Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Vigil of Saint John the Baptist

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

VIGIL OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

DOUBLE / GREEN
INTROIT Ps. 26:7-9
Hear, O Lord, my voice with which I have cried to Thee, be Thou my helper, forsake me not, do not Thou despise me, O God, my Savior.
Ps. 26:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
V. Glory be . . .
 
COLLECT
O God, who hast prepared for them that love Thee such good things as pass understanding, pour into our hearts such love towards Thee, that we, loving Thee in all things and above all things, may obtain Thy promises which exceed all that we can desire. Through our Lord . . .



Commemoration of VIGIL OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
The important feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is preceded by a vigil. An angel announced to the saint's father Zachary, a priest of the house of Aaron, that the child should be called John and that many would rejoice in his birth. God had chosen John to be the herald of mankind's Redeemer, the morning star to usher in the daylight of justice and of truth. Therefore he was sanctified in his mother's womb, when Elizabeth was honored by a visit from the Virgin Mother of God, carrying Christ in her body. In like manner, Jesus today gives sanctifying joy to the missionary precursors whom He calls to go before Him into pagan lands.

May Your servants walk in the path of salvation, O Almighty God. May they follow the exhortation of blessed John, the precursor of Jesus Christ and herald of His coming, so that by doing so they may come safely to Your Son our Lord; who lives and rules with You . . .
 

EPISTLE I Peter 3:8-15
Dearly beloved: Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble: Not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing: for unto this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing. For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him decline from evil and do good: Let him seek after peace and pursue it: Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto their prayers but the countenance of the Lord upon them that do evil things. And who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good? But if also you suffer any thing for justice' sake, blessed are ye. And be not afraid of their fear: and be not troubled. But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you.
 
GRADUAL Ps. 86:10, 9
Behold, O God our protector, and look on Thy servants. 
V. O Lord God of hosts, give ear to the prayers of Thy servants.
 
Alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 20:1
In Thy strength, O Lord, the king shall joy, and in Thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly. Alleluia!
 
GOSPEL Matt. 5:20-24
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "Unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to them of old: 'Thou shalt not kill.' And whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee; Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift."
 
OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 15:7, 8
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me understanding. I set God always in my sight; for He is at my right hand, that I be not moved.
 
SECRET
Be merciful, O Lord, to our humble pleading, and favorably receive these offerings of Thy servants and handmaidens, that what each of us has offered to the honor of Thy Name, may profit us all unto salvation. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of VIGIL OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
Bless these gifts we offer You, O Lord. May they cleanse us from the stain of our sins by the intercession of blessed John the Baptist. Through our Lord . . .
 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 26:4
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
 
POSTCOMMUNION
Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that we whom Thou hast fed with the heavenly Gift, may be cleansed from our hidden sins and delivered from the snares of our enemies. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of VIGIL OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
O Lord, may the powerful intercession of blessed John the Baptist be ours, so that it may obtain for us the mercy of Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, whom John foretold would come; who lives and rules with You . . .
 

Saint Silverius

SAINT SILVERIUS
Pope and Martyr

SIMPLE / RED
This brave shepherd of Christ's sheepfold was only a subdeacon when he was elevated to the Roman See. He incurred the unrelenting hatred of the forceful Empress Theodora by refusing to restore to the see of Constantinople the heretical Bishop Anthimos. Pope Silverius was aware that his courageous decision would cost him his life. The Empress had him condemned to banishment on a false charge of high treason. He died in A.D. 537 on an islet off Naples, either of privation or by actual murder.

Mass of a POPE, with commemoration of preceding Sunday

COLLECT
O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Silverius 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 . . .

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 . . .

Third Sunday after Pentecost, Within the Octave

 

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

WITHIN THE OCTAVE

OF THE SACRED HEART




[Commemoration]

SAINTS PRIMUS AND FELICIAN

Martyrs

Jesus, the pursuing shepherd of souls, follows and sustains each person in his worst battles with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Even when, ignoring Christ's presence and rejecting His grace, a man chooses to sin, Jesus does not abandon the sinner but gives him the graces of sorrow and of confidence in God's forgiveness. Following Christ's example, the Pope continues to shepherd souls by making himself the "servant of the servants of God."

DOUBLE / WHITE
INTROIT Ps. 24:16, 18 Look upon me, O Lord, and have pity on me, for I am alone and desolate. See my poverty and my pain, and pardon all my sins, O my God.
Ps. 24:1-2. I have lifted up my soul to You, O Lord, in You I place my trust, O my God. Let me not be put to shame. 
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O God, You are the protector of all who trust in You, and without You nothing is strong, nothing is holy. Be even more merciful towards us, and rule and guide us that we may use the good things of this life in such a way as not to lose the blessings of eternal life. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINTS PRIMUS AND FELICIAN
The aged Primus and Felician were Roman citizens and blood brothers who suffered martyrdom under Emperor Diocletian. By their death they entered into a more perfect union than that of human kinship, becoming for all eternity glorified members of the Mystical Body of Christ.

May we always be worthy to celebrate the feast of Your holy martyrs, Primus and Felician, O Lord, so that through their intercession we may be sheltered under Your gracious protection. Through our Lord . . .
 
 
EPISTLE I Peter 5:6-11
Beloved: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

GRADUAL Ps. 54:23, 17, 19
Cast your care upon the Lord and He will support you. 
V. When I called upon the Lord, He heard my voice and delivered me from those who war against me. 

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 7:12
God is a just judge, strong and patient. Shall He be angry all the time? Alleluia! 

GOSPEL Luke 15:1-10
At that time, the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 
"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 9:11-12, 13
Let those trust in You who cherish Your name, O Lord, for You do not forsake those who seek you. Sing praise to the Lord, enthroned in Sion, for He has not forgotten the cry of the poor.
 
SECRET
 O Lord, look with favor upon the offerings of Your Church as she prays to You. Bless these gifts, that the faithful who receive them may attain salvation. Through our Lord . . .



Commemoration of SAINTS PRIMUS AND FELICIAN
We consecrate this Sacrifice to You, O Lord, in memory of Your glorious martyrs. May our offering make amends for our sins, that we may be forgiven and that the prayers of Your servants may be pleasing to You. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Luke 15:10
I say to you, there will be joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, let the reception of Your Holy Sacrament bring us to life, atone for our sins, and prepare us to receive Your unfailing mercy. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINTS PRIMUS AND FELICIAN
We ask, Almighty God, that the celebration of this heavenly Sacrifice on the feast of Your martyrs Primus and Felician, may bring us Your merciful pardon. Through our Lord . . . 

Octave Day of Corpus Christi, Saint Norbert

OCTAVE DAY OF CORPUS CHRISTI

 

Saint Norbert
Marten Pepijn
1637

[Commemoration]

SAINT NORBERT 

Bishop and Confessor

 

DOUBLE / WHITE
Norbert was born in the Rhineland, about 1080, and educated at the imperial court. In 1115 a narrow escape from death turned him wholly to God. He took Holy Orders, gave all his possessions to the poor, and journeyed about the Rhineland as an itinerant preacher. Later, guided by the Holy Spirit, he founded near Soissons the Premonstratensian Order, which soon spread over Western Europe. The canons regular of this institute fostered devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and intensified Christian life among the faithful and the clergy.

Mass of  CORPUS CHRISTI

Commemoration:
You made Your blessed confessor Bishop Norbert a great preacher of the Gospel, O God, and through him founded a new religious congregation in Your Church. May his merits and prayers win Your help for us so that we may follow his teaching and example. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration:
O Lord, may Your Saints everywhere be a source of joy for us, and may we feel the power of their intercession with You as we solemnly recall the deeds of their lives. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration
O Almighty God, may the expression of our gratitude to You for all Your gifts bring us even greater benefits, through the intercession of Your blessed Confessor Bishop Norbert. Through our Lord . . .

 

Saint Francis Caracciolo, Within the Octave of Corpus Christi

SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO 

Confessor

WITHIN THE OCTAVE

DOUBLE / WHITE  Three things made Francis of Caracciolo stand out from his wealthy Neapolitan friends: he was powerfully drawn to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, he fasted every Saturday in honor of the Virgin Mary, and he had a generous love for the poor. When he was seriously ill at the age of twenty-two, he vowed that if he were cured he would devote himself to the service of God and his fellow men. He became a priest and was the founder of the order of Minor Clerks Regular. Francis instituted perpetual adoration as one of the works of his order. He died in A.D. 1608.

INTROIT Ps. 21:15; 68:10
My heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels, for the zeal of Thy house hath eaten me up.
 Ps. 72:1. How good is God to Israel, to them that are of a right heart.
 V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O God, who didst adorn blessed Francis, the founder of a new Order, with zeal for prayer and love of penance, grant that Thy servants may make such progress by imitating him, that through constancy in prayer and bodily mortification they may deserve to attain heavenly glory. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON Wisd. 4:7-14
The just man, if he be prevented with death, shall be in rest. For venerable old age is not that of long time, nor counted by the number of years: but the understanding of a man is grey hairs. And a spotless life is old age. He pleased God, and was beloved, and living among sinners, he was translated. He was taken away, lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of vanity obscureth good things, and the wandering of concupiscence overturneth the innocent mind. Being made perfect in a short space, he fulfilled a long time. For his soul pleased God: therefore he hastened to bring him out of the midst of iniquities.

GRADUAL Ps. 41:1, 2, 3
As the hart panteth after the fountains of waters, so my soul panteth after Thee, O God.V. My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God.

Alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 72:26
My flesh and my heart hath fainted away, Thou art the God of my heart and the God that is my portion forever. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 12:35-40
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, "Let your loins be girt and lamps burning in your hands. 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. 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. And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants. 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. Be you then also ready: for at what hour you think not the Son of man will come."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 91:13
The just man shall flourish like the palm-tree, he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus.

SECRET
O Most merciful Jesus, grant that as we commemorate the glorious merits of blessed Francis, on fire with love like him we amy be worthy to gather around Thy holy table; who livest and reignest . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 30:20
O how great is the multitude of Thy sweetness, O Lord, which Thou hast hidden for them that fear Thee!

POSTCOMMUNION
We beseech Thee, Lord, let our minds ever retain the joyous memory and fruit of this most holy Sacrifice which we have offered to Thy Majesty on today's solemnity of blessed Francis. Through our Lord . . .

Second Sunday After Pentecost, Saints Marcellinus and Companions

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

WITHIN THE OCTAVE

[Commemoration]

SAINTS MARCELLINUS, PETER, 

AND ERASMUS

Martyrs

DOUBLE / GREEN

When Jesus said, "To him who strikes thee on the one cheek, offer the other also" (Luke 6:29), it was a way of telling anyone worthy of the name of Christian that he must be ready to be imposed upon. It is a hard saying, but inescapable. Meekness is essential to thoroughgoing charity. When Jesus, the all-holy God, gave His very life for the world's sinners -- and that means all human beings -- He gave the supreme example of willingness to suffer imposition. After that, there can be no complaint on our part. 

INTROIT Ps. 17:19-20
The Lord came to my protection, and He led me out into freedom; He saved me, because He loves me.
Ps. 17:2-3. I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my support, my refuge, and my Deliverer.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

O  Lord, grant that we may always have a reverential fear and love of Your holy name, for those who are firmly founded in Your love will ever be guided and governed by Your grace. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINTS MARCELLINUS, PETER, AND ERASMUS

Marcellinus and Peter were Roman citizens, martyred during the reign of Diocletian about the year A.D. 303. Both were in the service of Christ and His Church: Marcellinus was a priest and Peter an exorcist. At the same period Erasmus, or Elmo, Bishop of Formiae in Campania, gave his life for His Master. St. Elmo was widely venerated during the Middle Ages as patron of sailors, and as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers in time of need.

O God, who dost gladden us by the yearly festival of Thy holy Martyrs Marcellinus, Peter and Erasmus, grant, we beseech Thee, that, as we rejoice in their merits, so our fervor may be kindled by their example. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE  I John 3:13-18
Beloved: Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

GRADUAL Ps. 119:1-2
In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me.
V. O Lord, deliver me from lying lips and from a treacherous tongue.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 7:2
O Lord, my God, in You have I placed my trust; save me from all my persecutors, and rescue me. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 14:16-24
At that time, Jesus spoke to the Pharisees this parable: "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.' "

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 6:5
Turn to me, O Lord, and save my life; in Your mercy rescue me.

SECRET 
O Lord, may this Sacrifice, which we are about to offer in Your name, cleanse us from sin and bring us each day closer to the realization of a heavenly life. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINTS MARCELLINUS, PETER, AND ERASMUS

May this Sacrifice, O Lord, which we offer in remembrance of the birthdays of Your Saints, free us from the slavery of sin and win us Your mercy. Through our Lord . . .

 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 12:6
I will sing to the Lord, who has given me all good; I will sing to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O Lord, may we, who have received Your Gifts, be brought closer to our salvation by each performance of this sacred rite. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINTS MARCELLINUS, PETER, AND ERASMUS

Nourished by Your sacred gift, O Lord, we humbly ask that through this worship we may receive an increase of Your saving grace. Through our Lord . . .