EIGHT SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
THE FINDING OF THE BODY OF
SAINT STEPHEN, THE FIRST
MARTYR
DOUBLE / GREEN
Tempted
by a fallen angel, Adam rebelled and lost his paradisiacal sonship.
That finished Eden's peace. After centuries, Jesus came, undid Satin's
lie and Adam's rebellion, and purchased sonship anew for all men. It is
not so much the fall that matters, as the restoration. "Where the
offense has abounded, grace has abounded yet more" (Rom. 5:20). By this
abundant grace, every adopted child of God can subject the flesh to the
spirit, be a just manager of material affairs, and trust in God's
fatherly providence.
INTROIT Ps. 47:10-11
We
have received Your kindness, O God, within Your temple. As Your name, O
God, is known to the ends of the earth, so also shall Your praise be
voiced to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is just in all things.
Ps. 47:2. Great is the Lord, and worthy of all praise in the city of our God, upon His holy mountain.
V. Glory be . . .
GLORIA
COLLECT
O
Lord, we cannot exist without You. Inspire us to think and act rightly,
that we may always live as You would have us live. Through our Lord . . .
In the year 415 the precious relics of St. Stephen, the first martyr, were miraculously discovered by a priest near the city of Jerusalem. The Church commemorates this event by celebrating a second feast in honor of Stephen, a man aflame with the charity of the Holy Spirit. In our efforts to follow after Christ in loving our enemies, we can turn to this martyr who died praying for his murderers and crying out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not lay this sin against them" (Acts 7:60).
O Lord, we celebrate the finding of his body, Stephen, who prayed for his persecutors. May we imitate this saint, whom we revere, and learn from him to love even our enemies. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son . . .
EPISTLE Rom. 8:12-17
Brethren:
We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye
live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death
the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For ye received not the spirit of
bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby
we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children,
then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him.
GRADUAL Ps. 30:3; 70:1
Be a God of protection to me, a place of shelter to give me safety.
V. I have placed my trust in You, O God; let me never be put to shame.
Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 47:2
Great is the Lord and worthy of all praise in the city of our God, upon His holy mountain. Alleluia!
GOSPEL Luke 16: 1-9
At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable: "There
was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused
unto him that he was wasting his goods. And he called him, and said unto
him, 'What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward.' "And
the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do, seeing that my lord
taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I
am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the
stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' And calling to him
each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, 'How much owest
thou unto my lord?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he
said unto him, 'Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
Then said he to another, 'And how much owest thou?' And he said, 'A
hundred measures of wheat.' He saith unto him, 'Take thy bond, and write
fourscore.' "And
his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely:
for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the
sons of the light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by
means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they
may receive you into the eternal tabernacles."
OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 17:28, 32
You will save the humble, O Lord, but the eyes of the proud You will bring low, for who is God except You, O Lord?
SECRET
Accept
these gifts, which Your bounty makes it possible for us to offer You, O
Lord. May the grace of this sacred rite sanctify our lives on earth and
bring us to eternal happiness. Through our Lord . . .
Commemoration of the FINDING OF THE BODY OF SAINT STEPHEN
O Lord, receive our offerings in memory of Your saints; and as they were made glorious by their suffering, may we be made sinless by our devotion. Through Our Lord . . .
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 33:9
Taste and see how good is the Lord; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.
POSTCOMMUNION
May this heavenly Sacrament bring us health of soul and body, O Lord, and make us feel the power of the sacred rite we have celebrated. Through our Lord . . .
Commemoration of the FINDING OF THE BODY OF SAINT STEPHEN
O Lord, through the intercession of Your beloved martyr Stephen, may we be aided by the reception of the Blessed Sacrament and rejoice in Your everlasting protection. Through Our Lord . .
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