Easter: April 21st
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter; Opt Mem of St. Anselm, Bishop and Doctor
Other Commemorations: St. Conrad of Parzham, OFM Cap
MASS READINGS
April 21, 2026 (Readings on USCCB website)
PROPERS [Show]
COLLECT PRAYER
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter: O God, who open wide the gates of the heavenly Kingdom to those reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, pour out on your servants an increase of the grace you have bestowed, that, having been purged of all sins, they may lack nothing that in your kindness you have promised. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
Optional Memorial of St. Anselm: O God, who led the Bishop Saint Anselm to seek out and teach the depths of your wisdom, grant, we pray, that our faith in you may so aid our understanding, that what we believe by your command may give delight to our hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
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The Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Anselm (1033-1109), who was born in Aosta, Italy, and died in Canterbury, England. St. Anselm's services to the Church are principally the following: First, as Archbishop of Canterbury he defended the rights and liberties of the Church against the encroachments of the English kings, who plundered the Church's lands, impeded the Archbishop's communications with the Holy See, and claimed the right to invest prelates with ring and crosier, symbols of the Church's spiritual jurisdiction. Second, as a philosopher and theologian he developed a method of reasoning which prepared the way for the great thinkers of the Middle Ages. Third, he had a great devotion to Our Lady and was the first to establish the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the West.
The Roman Martyrology also commemorates St. Conrad of Parzham, O.F.M. Cap. (1818-1894) who was a German Franciscan lay brother. He served for over 40 years in the post of porter of the Capuchin friary in Altötting, through which work he gained a widespread reputation for his wisdom and holiness.
Meditation for Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Patience in suffering
1. "Who when He was reviled, did not revile; when He suffered, He threatened not" (Epistle). Patience in suffering and the disposition to forgive the persecutor, have always been the true mark of the great servants of Christ. St. Stephen, the first great martyr of the Church imitated Christ in begging for forgiveness for his murderers. He stood staunchly for the truth, even unto death as Christ had done; and although he knew that his assertion that he saw "the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God" would be used as an excuse for his murder, he would not deny the truth. Although he knew that he was being unjustly put to death, like his divine Master he could exclaim, "Lord, do not lay this sin against them" (Acts 7:60).
This disposition to forgive did not die with St. Stephen, but has continued to be one of the most characteristic virtues of the saint. We read in the life of St. Benedict as related in the Dialogues of St. Gregory, that he was continuously and severely persecuted by a delinquent priest who lived in the neighborhood of the monastery. Finally, in order to protect the virtue and the vocations of his disciples, St. Benedict decided to abandon the site of his monastery and move to another location. He and his monks had hardly left their monastery when word was brought that the persecutor had died suddenly. Contrary to the expectation of the messenger who brought the news, St. Benedict broke out in loud lamentations that his enemy had died suddenly and had not had an opportunity to repent. The saints see so much more clearly than we the relative unimportance of the hardships and injustices we suffer in this world, and the importance before all else of the sinner's being converted and repenting of his sins. How differently we act sometimes! How long and how persistently we harbor grudges in our hearts against those who have offended us. How difficult we find it to forgive freely and from our hearts. Yet we proclaim ourselves to be Christians and to practice all the Christian virtues. Do we forget that our Lord told us that if we expect our prayers to be heard, and our sacrifices to be pleasing in the sight of God, we must, if our brother has anything against us, leave our sacrifice at the altar, and go first and make peace with our brother? (Matt. 5:23.)
Nor is the disposition to forgive our enemies peculiar only to the saints and martyrs of the ancient Church; nor should we expect it to be, for the truth Christ preached was eternal, and if His disciples were commanded to forgive their enemies in His day, that command is still binding. When the Jesuit martyr, Father Pro was executed in Mexico some years ago, he was asked by his executioner if he had anything he wished to do, or anything he wished to say before the sentence was executed. Father Pro said that there was; he wished to be given an opportunity to pray for his executioners and to give them his blessing before he died. During the persecutions in Spain during the late civil war, one of the religious who was to be put to death by the communists was led to his death with his hands bound. When asked if he had any final request, he too, asked to be allowed to give his blessing to the members of the firing squad. It is said that the officer in charge of the guard untied his hands, and then swiftly struck off the hands of the priest with his sword, and said, "Now, Priest, give them your blessing." The Priest, blood streaming from his mangled wrists, raised his right arm and traced the sign of the cross over the heads of his murderers. This is the true sign of the authentic martyr, the characteristic mark of the true saint of the Church.
2. "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. Who His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree" (Epistle). The redemption of man as accomplished by Christ might have been accomplished in other ways, but none of them would have been as perfect as the way Christ chose. God might have forgiven man outright without requiring any satisfaction for sin. This would have been a splendid manifestation of the infinite mercy of God, but it would have ignored His infinite justice. God might have refused redemption and forgiveness altogether, and this would have been in complete conformity with His justice, but it would not have satisfied His infinite mercy. Perfect redemption required that both God's mercy and justice be satisfied. Man was in no position to help himself.
Any act of satisfaction on his part would only have been of limited and finite value, and would not have been adequate. An act of reparation offered by a divine person would have been adequate, but it would not have been authentic, since it would not have been offered by the offending party. The only possibility of a perfect redemption was for the divine person to become incarnate. Christ, since He was God, could perform acts of infinite value; since he was a human being, He could act in the name of the human race, and offer an act of reparation which would be both adequate and authentic.
3. "By whose stripes you are healed" (Epistle). As when he was speaking of the duty of subjection to superiors, so here St. Paul seems to be addressing himself to the servants and the slaves of his time. Slaves were often cruelly treated by their masters in ancient times, and stripes from the scourge were familiar to every slave. The slave understood that the stripes he received from his master were in payment for some offense he had committed. He would understand then, that the debt that was due to almighty God for sin, could be paid by the stripes Christ received. Since St. Paul points out to us that everything in Christ's life, and especially his conduct during His passion should be an example for the Christian, and that the Christian should follow in His footsteps, it might be well for us to remember that we can satisfy for our personal sins by bearing patiently the sufferings that come to us in this world. Much of the misfortune and the suffering we endure in this world is the result of our own foolishness and perversity. Nevertheless, we can offer all of the misfortunes that overtake us in reparation for our sins and for those of our friends and relatives. When sorrow and suffering trouble us we should offer our trials humbly to God thus making a feeble attempt to imitate Christ, "who suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps" (Epistle).
—Benedict Baur, OSB, The Light of the World, Vol. 2
St. Anselm
As prior and abbot, Anselm made the Benedictine monastery of Bec the center of a true reformation in Normandy and England. From this monastery he exercised a restraining influence on popes, kings, the worldly great, and entire religious orders. Raised to the dignity of Archbishop of Canterbury and primate of England, he waged a heroic campaign in defense of the rights and liberties of the Church. As a result he was deprived of goods and position and finally banned from the country. He journeyed to Rome, and at the Council of Bari supported Pope Urban II against the errors of the Greeks. His writings bear eloquent testimony to his moral stature and learning, and have earned for him the title of "Father of Scholasticism."
—The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
St. Anselm exhibited remarkable versatility in his life; a combination of contemplation, prayer, study, writing, and external activity. This was partly the result of the extraordinary talent that God gave him, but it was likewise the fruit of Anselm's faithful exercise of his talent in the study of natural and supernatural truths. But his chief merit lay in his earnest, conscious effort to live in accordance with what he had learned from the study of divine truths. By this means he was able to ascend to the heights of a life of faith and union with God. There is very much that we can learn from this great teacher. "Lord, I do not presume to fathom the depths of your truths, for my understanding is not equal to the task. Nevertheless, I desire to learn Your truths in some measure—those truths that I believe and love. I do not seek to gain knowledge so that I can believe; rather, I believe so that I may gain knowledge. No matter how persistently my soul gazes, it still beholds nothing of Your beauty; my soul listens intently, and yet it hears nothing of the learning of Your Being; my soul wants to breathe in Your fragrance, and yet perceives none of it. What are You, Lord? Under what image can my heart recognize You? Truly, You are life; You are truth; You are Goodness; You are Holiness; You are eternity; You are everything good! O man, why do you roam about so far in search of good things for soul and body? Love the one Good, in whom all goods are contained, and that will satisfy you!" (St. Anselm).
Symbols and Representation: Benedictine monk admonishing an evil-doer; archbishop performing an exorcism on a monk; with a ship; with Our Lady appearing before him
Highlights and Things to Do:
- Read more about St. Anselm:
- St. Anselm's relics are mainly located in the Canterbury Cathedral
- Learn more about St. Anselm and his works at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- You can find the works of St. Anselm at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, click on Anselm.
- Check out the Catholic Culture library for various talks and writings on St. Anselm, including by Pope Benedict XVI.
- Those who are truly ambitious might tackle this 2 volume set by Martin Rule published in 1883: The life and times of St. Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury and primate of the Britains, Vol. 1 and Vol 2.
St. Conrad of Parzham, OFM Cap
Born on December 22, 1818, he was baptized with the name of John and was born on the family farm in Germany. He was the ninth son in a peasant family. From an early child, St. Conrad gave indications of his future sanctity by his modesty and love of solitude. His devotion was noticeable especially when he prayed in the Church. The Church was a long way off, and he visited often, even in inclement weather. He was especially close to the Blessed Virgin, and daily recited the Rosary. On feast days, he would make long, remote journeys to a Shrine of the Blessed Mother. He would return late at night on foot and still fasting. He lost his mother at the age of 14 and spent his time helping on the family farm. At 31, after his father’s death, he entered the Capuchin Franciscan Friars and was given the name Conrad.
After his profession, he was sent to the Friary of St. Ann in Altotting. The friary served the Shrine of Our Lady of Altotting, the National Shrine of the Blessed Mother in Bavaria. It was here that St. Conrad was given the position of porter at the Shrine, and he retained it until his death. Because of the size of this city, and the many pilgrims, the duty of a friary porter was a difficult one. Conrad was known to be diligent at his work, sparing in words, bountiful to the poor, and eager to help strangers. He served in this position to the town’s people for forty years, fulfilling their needs of body and soul.
St. Conrad loved silence in a special way, and his spare moments during the day were spent in a nook near the door, where it was possible for him to see and adore the Blessed Sacrament. He was known for depriving himself of sleep, to spend time with Jesus in the Church or Oratory in prayer. It was the general belief of his fellow friars, that he never slept, but continually occupied himself in his duties and devotion. On April 21, 1894, St. Conrad died in the friary where he had served for 41 years. During his lifetime, Brother Conrad was known to have the gift and ability to read the hearts of those he met and was attributed with the gift of prophecy. His heroic virtues and the miracles he performed won for him canonization by Pope Pius XI in 1934.
Practical Take Away
St. Conrad was born John, in Bavaria, now modern-day Germany. He was the ninth son of a farming family, and after losing his parents he entered the Capuchin Friars. He was sent to the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary and took the position of Porter. He had the ability to work miracles and was able to read the hearts of those he met, as well as the gift of prophecy. He was believed by his fellow Brothers, to never have slept, rather spent his time with his duties or in devotion at the Chapel. He practiced heroic virtues that won for him the title of saint and was canonized in 1934 by Pope Pius XI.
—Excerpted from The Newman Connection
Patronage: Capuchin-Franciscan Province of Mid-America; Catholic Student Association; doorkeepers; diocese of Passau, Germany (since 1984)
Highlights and Things to Do:
- Read more about St. Conrad:
