SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER (1552 A.D.); WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

 

  

Andrea Pozzo - Saint Francis Xavier - WGA18362 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER
Confessor

[Commemoration]
WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

GREATER DOUBLE / WHITE
Francis Xavier (1506-52) was born in the Basque country of Spain. While still young he was a popular lecturer at the University of Paris. There he met Ignatius Loyola, and was professed as one of the seven pioneer Jesuits. In 1540 St. Ignatius sent his loved disciple to the Orient, saying, "Go and set all on fire." Francis Xavier first evangelized the Portuguese colony of Goa in India, then Travancore, Ceylon, Malacca, and the surrounding islands. From there he journeyed to japan, where he gave Christianity such deep roots that it survived centuries of violent persecution. He died on Sancian Island in 1552, while he was seeking to penetrate into the great forbidden land of China. The immortal fire of his love for Christ still draws missioners to high adventure for God and souls.

INTROIT Ps. 118:46-47
I spoke of Your testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed; I meditated on Your commandments, which I loved dearly.
Ps. 116:1-2. Praise the Lord, all you nations; praise Him in unison, all you peoples! For His mercy is steadfast toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.
V. Glory be . . .

GLORIA

COLLECT
O God, You brought the peoples of India into the fold of Your Church through the preaching and miracles of blessed Francis. Grant that we who venerate his glorious merits may also imitate his virtues. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of  WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT
Put forth Your power, O Lord, we beseech You, and come, that with You as our protector we may be rescued from the impending danger of our sins; and with You as our deliverer, may we obtain our salvation.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
 
EPISTLE Rom. 10:10-18
For, with the heart, we believe unto justice: but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith: "Whosoever believeth in him shall not be confounded." For there is no distinction of the Jew and the Greek: for the same is Lord over all, rich unto all that call upon him. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent, as it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things?" But all do not obey the gospel. For Isaias saith: "Lord, who hath believed our report?" Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say: Have they not heard? Yes, verily: "Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the whole world."

GRADUAL Ps. 91:13, 14, 3
The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon in the house of the Lord.
V. That he may show forth Your mercy in the morning and Your truth throughout the night.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Jac. 1:12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Mark 16:15-18
At that time, Jesus said to them: "Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall he condemned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents: and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay their hand upon the sick: and they shall recover."

 
OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 88:25
My truth and My mercy shall be with him; and in My name shall his power be exalted.

SECRET
Accept this offering which we humbly present in honor of Your saints, O Almighty God, and through it purify our bodies and our souls. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of  WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT
May these offerings, O Lord, cleanse us by their mighty power and thus make us come purer before You Who are their author.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
  
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 24:46-47
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, he will set him over all his goods.

POSTCOMMUNION
Almighty God, we pray that the reception of this Bread of Heaven may strengthen us against all adversity through the intercession of Your blessed confessor Francis. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of  WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT 
May we receive Your mercy, O Lord, in the midst of Your temple, and thus prepare with due observance for the coming festal season of our redemption.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

ST. PETER CHRYSOLOGUS (450 A.D.); ST. BARBARA (235 A.D.); WEDNESDAY FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

Saint Peter Chrysologus, Diocesan Museum, Imola
SAINT PETER CHRYSOLOGUS

Bishop and Doctor of the Church

[Commemoration]
WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

Image via Wikipedia

SAINT BARBARA

Virgin and Martyr

DOUBLE / WHITE
Peter Chrysologus ("the man of golden speech") earned the title of Doctor of the Church for his eloquent sermons, of which some two hundred remain. Made Archbishop of Ravenna by miraculous intervention of St. Peter in 433, he rooted out all remaining traces of paganism, as well as a number of abuses among the Christians. In his sermons he strongly urged frequent Communion. He is supposed to have given us the saying: "He who wants to laugh with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ." Peter died about the year 450 in his native city of Imola.

Mass of a Doctor of the Church, except:

COLLECT
O God, You miraculously chose the blessed and illustrious doctor Peter Chrysologus to rule and instruct Your Church. Grant that he who on earth was our guide along the way of supernatural life may be our intercessor in heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of WEDNESDAY FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT
Put forth Your power, O Lord, we beseech You, and come, that with You as our protector we may be rescued from the impending danger of our sins; and with You as our deliverer, may we obtain our salvation.
 
Commemoration of Saint Barbara, 
One of the Auxiliary Saints, Barbara is believed to have been martyred at Nicomedia under Emperor Maximinus of Thrace, about the year 235. She is invoked for the grace of preservation from sudden death.

O God, one of the marvelous examples of Your power was granting the victory of martyrdom even to delicate womanhood. May the example of the Blessed virgin martyr Barbara, whose birthday we celebrate today, draw us closer to You. Through Our Lord . . .


Lesson
Lesson from the second letter of St Paul the Apostle to Timotheus
2 Tim. 4:1-8
Beloved: I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus, Who will judge the living and the dead by His coming and by His kingdom, preach the word, be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, entreat, rebuke with all patience and teaching. For there will come a time when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but having itching ears, will heap up to themselves teachers according to their lusts, and they will turn away their hearing from the truth and turn aside rather to fables. But be watchful in all things, bear with tribulation patiently, work as a preacher of the Gospel, fulfill your ministry. As for me, I am already being poured out in sacrifice, and the time of my deliverance is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just Judge, will give to me in that day; yet not to me only, but also to those who love His coming. 

Gradual
Ecclus 44:16, 20.
Behold a great priest, who in his days pleased God.
V.There was not found the like to him, who kept the law of the Most High. Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps 109:4
V. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedec. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
Matt. 5:13-19
At that time Jesus said to His disciples: "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its strength, what shall it be salted with? It is no longer of any use but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under the measure, but upon the lampstand, so as to give light to all in the house. Even so let your light shine before men, in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For amen I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall be lost from the Law till all things have been accomplished. Therefore whoever does away with one of these least commandments, and so teaches men, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever carries them out and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." 

SECRET
O Lord, let the blessed bishop and doctor Chrysologus always help us, and through his intercession accept our offering and pardon our sins. through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of WEDNESDAY FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT
May these offerings, O Lord, cleanse us by their mighty power and thus make us come purer before You Who are their author.

Commemoration of SAINT BARBARA
O Lord, accept the gifts we bring You on the feast of Your blessed virgin Barbara, through whose intercession we hope to be set free. Through our Lord . . .




Communion
Luke 12:42
The faithful and prudent servant whom the master will set over his household to give them their ration of grain in due time.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, may this Sacrifice bring us closer to our salvation through the intercession of Your blessed bishop and illustrious doctor Chrystologus. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of WEDNESDAY FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT
May we receive Your mercy, O Lord, in the midst of Your temple, and thus prepare with due observance for the coming festal season of our redemption.

Commemoration of SAINT BARBARA
O Lord, through the intercession of Your blessed virgin martyr Barbara, may we be aided by the reception of the Blessed Sacrament and rejoice in Your everlasting protection. through our Lord . . .