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 . . .

Saint Anacletus, Pope and Martyr (91 A.D.); Saint Mildred, Abbess (700 A.D.)

  

SAINT ANACLETUS
Pope and Martyr

SAINT MILDRED

Abbess

[Historical]

SIMPLE / RED
Anacletus (sometimes referred to simply as Cletus) was an early successor of St. Peter. As yet no historical evidence has been unearthed to establish whether he was third or fourth pope, as there was no official archivists in the pioneering "underground" days of the Church. It is known that he was martyred in A.D. 91 during the reign of Domitian; and in thus sacrificing his life for Christ he became one of the foundation stones of the Church, then as now a Church of martyrs. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For he who would save his life will lose it; but he who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 16:24-25).

Mass of a Pope

Introit
John 21:15-17
If you love Me, Simon Peter, feed My lambs, feed My sheep. Ps 29:2
I will extol You, O Lord, for You drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
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.
If you love Me, Simon Peter, feed My lambs, feed My sheep.

COLLECT
 O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Anacletus, shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through our Lord . . .

Lesson
Lesson from the first letter of St Peter the Apostle
1 Pet. 5:1-4; 5:10-11.
Beloved: I exhort the presbyters among you - I, your fellow presbyter and witness of the sufferings of Christ, the partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed in time to come - tend the flock of God which is among you, governing not under constraint, but willingly, according to God; nor yet for the sake of base gain, but eagerly; nor yet as lording it over your charges, but becoming from the heart a pattern to the flock. And when the Prince of the shepherds appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. But the God of all grace, Who has called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself, after we have suffered a little while, perfect, strengthen and establish us. To Him is the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia.
Matt 16:18
V. You are Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church. Alleluia.
Ps 44:17-18
You shall make them princes through all the land; they shall remember Your name through all generations. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
Matt. 16:13-19
At that time, Jesus, having come into the district of Caesarea Philippi, began to ask His disciples, saying, Who do men say the Son of Man is? But they said, Some say, John the Baptist; and others, Elias; and others, Jeremia, or one of the prophets. He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus answered and said, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven. And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  

SECRET

We have offered our gifts to You, O Lord. Let Your light graciously shine upon Your Church, so that this flock may everywhere prosper, and its pastors, under Your guidance, may be truly pleasing to You. Through our Lord . . .

POSTCOMMUNION

O Lord, govern the Church, which You have been pleased to nourish with Your heavenly Food. Guide her by Your powerful direction so that she may enjoy greater freedom and remain unshaken in the fullness of faith. Through our Lord . . .

Saint Mildred of Thanet

Memorial

• 13 July
  

St Mildred, Preston next Wingham, Kent (Wikipedia)
Profile

Daughter of Merewalh, King of Mercia, and Saint Ermenburga of Thanet. Sister of Saint Milburga andSaint Mildgytha. Educated at the convent school of Chelles, near Paris, France. Rejected an offer ofmarriage, and entered the convent of Minster on the Isle of Thanet, a house which was founded by her mother, is still in use, and is one of the oldest continuously occupied structures in Britain. Benedictine nun. Worked with Saint Theodore of Canterbury. Abbess at Minster where one of hernovices of Saint Edburga. Noted for her generosity to the poor, and special attention to social outcasts. Yearly pilgrimages to her relics at Minster continue to today.

Died

• c.700 of natural causes
• relics first enshrined at Canterbury, England
• relics translated to Deventer, the Netherlands
• part of the relics have been translated to Minster, England

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; Saint John Gualbert (1073 A.D.); Saints Nabor and Felix (303 A.D.)

  

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

 

commemoration

SAINT JOHN GUALBERT
Abbot

Saints Nabor & Felix

SAINTS NABOR AND FELIX
Martyrs

 

DOUBLE / GREEN

Baptism received, though a great mystery of God-life shared with men, is only a beginning. Life means a source, a fountain of activity, a movement with the purpose of perfecting being. It is not enough to be engrafted into Christ as His living member. Christian life must bear Christian fruit, for the glory of Christ, for the perfection and happiness of the Christian, and for the conquest of the world under the Kingship of Christ and the Queenship of Mary. Apostolic activity at every level is the mark of Christian vitality.

INTROIT Ps. 46:2
Clap your hands, all you peoples, shout to God with cries of joy.
Ps. 46:3. For the Lord is the Most High, the awe-inspiring; He is the great King over all the earth.
V. Glory be . . .

 

GLORIA

COLLECT 
O God, whose ever-watchful providence rules all things, we humbly implore You to remove from us whatever is harmful, and to bestow on us only that which will be helpful. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT JOHN GUALBERT
One Good Friday early in the eleventh century, John Gualbert, a soldier in Florence, Italy, encountered the man who had slain his brother. Seeing that John was about to kill him, the murderer implored the young soldier to spare him for the sake of the Passion of our Saviour. Touched by grace, John embraced his enemy as a brother; soon afterward he became a Benedictine monk. He later founded the congregation of the Vallombrosians, who promoted a revival of faith and morals throughout Italy.

Let the blessed Abbot John intercede for us, O Lord. may his prayers win us Your help, since our own actions cannot merit it.

 
Commemoration of SAINTS NABOR AND FELIX, 
These martyrs shed their blood for Christ in Milan, about A.D. 303. They were greatly praised by St. Ambrose.

O Lord, may the prayers of Your holy martyrs Nabor and Felix always accompany us, just as we never fail to celebrate their birthday. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Rom. 6:19-23
Brethren: I speak an human thing, because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity, unto iniquity: so now yield your members to serve justice, unto sanctification. For when you were the servants of sin, you were free men to justice. What fruit therefore had you then in those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of them is death. But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting. For the wages of sin is death. But the grace of God, life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord.

GRADUAL Ps. 33:12, 6
Come, children, hear me; I will teach you to fear the Lord.
V. Turn to Him that you may be enlightened, and your face may never blush with shame.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 46:2
Clap your hands, all you peoples, shout to God with cries of joy. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 7:15-21
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven."

CREED

 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Dan. 3:40
As with holocausts of rams and bullocks, and thousands of fat lambs, let our sacrifice be made in Your sight this day that it may please You; for there is no confusion to those who trust in You, O Lord.

SECRET 

O God, this perfect Sacrifice has replaced the many offerings of the Old Law. Accept it now from Your devout servants and bless it, as You once blessed the offering of Abel, that the individual gift, which each one of us presents in honor of Your name, may bring all of us closer to salvation. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT JOHN GUALBERT

May the offerings we lay upon Your sacred altar, O Lord, bring us closer to our salvation through the intercession of the blessed abbot John. 

Commemoration of SAINTS NABOR AND FELIX
May the prayers of Your holy martyrs Nabor and Felix make the gifts of Your people acceptable to You, O Lord, and may their merits make the offerings that we present in honor of their victory worthy of You. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 30:3

Incline Your ear, make haste to deliver me!

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Lord, let the gentle healing power of Your Sacrament ris us of our evil inclinations and lead us to do good. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT JOHN GUALBERT

May the Sacrament we have received and the prayers of the blessed abbot John protect us, O Lord. Grant also that we may imitate the virtues of this saint who is our intercessor with You in heaven. 

Commemoration of SAINTS NABOR AND FELIX
We are comforted, O Lord, by the grace that has given us Your Sacrament on the birthday of Your saints. Grant that we may also have the grace to enjoy these good things forever. Through our Lord . . .

 

July 11th: Sanctae Mariae Sabbato OUR LADY'S SATURDAY; Commemoration of Saint Pius I, Pope,Martyr (155 A.D.); Saint Oliver Plunket (1681 A.D.) Martyr

    Home from VA Hospital after. 9 days with leg infection and blood clot. Sorry I could not post or update this blog during this time. Glad to be home!

Deacon John

Sanctae Mariae Sabbato

OUR LADY'S SATURDAY 

Commemoration

SAINT PIUS I
Pope and Martyr

SAINT OLIVER PLUNKET

Bishop and Martyr

Introit

Hail, holy Mother, who in childbirth brought forth the King Who rules heaven and earth world without end.
Ps 44:2
My heart overflows with a goodly theme; as I sing my ode to the King.
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.
Hail, holy Mother, who in childbirth brought forth the King Who rules heaven and earth world without end.

Collect
Grant us, Your servants, O Lord God, we beseech You, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body; and by the intercession of glorious and blessed Mary, ever virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake to the full of eternal happiness.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

 
Commemoration of SAINT PIUS I

The Church was greatly troubled by heresies during the pontificate of Pius I. In his steadfast championship of the true faith he was powerfully aided by the Jewish convert, St. Justin Martyr, who was in Rome at that time. Pius I died about A.D. 155. According to some accounts he perished by the sword.

O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Pius I shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. 

Commemoration of SAINT OLIVER PLUNKET
Saint Oliver Plunkett (1st November 1625 - 1st July 1681) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. He maintained his duties in Ireland in the face of English persecution and was eventually arrested and tried for treason in London. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1 July 1681, and became the last Roman Catholic martyr to die in England.

O God, who didst deign to imbue Blessed Oliver, Thy Martyr and Bishop, with wonderful courage of spirit in defending the Catholic faith, grant, through his intercession and example, that we may imitate his steadfastness in faith and feel his protection in danger.

Lesson
Lesson from the book of Ecclesiasticus
Ecclus 24:14-16
Before all ages, in the beginning, He created me, and through all ages I shall not cease to be. In the holy Tent I ministered before Him, and in Sion I fixed my abode. Thus in the chosen city He has given me rest, in Jerusalem is my domain. I have struck root among the glorious people, in the portion of my God, His heritage, and my abode is in the full assembly of Saints.

Gradual
Rejoice, O Virgin Mary; alone you have put an end to all heresies.
V. You who believed the words of the Archangel Gabriel.
V. Still a virgin, you brought forth God and man; and after childbirth you remained an inviolate virgin.
V. O Mother of God, intercede for us.

GOSPEL
Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to Luke
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
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 You, and the breasts that nursed You. But He said, Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.

Offertory
Lk 1:28; 1:42
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Secret
Through Your mercy, O Lord, and by the intercession of blessed Mary, ever virgin, the Mother of Your only-begotten Son, may this offering profit us for prosperity and peace, now and forevermore. Through Christ Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PIUS I

Be appeased, we beseech You, O Lord, by accepting our offerings, and in Your kindness make even our rebellious wills turn to You.

Commemoration of SAINT OLIVER PLUNKET

O most merciful God, bestow Thy blessings on these Thy gifts,  and confirm us in that Faith which blessed Oliver, Thy Martyr and Bishop, proclaimed even unto the shedding of his blood. Through our Lord . . . 

Communion Antiphon
Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the eternal Father. 
  

Post Communion
Having received the aids conducive to our salvation, O Lord, we beseech You, grant that we may everywhere be protected by the patronage of blessed Mary, ever virgin, in veneration of whom we have made these offerings to Your Majesty.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Commemoration of SAINT PIUS I

May the sacrament we have received cleanse us, we beseech You, O Lord, and by its grace protect us.

Commemoration of SAINT OLIVER PLUNKET
May this heavenly Banquet, O Lord, bestow on us the spirit of fortitude, which strengthened blessed Oliver, Thy Martyr and Bishop, to struggle for the honor of Thy Church during his life even until the hour of his triumph. Through our Lord . . .  

THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

     

THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD
OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / RED
This feast was instituted only in 1849, but the devotion is as old as Christianity. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the Sacraments were brought forth through His Blood. The special beauty of this feast is its centering of our attention directly on the Blood of Christ, a short cut to the heart of revelation. In these days we need to think of the Passion of Christ; we do not know how God is going to test us. Devotion to the Precious Blood is a fundamental, sane approach to God. It is hard and painful; it will help us to steel our own hearts against weakness.

INTROIT Apoc. 5:9-10
You have redeemed us, O Lord, with Thy Blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us for our God a kingdom.
Ps. 88:2. The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever; my mouth shall proclaim Your truth through all generations.
V. Glory be . . .

 
GLORIA

COLLECT
O Almighty and Eternal God, You willed that the world should be redeemed and the sins of man atoned for by the shedding of the Blood of Your Only-Begotten Son. May we on this solemn feast pay fitting honor to the Precious Blood that was the price of our salvation; may that Blood defend us against the evils of our present life so that we may enjoy its everlasting fruit in heaven. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Heb. 9:11-15
Brethren: But Christ, being come as high Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hand, that is, not of this creation: Neither by the blood of goats or of calves, but by his own blood, entered once into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of a heifer, being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who by the Holy Ghost offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God? And therefore he is the mediator of the new testament: that by means of his death for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, they that are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

GRADUAL I John 5:5, 7-8
This is He who came in water and in blood, Jesus Christ: not in the water only, but in the water and in the blood.
V. There are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these Three are One. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, and the water, and the Blood; and these three are one.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. John 5:9
If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 19:30-35
At that time, Jesus therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said: "It is consummated." And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost. Then the Jews (because it was the parasceve), that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day (for that was a great sabbath day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken: and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him.
But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side: and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony: and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true: that you also may believe.

 

CREED

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON I Cor. 10:16
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not the sharing of the Blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not the partaking of the Body of the Lord?

SECRET 
May these divine mysteries draw us closer to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant. We renew upon Your altar, O Lord of Hosts, the sprinkling of the Blood of Christ which is far more efficacious than the sacrifice offered by Abel. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Heb. 9:28
Christ was offered once to take away the sins of many; the second time with no part in sin He will appear unto the salvation of those who await Him.

POSTCOMMUNION 
We have been admitted to Your sacred banquet, O Lord, and have joyously refreshed ourselves with the waters from the fountain of our Saviour. May His Blood spring up within us as a saving water for eternal life; who lives and rules with You . . .

COMMEMORATION OF SAINT PAUL Apostle

   

Saint Paul delivering the Areopagus sermon in Athens, by Raphael, 1515.

[Wikipedia.org]
 

COMMEMORATION OF SAINT PAUL

Apostle

III Class/ RED

After his conversion and baptism, Paul embarked on great missionary journeys. He preached in the cities of the Mediterranean to the simple and the learned, both in the east and in the west. He offered the Jews the first chance of listening to the Gospel story, but most of them returned his love with bitter hatred. Then Paul gave himself to the Gentiles. Because of the sufferings he endured in winning his converts, the Apostle of the Nations could well say that he was their Father in Christ. In the persecution of Nero, he was condemned to death by beheading.

INTROIT II Tim. 1:12I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to guard the trust committed to me against that day, for He is a just judge.
Ps. 138:1-2. O Lord, You have proved me and You know me; You know when I sit and when I stand.
V. Glory be . . .

 
GLORIA

COLLECT
O God, You have instructed many nations through the preaching of the blessed apostle Paul. Let the power of his intercession with You help us who venerate his memory this day. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER
O God, You have entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Your blessed apostle Peter and have given him the power of bishop to bind or to loose. May his intercession free us from the slavery of sin; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

EPISTLE Gal. 1:11-20
Brethren: For I give you to understand that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For neither did I receive it of man: nor did I learn it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion: how that, beyond measure, I persecuted the church of God and wasted it. And I made progress in the Jew's religion above many of my equals in my own nation, being more abundantly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased him who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles: immediately I condescended not to flesh and blood. Neither went I to Jerusalem, to the apostles who were before me: but I went into Arabia, and again I returned to Damascus. Then, after three years, I went to Jerusalem to see Peter: and I tarried with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles I saw none, saving James the brother of the Lord. Now the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I lie not.

GRADUAL Gal. 2:8-9; I Cor. 15:10
He who worked in Peter for the apostleship worked in me among the Gentiles, and they recognized the grace of God that was given to me.
V. The grace of God in me has not been fruitless, but His grace remains in me always.

Alleluia, alleluia! V.
O holy apostle Paul, preacher of truth and teacher of the nations, intercede for us. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 10:16-22
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, "Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And you shall be brought before governors, and before kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles: But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak: For it is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son; and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall put them to death. And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 138:17
Your friends are greatly honored by me, O God; their pre-eminence is definitely established.

SECRET 
O Lord, sanctify the offerings of Your people through the intercession of the blessed apostle Paul. The Sacrifice we offer is already acceptable to You because You instituted it; may it become even more pleasing to You through the prayers of Your saint. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER
O Lord, we offer You the prayers and sacrifice of Your Church through the intercession of Your apostle Peter. May this Mass which we celebrate in his honor win pardon for us. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 19:28, 29
Amen I say to you that you who have left all and followed Me, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting.

POSTCOMMUNION 
We who have received Your Sacrament, O Lord, look hopefully for the prayers of Your blessed Paul. May the Sacred Rite that we have celebrated in his honor bring us healing for our own sinfulness. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER
May our offering bring us happiness, O Lord. We praise You for the wondrous things You accomplished through Your apostle Peter and ask for forgiveness through his intercession. Through our Lord . . .

 

El Greco's Saint Paul & Saint Peter