Bishop
Eligius,
a goldsmith at Paris, was commissioned by King Clotaire to make a
throne. With the gold and precious stones given him he made two. Struck
by his rare honesty, the king gave him an appointment at court, and
demanded an oath of fidelity sworn upon holy relics; but Eligius prayed
with tears to be excused, for fear of failing in reverence to the relics
of the Saints. On entering the court he fortified himself against its
seductions by the austerities and continual ejaculatory prayers. He had a
marvelous zeal for the redemption of captives, and for their
deliverence would sell his jewels, his food, his clothes, and his very
shoes, once by his prayers braking their chains and opening their
prisons. His great delight was in making rich shrines for relics. His
srtiking virtue caused him, a layman and a goldsmith, to be made Bishop
of Noyon, and his sanctity in this holy office was remarkable. He
possessed the gifts of miracles and prophecy, and died in 665.
INTROIT Ps. 24. 1-3
To
Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my
trust; let me not be ashamed. Neither let my enemies laugh at me: for
none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Ps. 24:4 Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me, and teach me Thy paths.
Glory
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost As it was in
the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
COLLECT
Arise
in Thy strength, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and come: from the dangers
which threaten us because of our sins, be Thy presence our sure defense,
be Thy deliverance our safety for evermore. Who livest and reignest,
with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without
end. Amen.
Commemoration of SAINT EDMUND CAMPION & COMPANIONS
EPISTLE Rom 13. 11-14
Brethren, knowing the time, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is past, and the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.
GRADUAL Ps. 24. 3, 4
None of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me, and teach me Thy paths.
Alleluia: Ps. 84. 8
Alleluia, alleluia. Show us O Lord, Thy mercy: and grant us Thy salvation. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Luke 21. 25-33
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves: men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand."
And He spoke to them a similitude: "See the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh; so you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."
OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 24. 1-3
To Thee have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait for Thee shall be confounded.
SECRET PRAYER
May, O Lord, these Sacred Rites enable us, whom by Thy mighty power Thou hast cleansed from sin, to come pure in heart before Thee who art their author. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Commemoration of SAINT EDMUND CAMPION & COMPANIONSCOMMUNION
The Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.
POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
May we in the midst of Thy holy temple, O Lord, receive of Thy mercy, who seek with fitting honor to welcome the coming festival of our Redemption. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Commemoration of SAINT EDMUND CAMPION & COMPANIONS
English: Advent wreath, First Advent Sunday (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
SAINT EDMUND CAMPION
[Wikipedia] Born 24 January 1540, executed at Tyburn 1 December 1581 Beatified December 1886, canonized 1970 |
Edmund Campion was born in London, the son of a Catholic bookseller, who later became Protestant. Anti Catholic feeling during this period of the Reformation meant that England was a hotbed of religious conflict, and from 1534 Catholics were increasingly persecuted for their faith. After
schooling at Christ’s Hospital, his precocious scholarship led him to
study at St John’s College, Oxford, where he became a Fellow at only
seventeen years of age. He was a renowned speaker and teacher, and was
chosen to present an address to Queen Elizabeth at the age of twenty
six. He impressed her so much that she tried to recruit him to her
service, an offer which he declined. He later became a Deacon of the
Church of England, and seemed destined to become a rising star in that
church. However he became uneasy about the validity of their teachings,
convinced that religious truth lay with the Catholic Church. In
June 1571 he left England to study at the English College at Douai
where he was received into the Catholic faith. Three years later he
moved to Rome and entered the Jesuit noviciate, afterwards spending time
in Vienna and Prague. He was ordained priest in 1578. In
1580 he returned to England as part of the English Mission, ministering
to Catholics in this area (particularly Berkshire, Oxfordshire and
Northamptonshire) as well as in the north of England. During this time
he wrote his famous pamphlet “Decem Rationes” – Ten Reasons, which
argued against the validity of the Church of England. This was secretly
printed at Stonor Park, near Henley, a place which frequently provided
him with refuge. The pamphlet was distributed anonymously and caused a
sensation, leading to an increasingly intensive manhunt. He was finally
captured at Lyford Grange, near Wantage and taken to the Tower of
London. Here
he was questioned in the presence of Queen Elizabeth, who asked if he
acknowledged her as the true Queen of England. He affirmed this, and was
offered wealth and dignities if he would renounce his Catholic faith.
He refused and remained in prison, being tortured several times. He was
summoned to four public conferences and despite having no time to
prepare and suffering the effects of torture, he reportedly conducted
himself so easily and readily that he won much admiration from those
present. He was finally convicted of treason on trumped up charges that
he had conspired against the life of the Queen and had fomented
rebellion. He and his fellow accused priests received their death
sentence by joining in the singing of the Te Deum Laudamus. After
spending his last days in prayer he was taken to Tyburn and hanged,
drawn and quartered, a martyr for the Catholic faith. Edmund
Campion was Beatified in 1886 by Pope Leo XIII and declared a Saint in
1970 by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
His Feast Day is 1 December. BLESSED RICHARD WHITING BLESSED JOHN BECHE & COMPANIONS Today we celebrate the Memoria of Blessed Richard Whiting, Hugh Faringdon, John Beche and Companions, the last abbots of Glastonbury, Reading and Colchester, who were hanged, drawn and quartered near their different abbeys in the earlier part of the 16th century. Blessed Richard Whiting, abbot of Glastonbury, is a local saint for us, and when you see the Glastonbury Tor, it is poignant to remember the injustice that happened there. The people of Glastonbury recently submitted a request for a royal pardon for Blessed Richard. It will be interesting to see whether anything comes of it - a partial apology for the Reformation? |
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