Saint of the day · July 4
St Elizabeth of Portugal
Saturday, week 13 in Ordinary Time
Liturgical colour : Green
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, also known as Elizabeth of Aragon, was born into a royal family in the late 13th century. She became queen consort of Portugal through her marriage to King Denis. She is remembered especially for her legendary peacemaking abilities, charity towards the poor, and deep devotion to God. Throughout her life, Elizabeth strove to serve as a reconciler not only within her own royal family but also among the political factions and even between nations, preventing open conflict on several occasions. Her practical charity was remarkable, often distributing food and alms discreetly and supporting the sick. After her husband’s death, she entered a convent of the Poor Clares, dedicating her last years to prayer and service, without formally taking religious vows. The Church celebrates her memory as a model of Christian reconciliation, humility, and the active pursuit of peace. As a queen, mother, and widow, she responded to the call of the Gospel through justice and mercy throughout changing circumstances, making her a perennial example of Catholic charity and peacemaking.
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The liturgical day
Mass readings
“I will bring back the captives of my people and plant them on their land” — Am 9, 11-15
Thus says the Lord:
On that day, I will raise up the fallen hut of David;
I will repair its breaches, restore its ruins,
and rebuild it as in days of old,
so that its inhabitants may take possession
of what remains of Edom and of all the nations
over which my name was once called,
– oracle of the Lord, who will do all this.
The days are coming
– oracle of the Lord –
when the plowman will closely follow the reaper,
the treader of grapes him who sows the seed.
The mountains shall drip with new wine,
and all the hills will flow with it.
I will bring back the captives of my people Israel;
they shall rebuild the devastated cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they shall cultivate gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them upon their own soil,
and never again shall they be uprooted
from the soil I have given them.
The Lord your God has spoken.
– The word of the Lord.
Ps 84 (85), 9, 11-12, 13-14
I will listen: what will the Lord God say?
What he says is peace
for his people and his faithful;
may they never turn back to folly!
Love and truth will meet,
justice and peace will embrace;
truth shall spring from the earth
and justice will look down from heaven.
The Lord will grant his blessings,
and our land will yield its fruit.
Justice will go before him,
and his steps will mark the way.
“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” — Mt 9, 14-17
At that time,
the disciples of John the Baptist approached Jesus and asked,
“Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests mourn
while the bridegroom is with them?
But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth
on an old cloak,
because the patch pulls away from the cloak,
and the tear worsens.
Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins;
otherwise, the skins burst,
the wine spills out,
and the skins are ruined.
But new wine is put into fresh wineskins,
and both are preserved.”
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org