ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI (1764 A.D.); SAINT JULIA (440 A.D.)

 

 

St. John Baptist de Rossi

Confessor, 'The Apostle of the Abandoned'

White/2 Cl.

INTROIT (Deut. 15:11) 

I command thee to open thy hand to the needy and poor brother, that liveth with thee in the land, Alleluia, alleluia. (Ps. 40:2.) Blessed is he that understandeth concerning the needy and poor, the Lord will deliver him in the evil day. V. Glory be to the Father . . . I command

COLLECT

O God, Who didst adorn blessed John Baptist, Thy confessor, with charity and patience in the preaching of the Gospel to the poor, grant we beseech Thee, that we, who veneerate his merits, may also imitate the example of his virtues. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON (Job 29:1, 8-18)

In those days Job also added taking up his parable and said: The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the old men rose up and stood.

⁹ The princes ceased to speak, and laid the finger on their mouth.

¹⁰ The rulers held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to their throat.

¹¹ The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me gave witness to me:

¹² Because I had delivered the poor man that cried out; and the fatherless that had no helper.

¹³ The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I comforted the heart of the widow.

¹⁴ I was clad with justice: and I clothed myself with my judgment, as with a robe and a diadem.

¹⁵ I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame.

¹⁶ I was the father of the poor: and the cause which I knew not, I searched out most diligently.

¹⁷ I broke the jaws of the wicked man, and out of his teeth I took away the prey.

¹⁸ And I said: I shall die in my nest, and as a palm tree shall multiply my days.

Alleluia, alleluia. (Ps. 73:21)

Let not the humble be turned away with confusion, the poor and needy shall praise thy name. Alleluia. (Prov. 31:20) He hath opened his hand to the needy and stretched out his hands to the poor. Alleluia.

GOSPEL (Matt. 25:31-46)

At that time Jesus said ti His disciples:

³¹ When the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.

³² And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:

³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.

³⁴ Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

³⁵ For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:

³⁶ Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.

³⁷ Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink?

³⁸ And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee?

³⁹ Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?

⁴⁰ And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

⁴¹ Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.

⁴² For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink.

⁴³ I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.

⁴⁴ Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?

⁴⁵ Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.

⁴⁶ And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.

OFFERTORY (JAMES 1:27)

Religion, clean and undefiled before God and the Father, is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. Alleluia.

SECRET

May our offered gift, we beseech Thee, O Lord, ascend as an odor of sweetness, and blessed John Baptist, Thy confessor, interceding, purify us in mind and body. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION (2 Tim. 2:24, 25)

The servant of the Lord must not wrangle, but be mild toward all men, apt to teach, patient, with modesty, admonishing them that resist the truth. Alleluia 

POSTCOMMUNION

May the partaking of the heavenly sacrament, O Lord, through the helping merits of blessed John Baptist, Thy confessor, cleanse and protect Thy faithful people, and make them to be ever intant upon good works. Through our Lord . . .

SAINT JULIA
Virgin, Martyr
Patron of Corsica
(Fifth century)

 

Saint Julia was a noble virgin of Carthage, who, when the city was taken by Genseric in 439, was sold for a slave to a pagan merchant of Syria. In the most mortifying employments of her station, by cheerfulness and patience she found a happiness and comfort which the world could not give. Whenever she was not employed in household affairs, her time was devoted to prayer and reading books of piety.

Her master, who was charmed with her fidelity and other virtues, thought proper to take her with him on one of his voyages to Gaul. When he reached the northern part of Corsica, he cast anchor and went ashore to join the pagans of the place in an idolatrous festival. Julia was left at some distance, because she would not be defiled by the superstitious ceremonies, which she openly spurned. The governor of the island, Felix, a bigoted pagan, asked who this woman was who dared to insult the gods. The merchant informed him that she was a Christian, and that all his authority over her was too weak to prevail upon her to renounce her religion; nonetheless, he found her so diligent and faithful he could not part with her. The governor offered him four of his best slaves in exchange for her. But the merchant replied, “No; all you are worth will not purchase her; for I would lose the most valuable thing I have in the world rather than be deprived of her.”

Nonetheless Felix, while the inebriated merchant was asleep, attempted to compel her to sacrifice to his gods. He offered to procure her liberty if she would comply. The Saint made answer that she was as free as she desired to be, as long as she was allowed to serve Jesus Christ. The pagan, offended by her undaunted and resolute air, in a transport of rage caused her to be struck on the face, and the hair of her head to be torn off. Finally he ordered her to be hanged on a cross until she expired. Certain monks from the isle of Gorgon transported her relics there, but in 763 the king of Lombardy transferred them to Brescia, where her memory is celebrated with great devotion.