SAINT HILARY (367 A.D.); SAINT FELIX (260 A.D.)

SAINT HILARY
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

SAINT FELIX
Priest and Martyr

DOUBLE / WHITE
Champion of the divinity of Christ, Hilary was born in Gaul of patrician parents about the year 315. The people of Poitiers chose Hilary as their bishop in 353, and he protected his flock against numerous heretical teachings of the period. The charity of Christ taught Bishop Hilary that, while heresy deserves only hatred, the individual heretic has need of loving compassion. By the time he died in 367, he had been instrumental in purging his country of false belief and winning back many of the heretics into the true fold of Christ.



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.
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.
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. 

Mass of a DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, except

COLLECT
O God, may blessed Hilary 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 . . .

Commemoration of SAINT FELIX
Felix of Nola, a priest of Campania during the third century, manifested heroic Christian courage in the service of his bishop, St. Maximus, during the cruel persecution under Emperor Decius.


Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that the example of Your saints may urge us on to a better life, so that we may imitate the deeds of those whose feasts we celebrate.
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.

 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 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.

Gradual
Ps 36:30-31
The mouth of the just man 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.
Eccli 45:9
The Lord loved him and adorned him; He clothed him with a robe of glory. 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.

SECRET
O Lord, let Your blessed bishop and doctor Hilary always help us, and through his intercession accept our offering and pardon our sins. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT FELIX
O Lord, graciously accept the gifts we offer You in honor of Your blessed martyr Felix, and help us find in them unending assistance. Through our Lord . . .

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, may this Sacrifice bring us closer to our salvation through the intercession of Your blessed bishop and illustrious doctor Hilary. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT FELIX
We have been nourished by the Sacrament of salvation, O Lord. May we be aided also by the prayers of Your saint Felix, whom we honor this day. Through our Lord . . .