Friday, January 30, 2026

Friday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time

Selected Mass Reading

Gospel — Mark 4:26-34

And he said: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the earth, And should sleep, and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring, and grow up whilst he knoweth not. For the earth of itself bringeth forth fruit, first the blade, then the ear, afterwards the full corn in the ear. And when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or to what parable shall we compare it? It is as a grain of mustard seed: which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth: And when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the birds of the air may dwell under the shadow thereof. And with many such parables, he spoke to them the word, according as they were able to hear. And without parable he did not speak unto them; but apart, he explained all things to his disciples.

Feast Days

Adelelmus of Burgos Benedictine monk, Abbot 1035–1097

Saint Adelelmus, also known as Aléaume or San Lesmes, was born in Loudun in Poitou, France, and as a young man entered military life. A pilgrimage to Rome became the turning point of his vocation: there he met Robert de Turlande, founder of the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu, and Adelelmus left soldiering behind to embrace the Benedictine way. His fidelity and wisdom eventually led him to serve as abbot of La Chaise-Dieu, where his reputation for holiness spread. Queen Constance of Burgundy, moved by what she heard of him, invited him to Burgos in Spain. With King Alfonso VI she founded a monastery there in 1079, asking Adelelmus to be its abbot. In Burgos he joined prayer to practical charity, adding a hospital and a church to serve the poor and the pilgrim. When needed, he even drew on his earlier military training to aid the king in defending the realm. Venerated as the patron saint of Burgos, his relics rest in the Church of San Lesmes Abad. His feast day is January 30.

Peter Nolasco Priest, Friar, Religious order founder 1180–1256

Saint Peter Nolasco was born in 1189, though tradition differs on whether his birthplace was in France or Spain. As a young man he was in Barcelona, where he took part in campaigns against the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula and was entrusted with the care of the young James I of Aragon as his tutor. After a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Montserrat, Peter’s heart turned decisively toward works of mercy, especially for Christians seized in raids and sold into slavery. Beginning in 1203 he devoted himself to ransoming captives, and in time he helped shape this charity into a lasting vocation. With the encouragement of Raymond of Penyafort and under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy, later approved by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. The Mercedarians bound themselves by a special vow to give even their own freedom to redeem prisoners, sometimes offering themselves as hostages for others. Peter died in Barcelona in 1256, and the Church honors his feast on May 6. He is venerated as patron of Algar de Palància, El Viso del Alcor, and San Antonio Huista.