SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; Saints Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SAINTS NAZARIUS AND CELSUS 
Martyrs

SAINTS VICTOR I AND INNOCENT I 
Popes

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 . . .

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 SAINTS Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent 
Nazarius, an ardent Christian of the first century, left his native city of Rome to preach the Faith to pagans in many Italian towns and villages. He took with him on his missionary journeys a young co-apostle by the name of Celsus. Both of these missionary pioneers died for Christ at Milan, about A.D. 68.
Pope Victor I, born in Africa, was martyred under Septimus Severus, A.D. 198. Pope Innocent I was a contemporary of St. Jerome, who urged Christians to keep the faith of Pope Innocent and to "receive no other doctrine, however wise and attractive it may appear." Pope Innocent died A.D. 417.


Defend us, O Lord, through the blessed martyrdom of Your saints Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent, and may their merits support us in our weakness. 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."

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 SAINTS Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent
Let Your wrath be appeased, Almighty God, by the gifts we offer You in honor of Your saints Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent, and grant us new life through these offerings as we receive them back from You. Through our Lord . . . 


COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 30:3
Incline Your ear, make haste to deliver me!

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
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 SAINTS Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent
May the prayers of Your saints Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent, win forgiveness for us, O Lord. Grant that the Sacrifice we offer in this life may be our everlasting possession in the life to come. Through our Lord . . .

Saint Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary

SAINT ANNE
Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / WHITE
Anne and Joachim, her husband, were both of the royal house of David. They served God continually in prayer and good works, but were looked down upon by the Jews because they were childless. At length God gave them a daughter, who was to become the mother of His own divine son. Because St. Anne devoted herself ceaselessly to educating her child in innocence and sanctity, she is patron of all Christian mothers. St. Paul says that it is by a holy exercise of their parenthood that parents are to be saved (Col. 3:18-21).

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

COLLECT
O God, You conferred upon holy Anne the grace to bear the Mother of Your only-begotten Son; help us through the prayers of this holy woman as we celebrate her feast. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

LESSON Prov. 31:10-31
Who shall find a valiant woman? far, and from the uttermost coasts is the price of her. The heart of her husband trusteth in her, and he shall have no need of spoils. She will render him good, and not evil all the days of her life. She hath sought wool and flax, and hath wrought by the counsel of her hands. She is like the merchant's ship, she bringeth her bread from afar. And she hath risen in the night, and given a prey to her household, and victuals to her maidens. She hath considered a field, and bought it: with the fruit of her hands she hath planted a vineyard. She hath girded her loins with strength, and hath strengthened her arm. She hath tasted, and seen that her traffic is good: her lamp shall not be put out in the night. She hath put out her hand to strong things, and her fingers have taken hold of the spindle. She hath opened her hand to the needy, and stretched out her hands to the poor. She shall not fear for her house in the cold of snow: for all her domestics are clothed with double garments. She hath made for herself clothing of tapestry: fine linen, and purple, is her covering. Her husband is honourable in the gates, when he sitteth among the senators of the land. She made fine linen, and sold it, and delivered a girdle to the Chanaanite. Strength and beauty are her clothing, and she shall laugh in the latter day. She hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on her tongue. She hath looked well on the paths of her house, and hath not eaten her bread idle. Her children rose up, and called her blessed: her husband, and he praised her. Many daughters have gathered together riches: thou hast surpassed them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: the woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her works praise her in the gates.

GRADUAL Ps.44:8
You loved justice and hated wickedness.
V. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 44:3
Grace is poured out upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 13:44-52
At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to His disciples, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. Which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking good pearls. Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went his way, and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all kinds of fishes. Which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth. So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have ye understood all these things?" They say to him: "Yes." He said unto them: "Therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like to a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 44:10
The daughters of the king wish to be held in honor by you. The Queen stood at your right hand, clad in robes of gold and many colors.

SECRET
Look with favor upon these offerings, O Lord, so that they may be an aid to our devotion and to our salvation through the intercession of blessed Anne, mother of Mary who bore Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 44:3
Grace is poured out upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever and for all ages.

POSTCOMMUNION
We are given new life through Your Divine Sacraments, O Lord our God. Grant us eternal salvation through the intercession of blessed Anne, whom You chose to bear the Mother of Your Son. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

Saints Anne & Joachim (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; SAINT LAURENCE OF BRINDISI (1619 A.D.)

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SAINT LAURENCE OF BRINDISI

Confessor, Doctor of the Church

DOUBLE/GREEN
Baptism and the Eucharist are the great sources of all Christian life. As the priest makes a thanksgiving after each Mass, and as the communicant makes a thanksgiving after each reception of Christ's Body, so every day of living as a Christian ought to include a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of Baptism. A baptismal day is more important than a birthday; for the Sacrament of  Baptism gives a share in the divine life, as well as membership in Christ and a pledge of eternal life.

INTROIT Ps. 27:8-9
The Lord is the strength of His people, and the assurance of the salvation of His anointed. Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance, and guide them forever.
Ps. 27:1. I cry to You, O Lord my God; do not be deaf to me, lest if You heed me not, I become like those who go down into the pit.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Mighty God, author of every good thing, implant in our hearts a deep love of Your name. Increase in us the true spirit of devotion and sincere virtue so that we may be supported by You and protected by Your loving care. Through our Lord . . .

 Commemoration of SAINT LAURENCE  
Laurence of Brindisi, a Capuchin friar who for some years ruled his whole Order, acquired great fame for learning and eloquence, and labored with remarkable success in most parts of Europe preaching to Catholics, to Protestants, and to Jews. When 80,000 Turks invaded Hungary in 1605, he it was who inspired the united Christian armies of 18,000 men to the attack and himself led them to complete victory riding before them bearing a large cross. He died in Lisbon in 1611.

O God, who didst confer upon Thy Confessor and Doctor, blessed Laurence, a spirit of wisdom and fortitude in hard labors for the glory of Thy name and for the salvation of souls, grant us in the same spirit both to perceive where our duty lies, and to accomplish it through his intercession. Through our Lord . . . 


EPISTLE Rom. 6:3-11
Brethren: Know you not that all we who are baptized in Christ Jesus are baptized in his death? For we are buried together with him by baptism into death: that, as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may serve sin no longer. For he that is dead is justified from sin. Now, if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ. Knowing that Christ, rising again from the dead, dieth now no more. Death shall no more have dominion over him. For in that he died to sin, he died once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

GRADUAL Ps. 89:13, 1
Turn a little, O Lord, and be moved by the entreaties for Your servants.
V. O Lord, You have been our refuge through all generations.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 30:2-3
I have hoped in You, let me never be put to shame. In Your justice rescue me and set me free. Incline Your ear to me; make haste to deliver me. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Mark 8:1-9
In those days again, when there was great multitude and they had nothing to eat; calling his disciples together, he saith to them: "I have compassion on the multitude, for behold they have now been with me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I shall send them away fasting to their home, they will faint in the way: for some of them came from afar off." And his disciples answered him: "From whence can any one fill them here with bread in the wilderness?" And he asked them: "How many loaves have ye?" Who said: "Seven."
And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke and gave to his disciples for to set before them. And they set them before the people. And they had a few little fishes: and he blessed them and commanded them to be set before them. And they did eat and were filled: and they took up that which was left of the fragments, seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand. And he sent them away.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 16:5, 6-7
Keep my steps steadfast in Your paths, that my feet may not falter. Incline Your ear and hear my words. Show Your wondrous kindness, O Saviour of those who trust in You, O Lord.

SECRET
Let our prayers win peace for Your people, O Lord, so that their offerings may be pleasing in Your sight. Grant us the requests we confidently make of You, so that it cannot be said that anyone hopes or calls upon You in vain. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of SAINT LAURENCE
May the holy prayer of St. Laurence, Thy Confessor and Doctor, fail us not, O Lord; may it render our offerings acceptable, and ever obtain for us Thy pardon. Through our Lord . . .
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 26:6
I will draw near and joyfully offer a sacrifice in His tabernacle; I will sing and chant a psalm to the Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION
We have been filled with Your gifts, O Lord; grant, we beseech You, that we may be cleansed and strengthened by their effect.
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.
R. Amen.

Commemoration of SAINT LAURENCE
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that blessed Laurence, Thy Confessor and illustrious Doctor may join his prayers to ours that this Thy sacrifice may bring us salvation. Through our Lord . . .

Saint Vincent de Paul (1660 A.D.); Saint Arsenius (449 A.D.)

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL 
Confessor

Saint Arsenius the Great

[Historical]

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

Mass of a CONFESSOR OF THE FAITH, except


Introit
Ps 91:13-14
The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow: planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
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.
The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow: planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.

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



Lesson
Lesson from the first letter of St Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
1 Cor. 4:9-14
Brethren: We have been made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, but we are without honor! To this very hour we hunger and thirst, and we are naked and buffeted, and have no fixed abode. And we toil, working with our own hands. We are reviled and we bless, we are persecuted and we bear with it, we are maligned and we entreat, we have become as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all, even until now! I write these things not to put you to shame, but to admonish you as my dearest children, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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.
Ps 111:1
Happy the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Luke 10:1-9 
At that time, the Lord appointed also other seventy-two. And he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come. And he said to them: "The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send labourers into his harvest. Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall return to you. And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house. And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick that are therein and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."

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

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

St. Arsenius the Great

(354-450 A.D.)

Confessor and hermit on the Nile. Arsenius, who was born in Rome in 354, was the tutor of the children of Emperors Theodosius I the Great, Arcadius, and Honorius. At that time, Arsenius was a Roman deacon recommended for the office by Pope St. Damasus. lie served at Theodosius' court in Constantinople for about ten years and then became a monk in Alexandria, Egypt. Inheriting a fortune from a relative, Arsenius studied with St. John the Dwarf and became a hermit in the desert of Egypt. In 434, he left Skete and went to the rock of Troe, near Memphis, Egypt, and to the island of Canopus near Alexandria. He died at Troe. Arsenius is sometimes called "the Roman" or "the Deacon."

from Wikipedia

Saint Arsenius the Deacon, sometimes known as Arsenius of Scetis and Turah, Arsenius the Roman or Arsenius the Great, was a Roman imperial tutor who became an anchorite in Egypt, one of the most highly regarded of the Desert Fathers, whose teachings were greatly influential on the development of asceticism and the contemplative life.
His contemporaries so admired him as to surname him "the Great". His feast day is celebrated on May 8 in the Eastern Orthodox church,^[1] on 13 Pashons in the Coptic Orthodox Church, and on July 19 in the Roman Catholic Church.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; SAINT BONAVENTURE Bishop and Doctor of the Church (1274 A.D.)

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

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 / GREEN
Mercy is easy for those who love, since love begets understanding. And where there is understanding of motives and of the forces of temptation, a person is slow to condemn or rebuke anyone of any race. "In the treasures of wisdom is understanding" (Eccli. 1:26). Besides, to know oneself is to know how hard it is to change, how easily feelings blind one's thinking, how ready a person is to defend himself and to claim exceptions for his own benefit. From such truth and humility spring compassion, forgiveness, and considerate speech.

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 SAINT BONAVENTURE
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.

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 . . . 

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 SAINT BONAVENTURE
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 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 SAINT BONAVENTURE
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 John Gualbert (1073 A.D.); Saints Nabor and Felix (303 A.D.); Saint Veronica of the Veil

 
Saints Nabor & Felix

SAINT JOHN GUALBERT
Abbot

SAINTS NABOR AND FELIX
Martyrs

[SAINT VERONICA OF THE VEIL]
(1st. C.) (Historical) 

DOUBLE / WHITE

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.

Mass of an ABBOT, except
COLLECT 
Let the blessed Abbot John intercede for us, O Lord. may his prayers win us Your help, since our own actions cannot merit it. Through our Lord . . .

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 . . .

Lesson
Lesson from the book of Ecclesiasticus
Ecclus 45:1-6
Beloved of God and men, whose memory is held in benediction. He made him like the Saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words He made prodigies to cease. He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him Commandments in the sight of his people, and revealed to him His glory. He sanctified him in his faith and meekness and chose him out of all flesh. For He heard him and his voice, and brought him into a cloud. And, face to face, He gave him the Commandments, the law of life and understanding.
R. Thanks be to God.

Gradual
Ps 20:4-5
O Lord, You welcomed him with goodly blessings, You placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
V. He asked life of You: You gave him length of days forever and ever. Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps 91:13
V. The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow. Alleluia. 

GOSPEL Matt. 5:43-48
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, "You have heard that it hath been said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this? Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect." 

SECRET
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. Through our Lord . . .

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 . . .

POSTCOMMUNION 
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. Through our Lord . . .

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 . . .



Saint Veronica of the Veil

 [Wikipedia.org image]

There are no historical records of Veronica Patron Saint of photographers and laundry workers

The woman of Jerusalem who is said to have been so moved by the suffering of Jesus as He carried His cross to Calvary that she rushed to wipe His face was actually named Bernice. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the 'Veronica' is a colloquial of the Latin word 'Vera' meaning 'truth' and Greek word 'Icon' meaning 'image. The name 'Veronica' --which most refer to as 'Saint Veronica'--actually pertains to the 'Veil of Veronica'. It is the veil which Bernice is said to have removed from her person and used to wipe the face of the suffering Jesus.

Although the Legend of St. Veronica is one of the most popular in Christian lore and the veil is one of the most beloved relics of the Catholic Church there is no record when or where St. Veronica was born.

According to Tradition, when St. Veronica (Bernice) saw Jesus fall beneath the weight of the cross He carried to his pending crucifixion, she was so moved with pity she pushed through the crowd past the Roman Soldiers to reach Jesus. She used her veil to wipe the blood and sweat from His face. The soldiers forced her away from Jesus even as He peered at her with gratitude. She bundled her veil and did not look at it again until she returned home. When she finally unfolded the veil--history does not clarify exactly what kind of material the veil was made from--it was imprinted with an image of Christ's face.

Some stories have alluded to St. Veronica being present at the beheading of St. John the Baptist. Others claim Veronica (Bernice) was a woman whom Jesus cured from a blood issue before His arrest in Jerusalem.

There is no reference to the biography of St. Veronica in the canonical Gospels. Her act of kindness and charity is represented in the Sixth of the Fourteen Stations of the Cross.

St. Veronica is believed to be buried in the tomb in Soulac or in the church of St. Seurin at Bordeaux, France. Her veil (the Veronica) is kept at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican at Rome.

The symbol of Saint Veronica is the veil bearing the face of Christ and the Crown of Thorns. Her feast day is July 12th.

Saint Pius I (155 A.D.); Saint Oliver Plunket (1681 A.D.) Martyr

SAINT PIUS I
Pope and Martyr

SAINT OLIVER PLUNKET

Bishop and Martyr

SIMPLE / RED
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.

Mass of a POPE

COLLECT
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. Through our Lord . . .

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. Through our Lord . . .  



Lesson

1 Peter 5:1-4; 10-11 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

Brethren: The ancients therefore that are among you, I beseech, who am myself also an ancient, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ: as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to come:

² Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre's sake, but voluntarily:

³ Neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart.

⁴ And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.

¹⁰ But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you.

¹¹ To him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen.

Gradual
Ps. 106:32, 31 .
Let them extol him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. V. Let them praise the Lord for his mercies and for his wonderous deeds to the children of men.

Alleluia, alleluia Matt. 16:18 V. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church. Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 16:13-19 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

¹³ And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?

¹⁴ But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

¹⁵ Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.

¹⁷ And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.

¹⁸ And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

¹⁹ And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also 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 . . .

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 HYMN Matt. 16:18
Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.

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 . . .


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 . . .