Saint Giles (724 A.D.); Twelve Holy Brothers; Saint Anna the Prophetess

 

Saint Giles

Martyrdom

SAINT GILES

Abbot



TWELVE HOLY BROTHERS

Martyrs

 

SAINT ANNA THE PROPHETESS

[Historical]

SIMPLE / WHITE
Tradition tells us that in the seventh century the Athenian Giles left his native Greece for a rough hermitage in far-distant Gaul. Hunters of a local ruler accidentally wounded Giles as he was shielding a fleeing deer. The ruler, Flavius said to him, "This must be the holy Giles! Come out of your hermitage, servant of God, and teach my Franks about heaven. They need you more than this forest does." Flavius built a monastery on the site of the hermitage; and under Giles' leadership it became a center of civilization and Christianity for all that sector of Gaul.

Mass of an 
ABBOT, except

INTROIT Ps. 36, 30, 31.

The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart.

Ps. 36, 1. Be not vexed over evildoers, nor jealous of those who do wrong. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

Let the blessed abbot Giles intercede
for us, O Lord. May his prayers win us Your help, since our own actions cannot merit it. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the 
TWELVE HOLY BROTHERS
These fourth-century apostles refused to offer sacrifice to pagan gods. After imprisonment in an African jail, they died for Christ in pagan spectacles at various places along the Italian coast.

O Lord, may the martyrdom of
these brothers warm our hearts with joy, enliven our faith by an
increase of virtue, and comfort us by the added number of intercessors
we have in heaven. Through our Lord . . .

Lesson Ecclus. 45: 1-6

And he brought out of him a merciful man, which found favour in the sight of all flesh, even Moses, beloved of God and men, whose memorial is blessed.

2He made him like to the glorious saints, and magnified him, so that his enemies stood in fear of him.

3By his words he caused the wonders to cease, and he made him glorious in the sight of kings, and gave him a commandment for his people, and shewed him part of his glory.

4He sanctified him in his faithfulness and meekness, and chose him out of all men.

5He made him to hear his voice, and brought him into the dark cloud, and gave him commandments before his face, even the law of life and knowledge, that he might teach Jacob his covenants, and Israel his judgments.

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. V. Ps. 91, 13. The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow. Alleluia.

Gospel Matt. 19: 27-29

Then Peter answering, said to him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have?

And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting.

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 Giles. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the

 TWELVE HOLY BROTHERS
O Lord, grant that we may celebrate
these sacred mysteries with devotion to honor Your holy martyrs, so that through this sacrifice we may have new help and a deeper joy. Through
our Lord . . .


POSTCOMMUNION 


May the Sacrament we have received and
the prayers of the blessed abbot Giles 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 the 

TWELVE HOLY BROTHERS
O Almighty God, grant that we may grow
in grace by emulating the faith of these martyrs whose memory we honor by the reception of Your Sacrament. Through our Lord . . .

SAINT ANNA THE PROPHETESS
[Historical]

 Saint
Anna the Prophetess was the daughter of a man named Phanuel who was of
the tribe of Aser, one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. She was one of
the very, very few faithful Jewish girls who believed with all her heart
in the revelations of God in the Old Testament, and who awaited their
fulfillment in the New Testament. Saint Anna was married when she was
fourteen. She became a widow at twenty-one. She was the one in charge of
the Blessed Virgin Mary from the time Mary was presented in the Temple
at the age of three until she was betrothed at the age of fourteen.
Saint Anna was seventy-two years old when she first met Our Lady. She
was eighty-four years old when Mary presented Jesus in the Temple. All
other Jewish women in the Temple at that time ignored Jesus. Only Anna
greeted Him. All the Jewish priests ignored Jesus. Only Simeon greeted
Him and held Him in his arms, and declared while Anna was listening,
“Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in
peace.” Anna was the name of Mary’s mother. Anna was the name of Mary’s
teacher in the Temple. The name Anna means grace. Mary was not only full of grace, but was companioned by grace all during her childhood.