Saint Jerome Emiliani (1537 A.D.); Saint Margaret of Antioch (304 A.D.)

   

SAINT JEROME EMILIANI
Confessor

SAINT MARGARET OF ANTIOCH

Virgin and Martyr

DOUBLE / WHITE
Jerome Emiliani (1481-1537), a member of one of the patrician families of Venice, was in early life a soldier. Captured by the enemy and thrown in a dungeon, he invoked the aid of Our Lady. Under circumstances that appeared to be miraculous, he was enabled to make his escape. The young man then dedicated himself to the service of the Blessed Virgin and began a life of intense charity, concerning himself especially with the care and Christian education of homeless orphans, victims of war and plague, whom he clothed, fed, and taught at his own expense. Later, he founded several orphanages, a home for converted prostitutes, and a hospital. In about 1532, Jerome founded the Clerks Regular of Somascha, for the continuation of his work after his own death. He died of a disease he caught in visiting the sick. Pope Pius XI declared him the patron of orphans and abandoned children.

INTROIT Lam. 2:11 

My liver is poured out upon the earth in sorrow for the destruction of the daughter of my people, for the child and the suckling fainting away in the streets of the city.
Ps. 112:1. Praise the Lord, you His servant, praise the name of the Lord.
V. Glory be . . .

 

GLORIA

COLLECT 

O God, Father of mercy, grant that we may preserve the spirit of adoption, which makes us Your children in name and in fact, through the merits and prayers of blessed Jerome, father and helper of orphans. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT MARGARET
Margaret was tortured at Antioch in Pisidia, in the last general persecution during the third century. After having endured many torments, she finished her martyrdom by the sword.

O God, one of the marvelous examples of Your power was granting the victory of martyrdom even to delicate womanhood. May the example of the blessed virgin martyr Margaret, whose birthday we celebrate today, draw us closer to You. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON Isa. 58:7-11
The Lord says: "Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy own flesh. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall speedily arise, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee up. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall hear: thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou wilt take away the chain out of the midst of thee, and cease to stretch out the finger, and to speak that which profiteth not. When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry, and shalt satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise up in darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the noonday. And the Lord will give thee rest continually, and will fill thy soul with brightness, and deliver thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail."

GRADUAL Prov. 5:16; Ps. 111:5-6
Let your fountains be conveyed abroad, and in the streets divide your waters.
V. Delightful is the man who is kind and accommodating, who orders his speech with justice, for he shall never be moved.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 111:9
He has distributed his wealth and given it to the poor, his justice shall endure forever. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 19:13-21
At that time, little children were presented to Jesus, that he should impose hands upon them and pray. And the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said to them: "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such." And when he had imposed hands upon them, he departed from thence. And behold one came and said to him: "Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?" Who said to him: "Why askest thou me concerning good? One is good, God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to him: "Which?" And Jesus said: "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." The young man saith to him: "All these have I kept from my youth, what is yet wanting to me?" Jesus saith to him: "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Tob. 12:12
When you prayed with tears, and buried the dead, and left your dinner to hide the dead by day in your house so as to bury them at night, I offered your prayer to the Lord.

SECRET
O God, you destroyed the old self of Your blessed Jerome and remade him in Your own likeness. Renew us also in spirit through the merits of this saint, and allow our offering of this victim of atonement to rise before You as a sweet fragrance. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT MARGARET
O Lord, accept the gifts we bring You on the feast of Your blessed virgin Margaret, through whose intercession we hope to be set free. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Jac. 1:27
Religion pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself unspotted from this world.

POSTCOMMUNION
We are refreshed with the Bread of Angels, O Lord. May the yearly celebration in memory of blessed Jerome help us to imitate his example and win the abundant rewards of Your kingdom. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT MARGARET
O Lord, through the intercession of Your blessed virgin martyr Margaret, may we be aided by the reception of the Blessed Sacrament and rejoice in Your everlasting protection. Through our Lord . . .

EIGHT SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL (1660 A.D.) Confessor

   

EIGHT SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

   Commeoration

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL 
Confessor

 

DOUBLE / GREEN
Tempted by a fallen angel, Adam rebelled and lost his paradisiacal sonship. That finished Eden's peace. After centuries, Jesus came, undid Satin's lie and Adam's rebellion, and purchased sonship anew for all men. It is not so much the fall that matters, as the restoration. "Where the offense has abounded, grace has abounded yet more" (Rom. 5:20). By this abundant grace, every adopted child of God can subject the flesh to the spirit, be a just manager of material affairs, and trust in God's fatherly providence. 

INTROIT Ps. 47:10-11
We have received Your kindness, O God, within Your temple. As Your name, O God, is known to the ends of the earth, so also shall Your praise be voiced to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is just in all things.
Ps. 47:2. Great is the Lord, and worthy of all praise in the city of our God, upon His holy mountain.
V. Glory be . . .

GLORIA 

COLLECT
O Lord, we cannot exist without You. Inspire us to think and act rightly, that we may always live as You would have us live. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL

Vincent de Paul, the "peasant priest" and future apostle of charity, was ordained at the age of 20. After an unspectacular start as chaplain to Queen Margaret of Valois, he came to grasp the appalling spiritual and temporal condition of the French peasantry, and set out upon his astonishing apostolate. He founded the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians, or Lazarists) for the preaching of missions and the teaching of seminarians, and before his death in 1660 they were laboring from the Hebrides to Africa, from helping the poor to ransoming Christian slaves. Then, with the aid of St. Louise de Marillac, "Monsieur Vincent" organized the Sisters of Charity, a glorious feature of Catholic life ever since. His activities ranged from chaplaincy to the galley slaves imprisoned in the Concirgerie to easing the death of King Louis XIII. He devised many types of spiritual exercises as well.

O God, you endowed blessed Vincent with apostolic zeal and authority to preach the Gospel to the poor and to add glory to the priesthood. May we venerate his holy life and profit by the example of his virtue. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Rom. 8:12-17

Brethren: We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him.

GRADUAL Ps. 30:3; 70:1
Be a God of protection to me, a place of shelter to give me safety.
V. I have placed my trust in You, O God; let me never be put to shame.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 47:2
Great is the Lord and worthy of all praise in the city of our God, upon His holy mountain. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 16: 1-9
At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable: "There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he was wasting his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, 'What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward.' "And the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' And calling to him each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, 'How much owest thou unto my lord?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said unto him, 'Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then said he to another, 'And how much owest thou?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He saith unto him, 'Take thy bond, and write fourscore.' "And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 17:28, 32
You will save the humble, O Lord, but the eyes of the proud You will bring low, for who is God except You, O Lord?

SECRET
Accept these gifts, which Your bounty makes it possible for us to offer You, O Lord. May the grace of this sacred rite sanctify our lives on earth and bring us to eternal happiness. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL

Accept this offering which we humbly present in honor of Thy Saints, O God, and through it purify our bodies and our souls. Through our Lord . . .

  
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 33:9
Taste and see how good is the Lord; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.

POSTCOMMUNION
May this heavenly Sacrament bring us health of soul and body, O Lord, and make us feel the power of the sacred rite we have celebrated. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL

Almighty God, we pray that the reception of this bread of heaven may strengthen us against all adversity through the intercession of Your blessed Confessor Vincent. Through our Lord . . .

 

Saint Camillus (1614 A.D.); Saint Symphorosa and Her 7 Sons (120 A.D.)

     

SAINT CAMILLUS OF LELLIS
Confessor

SAINT SYMPHOROSA AND HER SEVEN SONS
MARTYRS

DOUBLE / WHITE
Camillus, the "Red Cross Saint," a 16th century Italian war veteran, began nursing the sick as his vocation in a Roman hospital. In 1582 he founded a religious society, the Ministers of the Sick, and, encouraged by St. Philip Neri, his confessor, became a priest in 1584. Besides the sick in hospitals, he and his band bound themselves to serve prisoners, plague victims, the sick in their homes, and later, troops at war, thus antedating by some three centuries the work of Red Cross. The devotion of Camillus to his patients never grew cold, as he saw in each of them the image of his suffering Saviour. He was named patron of the sick by Pope Leo XIII, and, by Pius XI, patron of nurses and nursing.

INTROIT John 15:13 
Greater love than this no one has, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Ps. 40:2. Blessed is he who has regard for the lowly and the poor; in the day of misfortune the Lord will deliver him.
V. Glory be . . .

GLORIA

COLLECT
O God, You blessed the saint Camillus with a singular gift of love to help the dying in their last agony. May our hearts be moved by the spirit of Your love through the merits of Your saint, and may we overcome our enemy at the hour of our death to receive a heavenly reward. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT SYMPHOROSA AND HER SEVEN SONS, MARTYRS
According to early chronicles, Symphorosa and her seven sons, whom she instructed in the Christian Faith, were martyred at Trivoli, near Rome, about A.D. 120 during the reign of Hadrian.

O God, who has granted us the grace to celebrate the birthday of Your blessed martyrs Symphorosa and her sons, grant that we may also share their eternal happiness in heaven. through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE I John 3:13-18
Beloved: Wonder not, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself. In this we have known the charity of God, because he hath laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. He that hath the substance of this world and shall see his brother in need and shall shut up his bowels from him: how doth the charity of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

GRADUAL Ps. 36:30-31
The mouth of the just man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justly.
V. The law of God is in his heart, and his steps do not falter.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 111:1
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 15:12-16
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you. I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends. because all things, whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON  Ps. 20:2-3
The just man rejoices in Your strength, O Lord; he greatly exalts in Your aid. You have granted him his heart's desire.

SECRET 
With this perfect offering, O Almighty God, our Father, we renew the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus' immeasurable love. May it heal the infirmities of our body and soul, and comfort and protect us in our last agony through the intercession of blessed Camillus. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT SYMPHOROSA AND HER SONS
We offer these gifts to You in Sacrifice, O Lord. may the honor we pay to Your saints please You, and may these offerings, through Your mercy, bring us closer to our salvation. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 25:36, 40
I was sick and you visited me. Amen, amen I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me.

POSTCOMMUNION
Reverently and devotedly, O Lord, we have received the Food of Heaven in celebration of the feast of You

Saint Alexis the Beggar (4th C.); OUR LADY IN PORTICU; SAINT KENELM, King, Martyr

   

 

St. Alexis under stairs.

SAINT ALEXIS
Confessor

OUR LADY IN PORTICU

[wikipedia.org image]

SAINT KENELM

King, Martyr

SIMPLE / WHITE
An early forerunner of St. Joseph Benedict Labre, Alexis is said to have been born in Rome during the fourth century, the son of noble Roman parents. At the bidding of the Holy Spirit, he journeyed to Edessa, Syria, where for 17 years he begged at the church doors, then shared his donations with the poor people, sustaining himself on what was left over. When he returned to Rome, he went unrecognized and was given menial employment in his father's home, and a nook under the stairs for his accommodations. Thus he is thought to have lived for another 17 years, rejoicing in the mockery and ill-treatment of his father's slaves. Only after his death, reads the legend, was his identity discovered.

INTROIT Ps. 36: 30, 31

The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment, the law of his God is in his heart. Ps. ibid. 1. Be not emulous of evildoers, nor envy them that work iniquity. Glory be . . .

 GLORIA

Mass of a  CONFESSOR OF THE FAITH, except

COLLECT
O God, it is a joy for us to celebrate yearly the feast of Your blessed confessor Alexis. may we who commemorate his birthday also imitate his example. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of OUR LADY IN PORTICU
According to tradition, the picture of Santa Maria in Portico appeared miraculously in 524 in Rome to St. Galla when distributing food to the poor in the porch (porticus) of her house. Since the days of the exiled James III, the Old Pretender, prayers have been offered weekly for the conversion of England and Wales in the Church of Santa Maria in Campitelli where the picture is enshrined.

O God, who hast given to us as Mother the Mother of Thy beloved Son, and hast by a wonderful apparition revealed a beautiful picture of her, grant, we beseech Thee, that by her intercession we may be safeguarded from every deadly onslaught, and ny leading lives pleasing to Thee may happily arrive at our heavenly country.  

Commemoration of SAINT KENELM
St. Kenelm ascended the throne of Mercia when only seven years old. The holy child was put to death by his sister who seized his inheritance.

Almighty and merciful God, who has made us rejoice greatly in today's festival of blessed Kenelm, Thy King and Martyr, benignly hear the prayers of Thy faithful, and grant that we may ever be supported by his merits and prayers whose feast we keep today. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE I Tim. 6:6-12
Beloved: But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world: and certainly we can carry nothing out. But having food and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content. For they that will become rich fall into temptation and into the snare of the devil and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition. For the desire of money is the root of all evils; which some coveting have erred from the faith and have entangled themselves in many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, fly these things: and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life.

GOSPEL Matt. 19:27-29
At that time, Peter answering, said to him: "Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have?" And Jesus said to them:  "Amen I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting."

OFFERTORY Ps. 88: 25

My truth and My mercy shall be with him, and in My name shall his horn be exalted.

SECRET
In memory of Thy Saints, O Lord, we offer Thee the sacrifice of praise, by which we trust to be freed from both present and future evils. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of OUR LADY IN PORTICU
Accept, we beseech Thee, O Lord, these gifts worthily offered in this sacred memorial, and by the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary interceding for us, may they obtain us all the help that we need for salvation. 

Commemoration of SAINT KENELM 
With these offerings, O Lord God, in view, and under the patronage of Blessed Kenelm Thy Martyr, whose feast day we reverently keeping, may Thy faithful receive Thy saving indulgence and worthily win an eternal reward. Through our Lord . . .

POSTCOMMUNION
Refreshed by meat and drink from heaven, O God, we humbly entreat Thee, that we may be protected by the prayers of him in whose memory we have partaken. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of OUR LADY IN PORTICU
The sacraments with which, O Lord, we yearly celebrate this day, we have now received, grant, O Lord, we beg Thee, through the intecession of Mary ever Virgin, that they may bestow on us every remedy for this life and the next.

Commemoration of SAINT KENELM
May Thy household, we beg Thee, O Lord, who jubilantly celebrate the feastday of Blessed Kenelm Thy Martyr, be filled with joy, and as Thou hast refreshed them at this heavenly table, so Thou wilt admit them to Thy eternal fellowship. Through our Lord . . .

COMMEMORATION OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

    

 

TIEPOLO, Giovanni Battista (1722)

The Madonna of Mount Carmel (detail)

 

COMMEMORATION OF

OUR LADY
OF MOUNT CARMEL

GREATER DOUBLE / WHITE
Simon Stock, a holy youth of the County of Kent in England, was told by Our Lady that he would join a religious order not yet known to the English. In due time Carmelites crossed the Channel, and Simon entered the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Carmelites in England chose Simon Stock as their prior general in 1245. Mary appeared to Simon on July 16, 1251, and gave him the scapular as an assurance of Her protection. Devotion to the scapular spread quickly throughout Christendom.

INTROIT
Let us all rejoice in the Lord as we celebrate the feast in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, upon which the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.
Ps. 44:2. My heart overflows with good tidings; I sing my song to the king.

V. Glory be . . .

 

GLORIA

COLLECT
O God, the order of Carmel was singularly honored when the title of the most blessed ever-virgin Mary, Your Mother, was given to it. Grant that we who commemorate this solemn feast today may be shielded by Her protection and attain everlasting happiness; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

READING Eccli. 24: 23-31 [Sirach]
As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

GRADUAL
You are blessed and venerable, O Virgin Mary, for without loss of your virginity you became the Mother of our Saviour.
V. O Virgin Mother of God, He whom the whole world cannot contain enclosed Himself in your womb and was made man.

Alleluia, alleluia! V.
Through you, O Mother of God, we have received back the life we had lost, for you have received your Son from heaven and bestowed upon the world its Saviour. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 11:27-28
At that time, as Jesus was speaking to the multitudes, a certain woman from the crowd, lifted up her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that nursed Thee." But He said,  "Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Jer. 18:20
Remember, O Virgin Mother, to speak good things in our behalf before the face of God, that He may turn away His anger from us.

SECRET 
Sanctify the gifts we offer You, O Lord, and grant that they may bring us closer to salvation through the intercession of Mary the Blessed Mother of God. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Most worthy Queen of the world, Mary, ever-virgin, who brought forth Christ, the Lord and Saviour of all mankind, pray for our peace and safety.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Lord, help us by the prayers of Your Immaculate ever-virgin Mother Mary. Her loving care has already brought us lasting blessings; may She shield us from all dangers and unite us in heart and mind; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

This shows The Virgin and The Child being present while souls awaiting purification are brought out of Purgatory and into Heaven. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Saint Henry II (1024 A.D.)

    

 

SAINT HENRY II
Emperor and Confessor

SIMPLE / WHITE
Henry, the son of Henry, Duke of Bavaria, was chosen Emperor in 1002, upon the death of his cousin, Otto III. He became one of the strongest rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, triumphing over many difficulties as a Christian statesman and warrior. He made frequent journeys through his empire to promote religion, correct public abuses, and prevent the oppression of the poor. According to the chronicles of the time, when upon his return from an expedition against the Greeks in Italy, he was taken sick at Monte Cassino, he was miraculously cured through the intercession of St. Benedict, founder of the abbey.

Introit
Ps 36:30-31.
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom, and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart.
Ps 36:1
Be not vexed over evildoers, nor jealous of those who do wrong.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom, and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart.

GLORIA

COLLECT
O God, on this day You raised the blessed confessor Henry from earthly royalty to an eternal kingdom. May his example enable us to turn aside from the enticements of the world and come to You with a pure heart, even as he was strengthened by Your grace to withstand the fascination of worldly attractions. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON Eccl. (31:8-11)

[Sirach 31:8-11]

⁸ Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish: and that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures.

⁹ Who is he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful things in his life.

¹⁰ Who hath been tried thereby, and made perfect, he shall have glory everlasting. He that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil things, and hath not done them:

¹¹ Therefore are his goods established in the Lord, and all the church of the saints shall declare his alms.

[Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition]

Gradual
Ps 91:12, 14.
The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow in the house of the Lord.
Ps 91:3
V. To proclaim Your kindness at dawn and Your faithfulness throughout the night. Alleluia, alleluia.
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life. Alleluia.

GOSPEL (Luke 12:35-40)

^{35 At that time, Jesus said to His disciples:}  Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands.

³⁶ And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately.

³⁷ Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and passing will minister unto them.

³⁸ And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

³⁹ But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.

⁴⁰ Be you then also ready: for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.

[Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition]

 

Offertory

Ps 88:25
My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My name shall his horn be exalted.

 

 SECRET
We offer You, O Lord, this Sacrifice of praise in memory of Your saints. Free us from evil now and in the future through their intercession. Through our Lord . . .

Communion
Matt 24:46-47.
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, he will set him over all his goods.

POSTCOMMUNION
Refreshed with Heavenly Food and Drink,we humbly pray You, our God, that we may be strengthened by the prayers of Your saint in whose memory we have received this Sacrament. Through our Lord . . .

Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (1274 A.D.)

  

  

St. Bonaventure enters the Franciscan Order by

HERRERA, Francisco de, the Elder

Spanish painter (b. ca. 1590, Sevilla, d. 1656, Madrid)

SAINT BONAVENTURE
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

DOUBLE / WHITE
Bonaventure was born in the Papal States in 1221, and became a Franciscan at the age of 20. He is called by the Church the Seraphic Doctor, because the penetrating genius that informs his writings is ennobled by a burning love of God. In 1273, he was created cardinal bishop of Albano. Pope Gregory X then entrusted Bonaventure with the direction of the Council of Lyons, attended by schismatic Oriental clergy as well as by Catholics. His intense solicitude for souls separated from the Church drew the schismatics into temporary reunion with the Holy See. This was St. Bonaventure's supreme labor of apostolic love. He died of exhaustion while the council was still in session.

Introit
Ecclus 15:5
In the midst of the assembly he opened his mouth; and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding; He clothed him with a robe of glory.
Ps 91:2
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to Your name, Most High.
In the midst of the assembly he opened his mouth; and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding; He clothed him with a robe of glory.

GLORIA 

Mass of a DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, except

COLLECT
O God, may blessed Bonaventure intercede for us in heaven as he once instructed Your faithful on earth and directed them in the way of eternal salvation. Through our Lord . . .

Lesson
Lesson from the second letter of St Paul the Apostle to Timotheus
2 Tim. 4:1-8
Beloved: I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus, Who will judge the living and the dead by His coming and by His kingdom, preach the word, be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, entreat, rebuke with all patience and teaching. For there will come a time when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap up to themselves teachers according to their own lusts, and they will turn away their hearing from the truth and turn aside rather to fables. But be watchful in all things, bear with tribulation patiently, work as a preacher of the Gospel, fulfill your ministry. As for me, I am already being poured out in sacrifice, and the time of my deliverance is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just Judge, will give to me in that day; yet not to me only, but also to those who love His coming.
R. Thanks be to God.

Gradual
Ps 36:30-31
The mouth of the just tells of wisdom, and his tongue utters what is right.
V. The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps do not falter. Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps 109:4
V. The Lord has sworn, and He will not repent: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedec. Alleluia.
  

Gospel

Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
Matt 5:13-19
At that time Jesus said to His disciples: You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its strength, what shall it be salted with? It is no longer of any use, but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under the measure, but upon the lampstand, so as to give light to all in the house. Even so let your light shine before men, in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For amen I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall be lost from the Law till all things have been accomplished. Therefore whoever does away with one of these least commandments, and so teaches men, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever carries them out and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
R. Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
S. By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted out.

 OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 88:25
My truth and My mercy shall be with him; and in My name shall his power be exalted.

SECRET
Let our annual commemoration of Your blessed confessor bishop Bonaventure please You, O Lord. Grant that this Sacrifice of atonement which we offer on his feast may bring him greater honor and fill us with Your grace. Through our Lord . . .

Communion
Luke 12:42
The faithful and prudent servant whom the master will set over his household to give them their rations of grain in due time. 

POSTCOMMUNION
O God, rewarder of the faithful, pardon our sins through the intercession of Your blessed confessor bishop Bonaventure, whom we honor this day. Through our Lord . . .