EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; SAINT REMIGIUS (530 A.D.) Bishop and Confessor

 

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

[Commemoration]

SAINT REMIGIUS
Bishop and Confessor

 

DOUBLE / GREEN
Forgiveness is every man's need, for every man is born to sin. God may speak like thunder in the human heart, and then the man of good will has no peace until he kneels and confesses and receives His pardon. God's voice may be ignored or laughed at by others. But His rights to obedience and worship cannot be mocked. Through Christ our mediator, God has amply provided for man's reconciliation with the Deity. The confessional is always at hand, and the priest is God's minister of grace. By His death Christ won every grace needed for our present peace and future happiness.
 
INTROIT Eccli. 36:18
Grant peace, O Lord, to those who wait for You, that Your prophets may be found faithful. Hear the prayers of Your servant of Your people Israel.
Ps. 121.1. I rejoice at the tidings which were told me, "We shall go into the house of the Lord."
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

O Lord, let Your mercy direct our hearts, for without You we can do nothing to please You. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT REMIGIUS
 Remigius became bishop of Rheims by popular acclaim in 459, the period when the Franks from Germany were overrunning Roman Gaul. Bishop Remigius brought about the marriage of the pagan Clovis, the most powerful of the Frankish chieftains in Gaul, with Clotilda, a saintly Catholic princess. Clovis defeated invading Alammani hordes by invoking the God of his Christian wife, and then himself turned to Christ. On Christmas day in 496 Bishop Remigius baptized Clovis, and with him won to the Faith the future nation of France. 

O Almighty God, grant that our solemn celebration of the feast of Your confessor bishop Remigius may increase our devotion and bring us closer to our salvation. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE I Cor. 1:4-8
Brethren: I give thanks to my God always for you, for the grace of God that is given you in Christ Jesus: That in all things you are made rich in him, in all utterance and in all knowledge; As the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, So that nothing is wanting to you in any grace, waiting for the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who also will confirm you unto the end without crime, in the days of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GRADUAL Ps. 121:1, 7
I rejoiced at the tidings which were told me, "We shall go into the house of the Lord."
V. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your towers.

Alleluia, alleluia! V.
The nations shall revere Your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth shall reverence Your glory. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 9:1-8
At that time, Jesus entering into a boat, passed over the water and came into his own city. And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: "Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee." And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: "He blasphemeth." And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: "Why do you think evil in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise, and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins," (then said he to the man sick of the palsy,) "Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house." And he arose, and went into his house. And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified God that gave such power to men.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ex. 24:4, 5
Moses consecrated an altar to the Lord, offering holocausts on it, and sacrificing victims. He made an evening sacrifice to the Lord God for an odor of sweetness, in the sight of the children of Israel.

SECRET
O God, who allows us to share in Your own divine nature by partaking of this sacrifice, grant that our conduct may be guided by Your revealed truth. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT REMIGIUS
O Lord, may Your Saints everywhere be a source of joy for us, and may we feel the power of their intercession with You as we solemnly recall the deeds of their lives. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 95:8-9
Bring offerings, and enter his courts; worship the Lord in His holy temple.

POSTCOMMUNION
We thank You, O Lord, for nourishing us with Your Sacred Gift. In Your mercy, make us worthy of the Sacrament we have received. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT REMIGIUS

O Almighty God, may the expression of our gratitude to You for all Your Gifts bring us even greater benefits through the intercession of Your confessor bishop Remigius. Through our Lord . . .