SAINT SYLVESTER
Pope and Confessor

7th DAY IN THE OCTAVE
OF CHRISTMAS
[The Third Mass of Christmas is said] 

DOUBLE / WHITE
During the pontificate of St. Sylvester, from 314 to 335, the long persecutions in Rome came to an end, and the Church emerged from her hidden existence in the catacombs. The blood of the early martyrs, the seed of Christianity, blossomed into a rich harvest as the Faith spread throughout the Roman Empire. St. Sylvester, the first Pope of Peace, further strengthened the faith by convening the first ecumenical council of Nice and condemning the heresy which taught that Christ was inferior to the Father in the Blessed Trinity.

Mass of a Pope

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

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

The Profession of Faith is said.

SECRET 
We beg Thee, O Lord, through the gifts which we have offered, in Thy kindness enlighten Thy Church, so that everywhere Thy flock may prosper and her Shepherds by Thy guidance be pleasing to Thy name. Through our Lord . . .


The Christmas Preface is said.


POSTCOMMUNION
Appeased by this Sacrifice, O Lord, in which Thou hast nourished Thy Church on heavenly food, do Thou so guide her that She may be steered with a firm hand and, while enjoying more liberty, may persist in wholeness of faith. Through our Lord . . .

The big news of 2009: The Pope welcomes disaffected Anglicans

 I clipped this from Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog http://wdtprs.com/ and I thought you might like to read this. The [red quotes] are from Fr. Z.

Will Oct. 20 be remembered as the day when the Berlin Wall of religious separation began to crumble? [I like that image.]

Ian Hunter

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail 
Last updated on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 2:04AM EST

With year's end fast approaching, columnists and pundits will hold forth on what was the most significant news story of 2009. The story I nominate is unlikely to bulk large in their consideration, unlikely even to be mentioned, but I suggest that the most important story was Pope Benedict XVI's overture to disaffected Anglicans. [Certainly the big story in religion.]

The story really begins a couple of years earlier, when a group of breakaway Anglicans (most had left the church after 1977 over Anglican ordination of female priests) who call themselves the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) petitioned Rome en masse through their primate, Archbishop John Hepworth.

The TAC, whose size is estimated at 300,000 to 500,000 souls worldwide, asked for full communion with Rome without preconditions or demands, while expressing the hope that it might be possible to retain traditional Anglican liturgy and hymnody. Their petition was cordially received at the Vatican, but for many months, there was only silence.

Then, [TA DA!] on Oct. 20, the response of Pope Benedict XVI was a decisive, magnanimous "Yes." The subsequently published Apostolic Constitution (Anglicanorum Coetibus) confirmed that TAC members will be permitted to join collectively and will be allowed to retain the liturgies and traditions "that are precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith." Small wonder that Archbishop Hepworth called the Pope's offer "generous at every turn … very pastoral" and "a beautiful document."

TAC bishops and congregations will consider and vote on the Vatican's offer in a series of national and regional synods to be held early next year.

This means, in practice, that a place will be made within Catholic liturgy for Thomas Cranmer's 1662 Book of Common Prayer – considered by many torival William Shakespeare's plays as the apotheosis of the English language.[Meanwhile, we are still using the lame-duckICEL versions… "O God, you are so big.  Help us to be big like you."]  Also to be welcomed is the rich treasure of Anglican hymnody. All of this is (to paraphrase Hamlet) "a consummation devoutly to be wished," and it was greeted as such by many thoughtful Catholics and Anglicans of my acquaintance.  [As the incoming Anglicans raise the liturgical level, everyone's standard will be shifted upwards.  As the tide rises, all boats rise.]

The immediate benefits are obvious: [1] First, the Catholic Church will be strengthened by an influx (no one can yet say exactly how many) of committed, orthodox Christians. The priests who arrive with them will be men following Christ's instruction to leave everything behind – job security, income, pensions and, in some cases, families – to follow Him. [Do I hear an "Amen!"?]These priests may help to alleviate, to some extent at least, what is in danger of becoming a chronic shortage of Catholic vocations.

Until 2006, I was an Anglican. By the time I left, I had grown sick of hearing colleagues whimper about the growing apostasy within Anglicanism but doing nothing about it. Well, now they can do something. Pope Benedict XVIhas called their bluff. The destination was always there; now, there is a bridge to cross over. [And the Pope is the "great bridge builder".  He unites.  He is the Pope of Christian Unity.] No one need jump; no one need swim. It will be fascinating to see who crosses and who stays put; those who stay put should be heard from no more.  [Do I hear an "Amen!"?]

Yet I also have reservations.

First, I worry that the liberal element within Catholicism, particularly in North America, will do all it can (which could be considerable) to frustrate this welcome initiative. There are some Catholics who would rather move the church in the direction of Anglicanism, even Anglicanism in its death throes, than to see orthodoxy strengthened.  [And they are welcome to leave at any time.]

Second, it is unclear how Rome will reconcile its traditional teaching (e.g. on the invalidity of Anglican orders) with this new initiative. [I think that will be fairly easy to resolve.  Will there really be any Anglican clergy who object to being ordained by a Catholic bishop?]

Finally, it is unclear whether this rapprochement with Anglicanism is only the first step of an initiative to all orthodox Protestants; in other words, [watch this!] is Pope Benedict XVI signalling that the ecumenism of the 21st century is not more pointless dialogue with the decaying husks of old-line Protestantism, but rather a new beginning with any ecclesial community willing to engage with Rome on historic Christendom? [Well said.]

I hope this is so. If it is, then the Pope's Oct. 20 announcement will be remembered as the day when the Berlin Wall of religious separation began to crumble; the wall erected five centuries ago – on Oct. 31, 1517 – when Martin Luther affixed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. If we have lived to see that breach healed, to witness the Christian church finally taking seriously Jesus's prayer that "they may be one, as I and the Father am one," then this is the most important story of 2009.

Ian Hunter is professor emeritus in the faculty of law at the University of Western Ontario.

SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE

OF CHRISTMAS

[Transferred from 12/27/09]

DOUBLE /WHITE

The Father has sent His Son to be the world's Savior. Though almighty king and ruler of the universe, Jesus came in silence and simplicity and obedience. After such an example there can be no excuse for not listening to Him. Everyone must believe Him or reject Him. He is the sign that divides the believers from their contradictors. making the choice and living by it, is part of our Christian adulthood: it is part of the loyalty due to Christ from His adopted brothers. To lead others to this adoption and brotherhood in Christ is the highest form of gratitude we can pay to Jesus.

INTROIT Sap. 18:14-15

While all things were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of her course, Your Almighty Word, O Lord, leapt down from heaven, from Your royal throne. 
Ps. 92:1. The Lord reigns, robed in beauty. The Lord is clothed and girt about with strength.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

O Almighty and Eternal God, direct our actions according to Your holy will, so that, in the name of Your beloved Son, we may lead lives that are marked by good deeds; who lives and rules with You . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

EPISTLE Gal. 4:1-7

Brethren: As long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the father. So we also, when we were children, were serving under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: that he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: "Abba, Father". Therefore, now he is not a servant, but a son. And if a son, an heir also through God.

GRADUAL Ps. 44:3, 2

You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured out upon your lips.
V. My heart overflows with good tidings; I sing my song to the king; my tongue is as nimble as the pen of a skillful scribe.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 92:1

The Lord reigns, robed in beauty. The Lord is clothed with strength, and he has girded himself about with power.

Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 2:33-40

At that time, And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: "Behold this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed."

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser. She was far advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow until fourscore and four years: who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord: and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel.
And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. And the child grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom: and the grace of God was in him.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 92:1-2

God has made the world firm, and it shall not be shaken. Your throne, O God, is prepared from of old; You are from eternity.

SECRET

Grant that the gifts we offer to Your majesty, O Almighty God, may obtain for us the grace of sincere devotion and the reward of a blessed eternity. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of Christmas

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 2:20

Take the Child and His Mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the Child's life are dead.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, may this sacred rite wash away our sins and fulfill our reasonable desires. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket

St. David the King

SAINT THOMAS OF CANTERBURY
Bishop and Martyr

Within the Octave of Christmas

Saint David the King
(Historical)

DOUBLE / RED
Thomas Becket, like "the good shepherd," laid down his life for the flock entrusted to his care. Already chancellor of England at the age of 35, he was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 at the recommendation of Henry II. The king, relying on Thomas' gratitude and friendship, attempted to extend his jurisdiction over ecclesiastical affairs. But the archbishop fearlessly defended the independence of the Church and as a result was punished by banishment. After six years in exile, he returned and was brutally murdered by royal retainers while celebrating Vespers in his own episcopal church on December 29, 1170.

INTROIT
Let us all rejoice in the Lord as we celebrate the feast in honor of the blessed martyr Thomas, at whose martyrdom the angels rejoiced and praised the Son of God.
Ps. 32:1. Rejoice in the Lord, you just; praise befits the upright.
V. Glory be . . .

Gloria

COLLECT
O God, for the cause of the Church the glorious bishop Thomas was slain by the swords of evil men. May all who implore his aid obtain through him the petitions they ask. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

EPISTLE Heb. 5:1-6
Brethren: Every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on them that are ignorant and that err: because he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And therefore he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. Neither doth any man take the honour to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. So Christ also did not glorify himself, that he might be made a high priest: but he that said unto him: "Thou art my Son: this day have I begotten thee." As he saith also in another place: "Thou art a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech."

GRADUAL Eccli. 44:16, 20
Behold a great priest, who pleased God in his life.
V. There was none found like to him, who kept the law of the Most High.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. John 10:14
I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep, and mine know me. Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 10:11-16
At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and flieth: and the wolf casteth and scattereth the sheep, And the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling: and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd: and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice: And there shall be one fold and one shepherd." 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 20:4-5
You have placed on his head a crown of precious stones, O Lord. He asked life of You, and You have given it to him, alleluia!

SECRET
Bless the gifts we have set apart for You, O Lord. may the prayers of Your blessed martyr bishop, Thomas, help these offerings to win Your mercy for us. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

COMMUNION ANTIPHON John 10:14
I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and mine know me.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, may this Communion cleanse us from sin, and bestow on us spiritual health from heaven through the intercession of Your blessed martyr bishop Thomas. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

KING DAVID IN CHRISTIANITY

Originally an earthly king ruling by divine appointment ("the anointed one", as the title Messiah had it), the "son of David" became in the last two pre-Christian centuries the apocalyptic and heavenly who would deliver Israel and usher in a new kingdom. This was the background to the concept of Messiahship in early Christianity, which interpreted the career of Jesus "by means of the titles and functions assigned to David in the mysticism of the Zion cult, in which he served as priest-king and in which he was the mediator between God and man." The early Church believed that "the life of David [foreshadowed] the life of Christ; Bethlehem is the birthplace of both; the shepherd life of David points out Christ, the Good Shepherd; the five stones chosen to slay Goliath are typical of the five wounds; the betrayal by his trusted counsellor, Achitophel, and the passage over the Cedron remind us of Christ's Sacred Passion. Many of the Davidic Psalms, as we learn from the New Testament, are clearly typicalof the future Messias."

In the Middle Ages, "Charlemagne thought of himself, and was viewed by his court scholars, as a 'new David'. [This was] not in itself a new idea, but [one whose] content and significance were greatly enlarged by him." The linking of David to earthly kingship was reflected in later Medieval cathedral windows all over Europe through the device of the Tree of Jesse its branches demonstrating how divine kingship descended from Jesse, through his son David, to Jesus.

Western Rite churches (Roman Catholic, Lutheran) celebrate his feast day on 29 December, Eastern-rite on 19 December. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Church celebrate the feast day of the "Holy Righteous Prophet and King David" on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord), when he is commemorated together with other ancestors of Jesus. He is also commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity, together with Joseph and James, the Brother of the Lord.

HOLY INNOCENTS
Martyrs

Within the Octave of Christmas

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / PURPLE
There is mixed joy and sorrow in the feast of the innocent victims of the first persecution. The Church rejoices at the spiritual victory of the young witnesses to Christ. The purple vestments of the Mass denote the Church's common grief with the mothers of Bethlehem, who saw their babies massacred by the jealousy of Herod.

INTROIT Ps. 8:3
Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, O God, You have fashioned praise because of Your enemies. 
Ps. 8:2. O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Your name over all the earth! 
V. Glory be . . .

The Gloria is not recited today.

COLLECT
O God, the martyred innocents bore witness to You this day not by words but by laying down their lives. Destroy in us the evil of sin, so that our lives may bear witness to our faith in You, which we profess in words. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

EPISTLE Apoc. 14:1-5
In those days, I beheld: and lo a Lamb stood upon mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousand, having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the noise of many waters and as the voice of great thunder. And the voice which I heard was as the voice of harpers, harping on their harps. And they sung as it were a new canticle, before the throne and before the four living creatures and the ancients: and no man could say the canticle, but those hundred forty-four thousand who were purchased from the earth. These are they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth there was found no lie: for they are without spot before the throne of God. 

GRADUAL Ps. 123:7-8
Our soul has been rescued as a bird from the snare of the hunters.
V. The snare has been broken and we are free. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

TRACT Ps. 78:3, 10
They have poured out the blood of the saints like water around Jerusalem. V. And there was no one to bury them.
V. Avenge, O Lord, the blood of Your saints which has been shed upon the earth.

GOSPEL Matt. 2:13-18
At that time, an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: "Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him." Who arose, and took the child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod: That it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: "Out of Egypt have I called my son."
Then Herod perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry: and sending killed all the menchildren that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying: "A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 123:7
Our soul has been rescued as a bird from the snare of the hunters. The snare has been broken and we are free.

SECRET 
O Lord, may Your saints' unfailing prayer of honor render our offerings acceptable to You and obtain Your pardon for us. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 2:18
A voice was heard weeping in Rama, and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are no more.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Lord, may these Gifts, which we have both offered to You and received from You, win for us Your assistance in this life and in the life to come through the prayers of the saints. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of 
the Octave of CHRISTMAS

SAINT JOHN
Apostle and Evangelist

Sunday in the Octave of Christmas

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / WHITE
In the group that Christ chose to be the messengers of God's love for men, St. John is singled out by the Gospel description as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." The great token of that love, the Mother of God, was entrusted to St. John by Christ in His dying moments. The New Testament writings of St. John -- the Fourth Gospel, the Apocalypse, and three epistles -- put into words the divine secret of love which the disciple learned in his intimacy with God and the Mother of God. "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God" (I John 4:7).
Tradition persists that St. John, miraculously preserved from being killed, yet considered a martyr by Catholics, spent a long life forming the infant Church in Asia Minor in the simple and fundamental teaching of Christ, "Little children, love one another."

INTROIT Eccli. 15:5
In the gathering of the Church the Lord opened his mouth and filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and clothed him with a robe of glory. 
Ps. 91:2. It is good to praise the Lord, and to sing to Your name. O Most High! 
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, let the Church be enlightened by the teachings of Your blessed apostle and evangelist John, so that she may enjoy Your everlasting gifts. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

LESSON Eccli. 15:1-6
He that feareth God, will do good: and he that possesseth justice, shall lay hold on her, And she will meet him as an honourable mother, and will receive him as a wife married of a virgin. With the bread of life and understanding, she shall feed him, and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink: and she shall be made strong in him, and he shall not be moved. And she shall hold him fast, and he shall not be confounded: and she shall exalt him among his neighbours. And in the midst of the church she shall open his mouth, and shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and shall clothe him with a robe of glory. She shall heap upon him a treasure of joy and gladness, and shall cause him to inherit an everlasting name.

GRADUAL John 21:23, 19
A Saying went abroad among the brethren, that the disciple was not to die. But Jesus had not said, "He is not to die." 
V. But rather, "So I will have him to remain until I come, do thou follow me."

Alleluia, alleluia! V. John 21:24
This is the disciple who bears witness concerning these things, and we know that his witness is true.
Alleluia!

Gospel John 21:19-24
At that time, Jesus said to Peter: "Follow me." Peter turning about, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned on his breast at supper and said: "Lord, who is he that shall betray thee?" Him therefore when Peter had seen, he saith to Jesus: "Lord, and what shall this man do?" Jesus saith to him: "So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? Follow thou me." This saying therefore went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. And Jesus did not say to him: "He should not die"; but: "So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee?" 
This is that disciple who giveth testimony of these things and hath written these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 91:13
The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.

SECRET 
O Lord, accept the gifts we bring You on the feast of Your saint, through whose intercession we hope to be set free. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

COMMUNION ANTIPHON John 21:23
A saying went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple was not to die. But Jesus had not said, "He is not to die"; but rather, "So I will have him to remain until I come."

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 . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS

SAINT STEPHEN
First Martyr

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / RED
Stephen, the first to give his life for Christ, died, as did his master, praying for his persecutors. Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to preach and care for the poor. Because of the great signs and wonders he worked among the people, he was hailed before the Jewish Sanhedrin and condemned to stoning. St. Stephen's prayer, "Lord, do not lay this sin against them," fulfilled Christ's command to His followers, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you" (Matt. 5:44).


INTROIT Ps. 118:23, 86, 23
Princes met and spoke against me, and the wicked persecuted me. Help me, O Lord my God, because Your servant has followed Your commandments.
Ps. 118:1. Blessed are they who are undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 
V. Glory Be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, we celebrate the birthday of Stephen, who prayed for his persecutors. May we imitate this saint, whom we revere, and learn from him to love even our enemies. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS


EPISTLE Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-60
In those days, Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people. Now there arose some, of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke. Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart: and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." And they, crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and with one accord ran violently upon him. And casting him forth without the city. they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: "Lord, lay not his sin to their charge": And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.

GRADUAL Ps. 118:23, 86; 6:5
Princes met and spoke against me, and the wicked persecuted me. 
V. Help me, O Lord my God! Save me for Your mercy's sake.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Acts 7:56
I see the heavens opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of the power of God.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 23:34-39
At that time, Jesus said to the scribes and pharisees,"Therefore behold I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes: and some of them you will put to death and crucify: and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. That upon you may come all the just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. Amen I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not? Behold, your house shall be left to you, desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see me henceforth till you say: 'Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.' "

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Acts 6:5; 7:59
The Apostles chose Stephen, a Levite, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, whom the Jews stoned while he prayed and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Alleluia!

SECRET 
O Lord, receive our offerings in memory of Your saints; and as they were made glorious by their suffering, may we be made sinless by our devotion. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of CHRISTMAS
 
The Christmas Preface and Communicantes are said


COMMUNION ANTIPHON Acts 7:56, 59, 60
I see the heavens opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of the power of God. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, and lay not this sin against them.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Lord, through the intercession of Your beloved martyr Stephen, may we be aided by the reception of the Blessed Sacrament and rejoice in Your everlasting protection. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the Octave of Christmas

CHRISTMAS DAY
THIRD MASS

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS, WITH OCTAVE / WHITE
After meditating upon the human circumstances of the Savior's birth, we come in this Mass to ponder upon His divinity. He is the eternal Son of God, the creator of all things. In those who accept Christ, His creative power begets supernatural life and calls our fellow men over the earth to be adopted sons and daughters of God. Even the Angels are only His messengers and worshiping creatures.


INTROIT Isa. 9:6
A Child is born to us, and a son is given to us; upon his shoulder is supreme sovereignty, and his name shall be called the Angel of great counsel. 
Ps. 97:1. Sing a new canticle to the Lord, for He has done wondrous things.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Almighty God, free us from the old bondage and yoke of sin by Your only-begotten Son's new birth as man. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Heb. 1:1-12
God, who, at sundry times and in divers manners, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all, in these days, hath spoken to us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. Who being the brightness of his glory and the figure of his substance and upholding all things by the word of his power, making purgation of sins, sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high: Being made so much better than the angels as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels hath he said at any time: "Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten thee?" And again: "I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?" And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith: "And let all the angels of God adore him. And to the angels indeed he saith: "He that maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire." But to the Son: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of justice is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." And: "Thou in the beginning, O Lord, didst found the earth: and the works of thy hands are the heavens. They shall perish: but thou shalt continue: and they shall all grow old as a garment. And as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shalt be changed. But thou art the selfsame: and thy years shall not fail."

GRADUAL Ps. 97:3-4, 2
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Sing joyfully to God, all the earth.
V. The Lord has made His salvation known; in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. 
A blessed day has dawned on us! Come, you nations, and adore the Lord, for this day a great light has descended upon the earth!
Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life: and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light. That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world: and the world was made by him: and the world knew him not. He came unto his own: and his own received him not. But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 88:12, 15
Yours are the heavens and yours is the earth, the world and its fullness you have founded. Justice and judgment are the foundation of your throne.

SECRET 
Bless these gifts we offer You, O Lord, by the new birth of Your only-begotten Son. May they cleanse us from the stain of our sins. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 97:3
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Almighty God, may the Savior of the world, who came upon earth this day to bring us the Gift of supernatural life, bestow on us also the treasure of eternal life; who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

THE VIGIL OF CHRISTMAS

PRIVILEGED VIGIL / PURPLE
All Advent seems concentrated on the Vigil Mass. All the desires and hopes of men point to this night of miraculous birth. "This day . . . the Lord will come." He is to be welcomed as Saviour and King; but also with the awareness that He is our Judge. The Gospel and Epistle are filled with the deep mystery of the divine and human in the Saviour. Both the name that Joseph was to give Him and the vocation of the Apostle Paul, tell us that the Saviour we possess is meant for all nations.

INTROIT Ex. 16:6-7
This day you shall know that the Lord will come and save us; and in the morning you shall see His glory.
Ps. 23:1. The earth and its fullness is the Lord's; the world and all those who dwell therein.
V. Glory be . . .


The Gloria is not said

COLLECT
O God, who each year makes us happy with the anticipation of our redemption, grant that as we now joyfully welcome Your only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, we may also look with confidence on the same Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, when He comes as judge; who lives and rules with You . . .

EPISTLE Rom. 1:1-6
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. Which he had promised before, by his prophets, in the holy scriptures, Concerning his Son, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh, Who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith, in all nations, for his name: Among whom are you also the called of Jesus Christ.

GRADUAL Ex. 16:6, 7; Ps. 79:2-3
This day you shall know that the Lord will come and save us; and in the morning you shall see His glory.
V. Take heed, You who rule Israel, You who are shepherd over Joseph. You who are enthroned above the Cherubim, reveal Yourself to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses.

Alleluia, alleluia! V.
Tomorrow the sinfulness of the earth shall be blotted out, and the Saviour of the world shall rule over us. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 1:18-21
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. 
And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 23:7
Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, O eternal gates, and the king of glory shall enter in.

SECRET
O Almighty God, we eagerly look forward to the adorable birthday of Your Son; grant that we may also receive His everlasting gifts with joy; who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Preface for Weekdays is said

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Isa. 40:5
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all men shall see the salvation of God.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, grant us new life as we celebrate the birthday of Your only-begotten Son, for His heavenly rite is our food and drink. Through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

FERIAL DAY

[Mass from Preceding Sunday]

ST. SERVULUS

Begger 590 A.D.

[Historical]

ST. SERVULUS was a beggar, and had been so afflicted with palsy from his infancy that he was never able to stand, sit upright, lift his hand to his mouth, or turn himself from one side to another. His mother and brother carried him into the porch of St. Clement's church at Rome, where he lived on the alms of those that passed by. He used to entreat devout persons to read the Holy Scriptures to him, which he heard with such attention as to learn them by heart. His time he consecrated by assiduously singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God. After several years thus spent, his distemper having seized his vitals, he felt his end was drawing nigh. In his last moments he desired the poor and pilgrims, who had often shared in his charity to sing sacred hymns and psalms for him. Whilst he joined his voice with theirs, he on a sudden cried out: "Silence; do you not hear the sweet melody and praise which resound in the heavens?" Soon after he spoke these words he expired, and his soul was carried by angels into everlasting bliss, about the year 590.

Mother Cabrini in 1880

SAINT FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI
Virgin

In All Dioceses of the United States

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / WHITE
From childhood Frances Cabrini desired to become a missionary for Christ. After some unsuccessful starts, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Codogna, Italy; and in 1889 at the urging of Pope Leo XIII, she accepted the invitation of New York's Archbishop Corrigan to work among the numerous Italian immigrants of that era. Mother Cabrini founded orphanages, schools, and hospitals all over the United States, and extended her institute to Central and South America, France, Spain, and England. Everywhere her work succeeded only through her unbounded trust in God's providence. Though always in poor health, she traveled constantly, crossing the Atlantic 25 times in spite of a great fear of ocean voyages. A naturalized citizen of the United States, Mother Cabrini died in 1917 in the convent of her great hospital in Chicago, and was canonized in 1946, the first American citizen-saint.

The chapel of the high school in Fort Washington, New York, where her body is enshrined, is a place of pilgrimage.


INTROIT Ps. 72:24
You have held me by my right hand, and guided me by Your counsel, and in the end You have received me in glory. 
Ps. 72:1. How good God is to Israel, to those whose hearts are upright.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, Jesus Christ, You enkindled the fire of Your Sacred Heart in the holy virgin Frances Xavier so that she might win souls for You in many lands, and establish a new religious congregation of women in Your Church. Grant that we too may imitate the virtues of Your Sacred Heart through her intercession, so that we may be worthy of the haven of eternal happiness, who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of the preceding SUNDAY 

EPISTLE I Cor. 1:26-31
Brethren: For see your vocation, brethren, that there are not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the "wise": and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong. And the base things of the world and the things that are contemptible, hath God chosen: and things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his sight. But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and justice and sanctification and redemption: That, as it is written: "He that glorieth may glory in the Lord."

GRADUAL Ps. 17:33-34
God has girded me with strength and made my way sinless. 
V. He has made my feet swift as those of a stag and set me on the heights.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. I Cor. 9:22
I became all things to all men, that I might save all.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 11:25-30
At that time Jesus answered and said: "I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father: for so hath it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to Me by My Father. And no one knoweth the Son but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him. Come to Me all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: And you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is sweet and My burden light."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 72:28
It is good for me to hold fast to God, to put my hope in the Lord God, that I may proclaim all Your praises at the gates of the daughter of Sion.

SECRET 
Accept our offerings in honor of the holy virgin Frances Xavier, O Lord, and grant that we too may imitate the Sacred Heart of Your Son and make ourselves an acceptable sacrifice to You. Through the same Jesus Christ . . .

Commemoration of the preceding Sunday 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 11:28
Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

POSTCOMMUNION 
From the fullness of the Sacred Heart of Your beloved Son, O God, You have bestowed heavenly gifts upon us. Grant that we may follow Saint Frances Xavier's example and seek the glory of Your Son so that we may attain to the rewards of His kingdom; who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Commemoration of the preceding Sunday

SAINT THOMAS
Apostle

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / RED
When Jesus was about to go to Judea where He was in mortal danger from His enemies, intense love for his Master made St. Thomas say, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (John 11:8-16). As Christ said farewell to His disciples on the eve of His Passion, Thomas wanted to know the way to reunion with his Lord. Jesus said to him and to us, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:2-6). After the Resurrection, he sought the reassurance of feeling the wounds of the risen Savior (John 20:24-29). His short-lived but agonized incredulity has served through the centuries to strengthen Christian faith in the Resurrection, and his impulsive exclamation, "My Lord and my God!" is repeated by every Christian at the elevation of the Sacred Host.
According to the martyrology, after Pentecost Thomas preached the Gospel to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, and Hyrcanians, and finally evangelized India, where he was martyred. There is in India today, in the region called Malabar Coast, a Christian community of Syriac Rite which claims that its ancestors were baptized by Thomas himself.

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

COLLECT
O Lord, may we so celebrate the solemn feast of Your apostle Thomas that we may be aided by his prayers to imitate his faith in our lives at all times. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of preceding Sunday

EPISTLE (Eph. 2:19-22)
Brethren: Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners: but you are fellow citizens with the saints and the domestics of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone: In whom all the building, being framed together, groweth up into an holy temple in the Lord. in whom you also are built together into an habitation of God in the Spirit. 

GRADUAL (Ps. 138:17-18)
Your friends are greatly honored, O God; their pre-eminence is definitely established. V. Were I to try to count them, they would be more numerous than the sands.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 32:1.
Rejoice in the Lord, you just; praise befits the upright.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL (John 20:24-29)
At that time, Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them: "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
And after eight days, again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said: "Peace be to you." Then he said to Thomas: "Put in thy finger hither and see my hands. And bring hither the hand and put it into my side. And be not faithless, but believing." Thomas answered and said to him: "My Lord and my God." Jesus saith to him: "Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and have believed."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 18:5)
Their voice has gone forth through all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

SECRET 
We worship You, O Lord, as it is our duty. Guard over the gifts You have bestowed upon us through the prayers of Your blessed apostle Thomas, whose faith we honor by offering You this sacrifice of praise. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the preceding Sunday

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (John 20:27)
Bring here thy hand and feel the place of the nails. and be not unbelieving, but believing.

POSTCOMMUNION 
Be close to us, O merciful God, and through the prayers of Your blessed apostle Thomas,watch over the Gifts You have given us. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the preceding Sunday