 1974), 1107.
[3] Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, The Martyrology of the Monastery of the Ascension, 2008.
[4] Catholicpedia: The Original Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. s.v. “St. Polycarp.”
Mass Readings
Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
First Reading
Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Hear the word of the LORD, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, yo...
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
Refrain: To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Gospel
Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They lov...
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.