October 30
Friday, week 30 in Ordinary Time
Year II
Africa : Sts. Marcellus and Maximilian, martyrs
Today in the Catholic liturgical calendar is known as a 'ferial day' or simply 'feria'. This term refers to a day on which no specific saint's memorial or feast is celebrated, allowing for the continued reflection on the liturgical season—in this case, Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time in the Church is not focused on a particular mystery but invites the faithful to meditate on the life and teachings of Christ as presented throughout the year, especially through the daily readings at Mass. Fridays in Ordinary Time still hold special significance, as they traditionally recall the Passion of the Lord; thus, many Catholics consider it a day for prayer and penance, sometimes with acts of charity or abstinence.
The Church, in her wisdom, provides these ferial days to allow for quieter, sustained growth in grace, without the distraction of special ceremonies or particular saints’ stories. Liturgy on these days tends to be simpler, but the Scriptures assigned for each day offer ongoing nourishment and direction for the Christian journey. By following the rhythms of the Church calendar, especially in Ordinary Time, the faithful are invited to seek holiness in everyday life, finding God in what seems ordinary.
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Questions about Friday, week 30 in Ordinary Time (Novus Ordo Missae)
Local variations
- Africa — Sts. Marcellus and Maximilian, martyrs
The liturgical day
Mass readings
ReadingPh 1, 1-11
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
to all who are sanctified in Christ Jesus
and live in Philippi,
also to the overseers and ministers of the Church.
Grace and peace to you
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God
every time I remember you.
At every moment, every time I pray for you all,
it is with joy that I do so,
because of your partnership with me,
from the first day until now,
for the proclamation of the Gospel.
I am convinced of this:
he who began such a good work in you
will carry it on to completion
on the day when Christ Jesus comes.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you,
because I hold you in my heart,
you who all share in the grace given to me, in my imprisonment
as well as in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.
Yes, God is my witness to the deep affection I have for all of you
in the tenderness of Christ Jesus.
And, in my prayer, I ask
that your love may increase more and more
in full knowledge and all insight
so that you may discern what is important.
Thus you will be pure and blameless
for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ,
for the glory and praise of God.
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 110 (111), 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
With all my heart I will give thanks to the Lord
in the assembly, among the just.
Great are the works of the Lord;
all who love them ponder them.
Majesty and beauty in his deeds:
his justice endures forever.
He has left a memorial of his wonders;
the Lord is tenderness and compassion.
He has given food to those who revere him,
always keeping his covenant in mind.
He has shown his power to his people,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.
GospelLc 14, 1-6
One Sabbath day,
Jesus entered the house of a leader of the Pharisees
to eat a meal there,
and they were watching him closely.
And behold, there was in front of him
a man suffering from dropsy.
Taking the floor,
Jesus addressed the doctors of the Law and the Pharisees
to ask them:
“Is it lawful, or not,
to heal on the Sabbath?”
They kept silent.
So Jesus took hold of the sick man, healed him, and let him go.
Then he said to them:
“If one of you has a son or an ox
that falls into a well,
will he not immediately pull him out,
even on the Sabbath?”
And they were unable to answer him.
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org