SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; Saint Wenceslas (929 A.D.)

 

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Young prince Wenceslas

SAINT WENCESLAS
Duke and Martyr

DOUBLE / GREEN

"O thou soul, most beautiful of creatures, who longs to know where your Beloved is, you are yourself that very tabernacle where He dwells" (St. John of the Cross). Tabernacles of God and chosen sons of eternity, men from the least corners of the earth are exalted to reflect the glory of God Himself.
All this is God's doing, not man's. God's infinite power brought him into being and must continually sustain him there. He does good only by God's grace. He needs God's help even to discipline and dispose himself for the indwelling "fullness of God." Loving truth, man must accept and live the truth of his own dependence upon God.

 
INTROIT Ps. 85:3, 5
Have pity on me, O Lord, for to You I call all the day; for You, O Lord, are sweet and mild, and plentiful in mercy to all who call upon You.
Ps. 85:1. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am needy and poor.
V. Glory be . . .

GLORIA 

COLLECT
O Lord, may Your grace always be with us to make us diligent in performing good deeds. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT WENCESLAS
Son of a Christian duke of tenth-century Bohemia, Wenceslas received a pious upbringing from his grandmother St. Ludmilla, who later died a martyr. Taking over the government at the time of a strong pagan reaction among his people, Wenceslas labored with Christlike patience and mildness to stem this regression. He rebuilt churches, recalled exiled priests, and invited missioners from Germany. But Boleslas, the duke's heathen brother, had Wenceslas assassinated while he was on his way to Mass. The 22-year old martyr died uttering the words, "May God forgive you."

O God, You raised blessed Wenceslas from his earthly honors to the glory of heaven by granting him the victory of martyrdom. May his prayers shield us from all harm and bring us to share his heavenly happiness. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Eph. 3:13-21
Brethren: Wherefore I pray you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit with might unto the inward man: That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts: that, being rooted and founded in charity, You may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge: that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us: To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, world without end. Amen.

GRADUAL Ps. 101:16-17
The nations all revere Your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth shall reverence Your glory.
V. For the Lord has built up sion, and He shall appear in His glory.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 97:1
Sing to the Lord a new canticle, for He has done wondrous deeds. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 14:1-11
At that time, when Jesus went into the house of one of the Pharisees, on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And behold, there was a certain man before him that had the dropsy. And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?" 
But they held their peace. But he taking him, healed him and sent him away. And answering them, he said: "Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit and will not immediately draw him out, on the sabbath day?" And they could not answer him to these things.
And he spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them: "When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honourable than thou be invited by him: And he that invited thee and him, come and say to thee: 'Give this man place.' And then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee cometh, he may say to thee: 'Friend, go up higher.' Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee. Because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

CREED 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 39:14, 15
Look down, O Lord, to help me. Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life. Look down, O Lord, to help me.

SECRET 
Cleanse us by this Sacrifice, O Lord, and in Your mercy make us worthy to participate in it. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT WENCESLAS
Receive our gifts and our prayers, we beseech Thee, O Lord; cleanse us by the heavenly Mysteries and mercifully hear us. Through our Lord . . . 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 70:16-17, 18
O Lord, I will be mindful of Your singular justice. O God, You have taught me from my youth, and when I am old and gray, O God, forsake me not!

POSTCOMMUNION 
Purify our souls, O Lord, and instill new life into them through this Heavenly Sacrament, so that even our bodies may find strength now and for the future. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT WENCESLAUS
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, that as we rejoice on earth in keeping the memory of Thy saints, so also we may enjoy their company for evermore. Through our Lord . . . 

THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY; SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; SAINT ADRIAN (303 A.D.) Martyr

 

 

Thy birth, O Virgin Mother of God,
heralded joy to all the world.
For from thou hast risen the Sun of justice,
Christ our God.

Destroying the curse, He gave blessing;
and damning death, He bestowed on us
life everlasting.

Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
For from thou hast risen of Sun of justice,
Christ our God.

from The Divine Office - Matins (Morning Prayer)

THE NATIVITY OF THE
BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SAINT ADRIAN
Martyr

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / WHITE
Mary was born to be the Mother of the Saviour of the world, the spiritual Mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. Because of her Son's infinite merits, she was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. Through her, Queen of Heaven and of earth, all grace is given to men. Through her, by the will of the Trinity, the unbelieving receive the gift of faith; the afflicted are tendered the works of mercy, and the members of Christ grow in likeness of their Head. In Mary all human nature is exalted. We rejoice in her birthday, as the Church has done from the earliest times.

INTROIT
Hail, holy Mother, who brought froth the king who rules heaven and earth forever and ever.
Ps. 44:2. My heart overflows with good tidings, I sing my song to the king.

V. Glory be . . .

GLORIA

COLLECT
Grant us the gift of Your heavenly peace, O Lord. Let the solemn feast of the Blessed Virgin's nativity establish us more securely in that peace, just as the birth of her Child heralded the beginning of our salvation. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of 16th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

O Lord, may Your grace always be with us to make us diligent in performing good deeds.

Commemoration of SAINT ADRIAN
About the year 303, Adrian, a military officer at the imperial court, was executed at Nicomedia for his fidelity to Christ.

O Almighty God, grant that we who celebrate the birthday of Your blessed martyr Adrian may be made stronger in our love of You through his intercession. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON Prov. 8:22-35
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he made any thing from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old, before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived, neither had the fountains of waters as yet sprung out. The mountains, with their huge bulk, had not as yet been established: before the hills, I was brought forth: He had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers, nor the poles of the world.
When he prepared the heavens, I was present: when with a certain law, and compass, he enclosed the depths: When he established the sky above, and poised the fountains of waters: When he compassed the sea with its bounds, and set a law to the waters that they should not pass their limits: when he balanced the foundations of the earth; I was with him forming all things: and was delighted every day, playing before him at all times; Playing in the world: and my delights were to be with the children of men.
Now, therefore, ye children, hear me: blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors. He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord.

GRADUAL
You are blessed and venerable, O Virgin Mary, for without loss of your virginity you became the Mother of our Saviour.
V. O Virgin Mother of God, He whom the whole world cannot contain enclosed Himself in your womb and was made man.

Alleluia, alleluia! V.
Happy are you indeed, O holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise, for out of you arose the sun of justice, Christ our Lord. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matt. 1:1-16
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse. And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of Urias. And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa. And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias. And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias. And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias. And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of Babylon. And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot Zorobabel. And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor. And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud. And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

CREED

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON
Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who bore the Creator of all things. You brought forth your won Creator, and yet you remain a virgin forever.

SECRET 
Rescue us, O Lord, through the Incarnation of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who by His birth did not impair the virgin purity of His Mother, but rather sanctified it. May He free us from our sins and make us acceptable to You on this feast of Mary's nativity; who lives and rules with You . . .

Commemoration of 16th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Cleanse us by this Sacrifice, O Lord, and in Your mercy make us worthy to participate in it.

Commemoration of SAINT ADRIAN
Accept our offerings and prayers, O Lord. Cleanse us by this heavenly rite, and in Your mercy hear our petitions. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

POSTCOMMUNION 
We have partaken of Your Sacrament, O Lord, with which we yearly celebrate this feast. May it help us in this life and in the life to come. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of 16th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

O Lord, we beseech You, graciously cleanse and renew our minds with the heavenly sacrament, so we may thereby also receive bodily help for the present as well as for the future.

Commemoration of SAINT ADRIAN
O Lord our God, may we who now joyfully commemorate Your saints on earth rejoice one day with them in heaven. Through our Lord . . .

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SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; The Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis (1224 A.D.); Saint Hildegarde of Bingen (1179 A.D.)

 

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

 

THE IMPRESSION OF THE
STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS
Confessor

 
 SAINT HILDEGARDE 

 

DOUBLE / GREEN

"O thou soul, most beautiful of creatures, who longs to know where your Beloved is, you are yourself that very tabernacle where He dwells" (St. John of the Cross). Tabernacles of God and chosen sons of eternity, men from the least corners of the earth are exalted to reflect the glory of God Himself.
All this is God's doing, not man's. God's infinite power brought him into being and must continually sustain him there. He does good only by God's grace. He needs God's help even to discipline and dispose himself for the indwelling "fullness of God." Loving truth, man must accept and live the truth of his own dependence upon God.

 
INTROIT Ps. 85:3, 5
Have pity on me, O Lord, for to You I call all the day; for You, O Lord, are sweet and mild, and plentiful in mercy to all who call upon You.
Ps. 85:1. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am needy and poor.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, may Your grace always be with us to make us diligent in performing good deeds. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of THE STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS
In 1224, two years before his death, three years after he had laid down active leadership of his order, Francis of Assisi received the greatest gift of his singularly blessed life -- the Stigmata. During the course of a 40-day fast on Mount Alvernia in honor of St. Michael, Francis was visited by a dazzling seraphic figure whose feet and hands were nailed to a cross -- to indicate to Francis that the martyrdom he yearned for would be of the mystical, rather than the physical order. He was then afflicted with the five wounds of the Crucifixion, and bore their sufferings until his death.

O Lord Jesus Christ, You reproduced the sacred marks of Your suffering in the body of the most blessed Francis in order that Your love might set our hearts afire in a world that has grown cold. may the merits and prayers of saint Francis help us to bear our cross and win forgiveness through true repentance; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of SAINT HILDEGARDE
Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) whom the Church raises up for us is a remarkable woman: deeply committed to seeking God, a friend of the Lord, and a pastor of souls. In her era she lived to almost 80 years, a rare age then and as it echoes the psalmsist. One point of context: Hildegard was born in the year that the Cistercian reform of monasticism was born. She is remembered for being an abbess, a reformer, a theologian, a singer-songwriter, a mystic, a biologist, an environmentalist, and a dialogue partner with world leaders.  

O God,

Who did adorn blessed Hildegard, Thy virgin,  with heavenly gifts; we beseech Thee, grant that following her example and teaching, we may deserve to pass from darkness of this present world into the gladdening light of Thy presence.

EPISTLE Eph. 3:13-21
Brethren: Wherefore I pray you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit with might unto the inward man: That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts: that, being rooted and founded in charity, You may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge: that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us: To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, world without end. Amen.

GRADUAL Ps. 101:16-17
The nations all revere Your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth shall reverence Your glory.
V. For the Lord has built up sion, and He shall appear in His glory.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 97:1
Sing to the Lord a new canticle, for He has done wondrous deeds. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 14:1-11
At that time, when Jesus went into the house of one of the Pharisees, on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And behold, there was a certain man before him that had the dropsy. And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?" 
But they held their peace. But he taking him, healed him and sent him away. And answering them, he said: "Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit and will not immediately draw him out, on the sabbath day?" And they could not answer him to these things.
And he spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them: "When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honourable than thou be invited by him: And he that invited thee and him, come and say to thee: 'Give this man place.' And then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee cometh, he may say to thee: 'Friend, go up higher.' Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee. Because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 39:14, 15
Look down, O Lord, to help me. Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life. Look down, O Lord, to help me.

SECRET 
Cleanse us by this Sacrifice, O Lord, and in Your mercy make us worthy to participate in it. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of THE STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS 

Bless the gifts we offer to You, O Lord, and cleanse us from all stain of sin through the intercession of blessed Francis. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT HILDEGARDE

Lord,

may the gifts we bring You help us follow the example of Saint Hildegard. Cleanse us from our earthly way of life, and teach us to live the new life of your kingdom.

 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 70:16-17, 18
O Lord, I will be mindful of Your singular justice. O God, You have taught me from my youth, and when I am old and gray, O God, forsake me not!

POSTCOMMUNION 
Purify our souls, O Lord, and instill new life into them through this Heavenly Sacrament, so that even our bodies may find strength now and for the future. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of THE STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS 

O God, in many ways You displayed the wondrous mystery of redemption in Your blessed confessor Francis. Grant that we may imitate his devotedness to the cross and find our strength by constantly meditating upon it. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT HILDEGARDE

Lord,

may our reception of the body and blood of Your Son keep us from harmful things. Help us by the example of Saint Hildegard to grow in Your love on earth that we may rejoice for ever in heaven.

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

 

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

DOUBLE / GREEN

"O thou soul, most beautiful of creatures, who longs to know where your Beloved is, you are yourself that very tabernacle where He dwells" (St. John of the Cross). Tabernacles of God and chosen sons of eternity, men from the least corners of the earth are exalted to reflect the glory of God Himself.
All this is God's doing, not man's. God's infinite power brought him into being and must continually sustain him there. He does good only by God's grace. He needs God's help even to discipline and dispose himself for the indwelling "fullness of God." Loving truth, man must accept and live the truth of his own dependence upon God.

 
INTROIT Ps. 85:3, 5
Have pity on me, O Lord, for to You I call all the day; for You, O Lord, are sweet and mild, and plentiful in mercy to all who call upon You.
Ps. 85:1. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am needy and poor.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, may Your grace always be with us to make us diligent in performing good deeds. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Eph. 3:13-21
Brethren: Wherefore I pray you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit with might unto the inward man: That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts: that, being rooted and founded in charity, You may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge: that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us: To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, world without end. Amen.

GRADUAL Ps. 101:16-17
The nations all revere Your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth shall reverence Your glory.
V. For the Lord has built up sion, and He shall appear in His glory.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 97:1
Sing to the Lord a new canticle, for He has done wondrous deeds. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 14:1-11
At that time, when Jesus went into the house of one of the Pharisees, on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And behold, there was a certain man before him that had the dropsy. And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?" 
But they held their peace. But he taking him, healed him and sent him away. And answering them, he said: "Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit and will not immediately draw him out, on the sabbath day?" And they could not answer him to these things.
And he spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them: "When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honourable than thou be invited by him: And he that invited thee and him, come and say to thee: 'Give this man place.' And then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee cometh, he may say to thee: 'Friend, go up higher.' Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee. Because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 39:14, 15
Look down, O Lord, to help me. Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life. Look down, O Lord, to help me.

SECRET 
Cleanse us by this Sacrifice, O Lord, and in Your mercy make us worthy to participate in it. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 70:16-17, 18
O Lord, I will be mindful of Your singular justice. O God, You have taught me from my youth, and when I am old and gray, O God, forsake me not!

POSTCOMMUNION 
Purify our souls, O Lord, and instill new life into them through this Heavenly Sacrament, so that even our bodies may find strength now and for the future. Through our Lord . . .

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY


 

DOUBLE / GREEN

"O thou soul, most beautiful of creatures, who longs to know where your Beloved is, you are yourself that very tabernacle where He dwells" (St. John of the Cross). Tabernacles of God and chosen sons of eternity, men from the least corners of the earth are exalted to reflect the glory of God Himself.
All this is God's doing, not man's. God's infinite power brought him into being and must continually sustain him there. He does good only by God's grace. He needs God's help even to discipline and dispose himself for the indwelling "fullness of God." Loving truth, man must accept and live the truth of his own dependence upon God.

 
INTROIT Ps. 85:3, 5
Have pity on me, O Lord, for to You I call all the day; for You, O Lord, are sweet and mild, and plentiful in mercy to all who call upon You.
Ps. 85:1. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am needy and poor.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, may Your grace always be with us to make us diligent in performing good deeds. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY

The name of Mary brings grace, hope, and sweetness to the hearts of men. First fostered in Spain, then invoked against the Turks at Vienna in 1683, this devotion to Mary inspired King John Sobieski of Poland to put the misbelievers to flight, and thus to save Christendom from devastation. Pope Innocent XI extended observance of the feast to the whole Church.

O Almighty God, Your faithful people rejoice in the protection of the Most Holy Virgin Mary and delight in her name. Deliver them from all evil here on earth and make them worthy of everlasting happiness in heaven through her loving intercession. Through our Lord . . . 

EPISTLE Eph. 3:13-21
Brethren: Wherefore I pray you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit with might unto the inward man: That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts: that, being rooted and founded in charity, You may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge: that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us: To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, world without end. Amen.

GRADUAL Ps. 101:16-17
The nations all revere Your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth shall reverence Your glory.
V. For the Lord has built up sion, and He shall appear in His glory.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 97:1
Sing to the Lord a new canticle, for He has done wondrous deeds. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 14:1-11
At that time, when Jesus went into the house of one of the Pharisees, on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And behold, there was a certain man before him that had the dropsy. And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?" 
But they held their peace. But he taking him, healed him and sent him away. And answering them, he said: "Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit and will not immediately draw him out, on the sabbath day?" And they could not answer him to these things.
And he spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them: "When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honourable than thou be invited by him: And he that invited thee and him, come and say to thee: 'Give this man place.' And then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee cometh, he may say to thee: 'Friend, go up higher.' Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee. Because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 39:14, 15
Look down, O Lord, to help me. Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life. Look down, O Lord, to help me.

SECRET 
Cleanse us by this Sacrifice, O Lord, and in Your mercy make us worthy to participate in it. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY

O Lord, through Your mercy and the intercession of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, let this offering bring us prosperity and peace now and forever. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 70:16-17, 18
O Lord, I will be mindful of Your singular justice. O God, You have taught me from my youth, and when I am old and gray, O God, forsake me not!

POSTCOMMUNION 
Purify our souls, O Lord, and instill new life into them through this Heavenly Sacrament, so that even our bodies may find strength now and for the future. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY 

O Lord, grant that we who have received the Sacrament of our salvation may be protected through the intercession of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, in whose honor we have offered this Sacrifice to Your majesty. Through our Lord . . . 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; SAINT EUSTACE AND HIS COMPANIONS, Martyrs

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The Vision of St. Eustace (c.1436) by Pisanello (Antonio or Vittore Pisano; c.1395-1455)

SAINT EUSTACE AND
HIS COMPANIONS
Martyrs

DOUBLE / GREEN

"O thou soul, most beautiful of creatures, who longs to know where your Beloved is, you are yourself that very tabernacle where He dwells" (St. John of the Cross). Tabernacles of God and chosen sons of eternity, men from the least corners of the earth are exalted to reflect the glory of God Himself.
All this is God's doing, not man's. God's infinite power brought him into being and must continually sustain him there. He does good only by God's grace. He needs God's help even to discipline and dispose himself for the indwelling "fullness of God." Loving truth, man must accept and live the truth of his own dependence upon God.

 
INTROIT Ps. 85:3, 5
Have pity on me, O Lord, for to You I call all the day; for You, O Lord, are sweet and mild, and plentiful in mercy to all who call upon You.
Ps. 85:1. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am needy and poor.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, may Your grace always be with us to make us diligent in performing good deeds. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of SAINT EUSTACE AND COMPANIONS
According to legend, Eustace was a distinguished Roman officer. He owed his conversion to the vision of a stag with a crucifix between its antlers, seen by him while he was hunting. His wife and their two sons became Christians at the same time. In about the year 118 Eustace and his family were martyred for having refused to offer sacrifice to false gods.

O God, who granted us the grace to celebrate the birthday of Your blessed martyrs Eustace and companions, grant that we may also share their eternal happiness in heaven. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE Eph. 3:13-21
Brethren: Wherefore I pray you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit with might unto the inward man: That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts: that, being rooted and founded in charity, You may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge: that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us: To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, world without end. Amen.

GRADUAL Ps. 101:16-17
The nations all revere Your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth shall reverence Your glory.
V. For the Lord has built up sion, and He shall appear in His glory.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 97:1
Sing to the Lord a new canticle, for He has done wondrous deeds. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 14:1-11
At that time, when Jesus went into the house of one of the Pharisees, on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And behold, there was a certain man before him that had the dropsy. And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?" 
But they held their peace. But he taking him, healed him and sent him away. And answering them, he said: "Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit and will not immediately draw him out, on the sabbath day?" And they could not answer him to these things.
And he spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them: "When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honourable than thou be invited by him: And he that invited thee and him, come and say to thee: 'Give this man place.' And then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee cometh, he may say to thee: 'Friend, go up higher.' Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee. Because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 39:14, 15
Look down, O Lord, to help me. Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life. Look down, O Lord, to help me.

SECRET 
Cleanse us by this Sacrifice, O Lord, and in Your mercy make us worthy to participate in it. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of SAINT EUSTACE AND COMPANIONS
We offer these gifts to You in sacrifice, O Lord. May the honor we pay to Your Saints please You, and may these offerings, through Your mercy, bring us closer to our salvation. Through our Lord . . .




COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 70:16-17, 18
O Lord, I will be mindful of Your singular justice. O God, You have taught me from my youth, and when I am old and gray, O God, forsake me not!

POSTCOMMUNION 
Purify our souls, O Lord, and instill new life into them through this Heavenly Sacrament, so that even our bodies may find strength now and for the future. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of SAINT EUSTACE AND COMPANIONS
May the intercession of Your holy Martyrs Eustace and Companions help us to cherish with pure hearts the Sacrament we have received upon our lips. Through our Lord . . .