SAINT ZEPHYRINUS (217 A.D.); OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA

SAINT ZEPHYRINUS
Pope and Martyr

OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA
[Historical]

SIMPLE/RED
A native of Rome, Zephyrinus was Pope from 199 to 217. During part of his rule, the Church endured the bloody persecution of Emperor Septimus Severus. Pope Zephyrinus rejoiced in the triumphs of the martyrs, but he had much to suffer from current heresies and apostasies. It was his glory that the heretics called this holy Pope the principle defender of Christ's divinity.

Introit
Ps 83:10-11
Behold, O God, our Protector, and look upon the face of Your Anointed. Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.
Ps 83:2-3
How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord.
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.
Behold, O God, our Protector, and look upon the face of Your Anointed. Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.

Mass of a POPE, except

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

Lesson
Lesson from the first letter of St Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
1 Cor. 15:1-10
Brethren: I recall to your minds the Gospel that I preached to you, which also you received, wherein also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold it fast, as I preached it to you - unless you have believed to no purpose. For I delivered to you first of all, what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and after that to the Eleven. Then He was seen by more than five hundred brethren at one time, many of whom are with us still, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by the Apostles. And last of all, as by one born out of due time, He was seen also by me. For I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace in me has not been fruitless.
R. Thanks be to God.

Gradual
Ps 27:7
In God my heart trusts, and I find help; then my heart exults, and with my song I give Him thanks.
V. To You, O Lord, I call; O my God, be not deaf to me; depart not from me. Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps 80:2-3
V. Sing joyfully to God our strength; acclaim the God of Jacob. Take up a pleasant psalm with the harp. Alleluia.

Gospel
 Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to Mark
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
Mark 7:31-37
At that time, Jesus departing from the district of Tyre came by way of Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the district of Decapolis. And they brought to Him one deaf and dumb, and entreated Him to lay His hand upon him. And taking him aside from the crowd, He put His fingers into the man’s ears, and spitting, He sighed, and said to him, Ephpheta, that is, Be opened. And his ears were at once opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak correctly. And He charged them to tell no one. But the more He charged them, so much the more did they continue to publish it. And so much the more did they wonder, saying, He has done all things well. He has made both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.
R. Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
S. By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted out.  

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 . . .

English: The Black Madonna of Czestochowa Polski: Ikona Matki Boskiej z Jasnej Góry w Częstochowie zwana Czarną Madonną (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Feast Day: August 26 - Our Lady of Czestochowa

History:

The origin of this miraculous image in Czestochowa, according to tradition, the painting was a portrait of Our Lady done by St. John sometime after the Crucifixion of Our Lord and remained in the Holy Land until discovered by St. Helena of the Cross in the fourth century. The painting was taken to Constantinople, where St. Helena's son, the Emperor Constantine, erected a church for its enthronement.  During the siege by the Saracens, the invaders became frightened when the people carried the picture in a procession around the city; the infidels fled. Later, the image was threatened with burning by an evil emperor, who had a wife, Irene, who saved it and hid it from harm. The image was in that city for 500 years, until it became part of some dowries, eventually being taken to Russia to a region that later became Poland.

After the portrait became the possession of the Polish prince, St. Ladislaus in the 15th century, it was installed in his castle. Tartar invaders besieged the castle and an enemy arrow pierced Our Lady's image, inflicting a scar. Interestingly, repeated attempts to fix the image, artistically have all failed.

Tradition says that St. Ladislaus determined to save the image from repeated invasions, so he went to his birthplace, Opala, stopping for rest in Częstochowa; the image was brought nearby to Jasna Góra (bright hill")and placed in a small wooden church named for the Assumption. The following morning, after the picture was carefully placed in the wagon, the horses refused to move. St. Ladislaus understood this to be a sign from Heaven that the image should stay in Częstochowa; thus he replaced the painting in the Church of the Assumption, August 26, 1382, a day still observed as the Feast Day. The Saint wished to have the holiest of men guard the painting, so he assigned the church and the monastery to the Pauline Fathers, who have devoutly protected the image for the last six hundred years.

Having survived two attacks upon it, Our Lady's image was next in peril by the Hussites. The Hussites successfully stormed the Pauline monastery in 1430, plundering the sanctuary. Among the items stolen was the image. After putting it in their wagon, the Hussites went a little ways but then the horses refused to go any further. Recalling the former incident that was so similar, the heretics threw the portrait down to the ground, which shattered the image into three pieces. One of the plunderers drew his sword and slashed the image twice, causing two deep gashes; while attempting a third gash, he was overcome with a writhing agony and died.

The two slashes on the cheek of the Blessed Virgin, together with the one on the throat, have always reappeared after artistic attempts to fix them. The portrait again faced danger in 1655 by a Swedish horde of 12,000, which confronted the 300 men guarding the image. The band of 300 routed the 12,000 and the following year, the Holy Virgin was acclaimed Queen of Poland.

Prayer

(to be said each day upon rising)

HOLY MOTHER of Czestochowa, Thou art full of grace,
goodness and mercy. I consecrate to Thee all my thoughts,
words and actions----my soul and body. I beseech Thy
blessings and especially prayers for my salvation.
Today, I consecrate myself to Thee, Good Mother, totally
 ----with body and soul amid joy and sufferings to obtain
for myself and others Thy blessings on this earth and
eternal life in Heaven. Amen.

Imprimatur: Cardinal O' Boyle, Washington, DC