SAINT JOHN EUDES (1680 A.D.); SAINT LOUIS OF TOULOUSE (1297 A.D.)

 

SAINT JOHN EUDES
Confessor

Saint Louis of Toulouse

Bishop

[Historical]

WITHIN THE OCTAVE

DOUBLE / WHITE
John Eudes (1601-80) was a zealous preacher of missions in French towns and villages, and was equally zealous in the confessional. In 1643, he founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, called the Eudists, an institute combining the work of parochial missions with that of training and reform of the clergy; and, a year later, the Congregation of Sisters of the Good Shepherd. In his widely-read writings he was the first to urge public devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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

COLLECT
O God, You inflamed the blessed confessor John with a wondrous zeal to promote the public worship of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and You also founded a new congregation in the Church through this saint. May the example of his merits teach all of us who venerate his deep virtue. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

Lesson
Lesson from the book of Ecclesiasticus
Sir 31:8-11
Happy the man found without fault, who turns not aside after gain, nor puts his trust in money nor in treasures! Who is he, that we may praise him? For he has done wonders in his life. He has been tested by gold and come off safe, and this remains his glory forever; he could have sinned but did not, could have done evil but would not, so that his possessions are secure in the Lord, and the assembly of the Saints shall recount his alms.

Gradual
Ps 91:13; 91:14
The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow in the house of the Lord.
Ps 91:3
V. To proclaim Your kindness at dawn and Your faithfulness throughout the night. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jas 1:12
V. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life. Alleluia.

Gospel
Luke 12:35-40
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning, and you yourselves like men waiting for their master’s return from the wedding; so that when he comes and knocks, they may straight-way open to him. Blessed are those servants whom the master, on his return, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, he will gird himself, and will make them recline at table, and will come and serve them. And if he comes in the second watch, and if in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! But of this be assured, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would certainly have watched, and not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because at an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man is coming.

Offertory
Ps 88:25
My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My name shall his horn be exalted.

SECRET 
In honor of Your blessed priest John, O Lord, we offer to You in sacrifice these gifts that are our consolation on earth and encourage us to hope for an eternal reward. Through our Lord . . .

Communion
Matt 24:46-47
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, he will set him over all his goods.

POSTCOMMUNION 
We are refreshed by Your Sacred Gift, O Lord, and beg You, through the intercession of blessed John, who fervently worshiped the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, to keep us on earth so close to these same Hearts that we may delight in them in Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

Saint Louis of Toulouse

Saint Louis of Toulouse (February 1274 – 19 August 1297) was a cadet of the royal French house of Anjou who was made a Catholic bishop. The California mission, city and county of San Luis Obispo, California, are named after him.

He was born in Brignoles, Provence, (or in Italy, at Nocera, where he spent a part of his early life), the second son of Charles of Anjou"the Lame" and Maria Arpad of Hungary. His father was appointed King of Naples, by Pope Clement IV, the former secretary to Louis IX of France. The boy was himself a nephew of St Louis and of Mary of Hungary (her great-aunt being Saint Elizabeth of Hungary), and also the aunt of Saint Louis' mother was Saint Margaret of Hungary.

When Charles II of Naples was taken prisoner in Italy, during the war with King Peter III of Aragon that followed the Sicilian Vespers, he obtained his own freedom by giving over his three sons as hostages. The boys were taken to Barcelona—Aragonese territory—where they were placed under the care of Franciscan friars for their education and held for seven years. Though still held in captivity, Louis was made archbishop of Lyon as soon as he reached his majority. When his older brother died in 1295, Louis also became heir to his father's secular titles; however, when he was freed that same year, Louis went to Rome and gave up all claims to his royal inheritance in favor of his brother Robert of Anjou and announced that instead he would take the Franciscan vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

On 5 February 1297, Louis was also consecrated Bishop of Toulouse, where his uncle, Alphonse of Toulouse had until recently been Count, but had died in 1271 leaving no heir. In this ambivalently dynastic and ecclesiastical position, in a territory between Provence and Aquitaine that was essential to Angevin interests, despite the princely standing that had won him this important appointment at the age of about 22, Louis rapidly gained a reputation for serving the poor, feeding the hungry, and ignoring his own needs. After just six months, however, apparently exhausted by his labors, he abandoned the position of Bishop. Six months later, at age 23, he died of a fever, possibly typhoid, at Brignoles.