THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

 

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost with a Commemoration of St. Philip Benizi, Confessor 

           Semi-Double/Green   

       Missa “Réspice, Dómine”

“Arise, go thy way for thy faith hath made thee whole.”

The liturgy for the Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost shows us that by faith we put all our hope in Jesus, for He is our Refuge and we ask for the virtue of charity, which renders us lovers of the divine law and practitioners of it. Let us pray for an increase of faith, hope and charity.

The Collect which prays for an increase of this – faith, hope and charity – re-echoes the teaching of the Apostle in the Epistle and that of the Master in the Gospel. The Jews wanted to impose the Mosaic law on Christians; St Paul shows to the Galatians that it is not this law which gives holiness to souls, since, before the law, Abraham, father of the Jewish people, was sanctified by his faith in Jesus. All those, therefore, Jews or pagans, who enter into the Church and put their faith in the merits of the Passion of Christ will be saved.

 Our Divine Savior indeed heals all the lepers, Jews or Samaritans, who have recourse to Him. ” Arise,” said Jesus to the latter, ” thy faith hath made thee whole.” It is He Who, through His Church, gives back health to the souls of those, whether Jews or Gentiles, who come to Him, By faith we put in Jesus all our hope (Offertory) for He is our refuge (Alleluia) and we ask for the virtue of charity which makes us love the divine law (Collect) and makes us practice it (Postcommunion).

Statue of Philip Benizi on the Charles Bridge, Prague

St. Philip Benizi

Philip Benizi - (August 15, 1233 – August 22, 1285) was a general superior of the Order of the Servites, and credited with reviving the order. Pope Leo X had beatified him in 1516; and Pope Clement X canonized him as a saint in 1671.

Philip Benizi was born on August 15 in the Florentine district of Oltrarno, the day the Blessed Virgin first appeared to the Seven Founders. He became the great propagator of the Order of the Servants of Mary (the Servites). When he was elected the general superior on June 5, 1267, the order, which had long been the object of attack from enemies, entered into the crisis of its existence. The Second Council of Lyons in 1274 put into execution the ordinance of the Fourth Lateran Council, forbidding the foundation of new religious orders, and absolutely suppressing all mendicant institutions not yet approved by the Holy See. In 1276 Pope Innocent V, in a letter addressed to Philip, declared the order suppressed. 

     Philip then proceeded to Rome, but before his arrival there, Innocent V had died. The city of Forlì was part of the Papal States and, in 1283, the site of strong anti-papal sentiment was placed under interdict. Pope Martin V asked Philip to go to Forlì and try to reconcile the divided city. Eighteen-year-old Peregrine Laziosi (Latiosi), the son of a Ghibelline leader, was among those abusive towards Philip. However Philip's meeting with the initially antagonistic Peregrine helped the young man later decide to join the Servite order. 

    Saint Peregrine was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. Philip died on August 22, 1285, during the Octave of the Assumption at Todi, where he is buried.

Réspice, Dómine, in testaméntum tuum, et ánimas páuperum tuórum ne derelínquas in finem: exsúrge, Dómine, et júdica causam tuam: et ne obliviscáris voces quæréntium te. Ps. 73:1 Ut quid, Deus, repulisti in finem, irátus est furor tuus super oves páscuæ tuae? v. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. 

Réspice, Dómine…

INTROIT:   Psalm 54: 17-18, 20, 23

Have regard, O Lord, to Thy covenant, and forsake not to the end the souls of Thy poor: arise, O Lord, and judge Thy cause, and forget not the voices of them that seek Thee. (Ps. 73: 1) O God, why hast Thou cast us off unto the end: why is Thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of Thy pasture? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Have regard, O Lord…

COLLECT

Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of Faith, Hope and Charity: and that we may deserve to obtain what Thou dost promise, make us to love that which Thou dost command. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.

COLLECT - Commemoration of Philip Benizi, Confessor

O God, Who through St. Philip, Your Confessor, gave us an outstanding example of humility, grant that Your household may follow his example by scorning worldly prosperity and ever seeking the things of heaven. 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. Amen.

Collect for the Intercession of the Saints

Defend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all dangers of mind and body: and through the intercession of the blessed and glorious Mary, ever Virgin, mother of God, of St Joseph, of Thy holy apostles, Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy loving-kindness grant us safety and peace; that, all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.

EPISTLE - Galatians 3: 16-22

Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Galatians.

Brethren, To Abraham were the promises made and to his seed. He saith not:” And to his seeds, “as of many but as of one: “And to Thy seed,” which is Christ. Now this I say, that the testament which was confirmed by God, the law which was made after four hundred and thirty years, doth not disannul to make the promise of no effect.For if the inheritance be of the law it is no more of promise. But God gave it to Abraham by promise. Why then was the law? It was set because of transgressions until the seed should come, to whom He made the promise, being ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not of one: but God is one. Was the law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given, which could give life, verily justice should have been by the law. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL:  Psalm 73: 20, 19, 22

Have regard, O Lord, to Thy covenant, and forsake not to the end the souls of Thy poor: Arise O Lord, and judge Thy cause: remember the reproach of Thy servants.

ALLELUIA: Psalm 89: 1

O Lord Thou hast been our refuge, from generation to generation. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL: Luke 17: 11-19

At that time, as Jesus was going to Jerusalem, He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee: and as He entered into a certain town, there met Him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off, and lifted up their voice, saying: Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Whom when He saw, He said: “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God: and he fell on his face before His feet, giving thanks: and this was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said: “Were not ten made clean? And where are the nine? There is no one found to return, and give glory to God, but this stranger.” And He said to him: “Arise, go thy way for thy faith hath made thee whole.” Laus tibi Christe

OFFERTORY:    Psalm 30: 15

In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped: I said, Thou art my God, my times are in Thy hands.

SECRET

Look graciously, O Lord, upon Thy people: graciously look upon our gifts,that, being appeased by this offering, Thou mayest both grant us pardon, and give us what we ask. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God…

The Presentation in the Temple, with St Philip Benizi on the left and St. Pellegrino Laziosi (Latiosi) on the right - Filippo Lippi

SECRET - Commemoration of Philip Benizi, Confessor

Grant us, we beseech You, almighty God, that the offering of our lowliness may be pleasing to You in honor of Your Saints and may purify us in both body and mind.

Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord

SECRET- for the Intercession of the Saints

Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, and, by virtue of this Sacrament, defend us from all enemies of soul and body, bestowing upon us Thy grace here and Thy glory hereafter. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever. R.Amen.

PREFACE OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, ever-lasting God: Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty may be adored. Which the Angels and Archangels, the Cherubim also and Seraphim do praise: who cease not daily to cry out with one voice saying:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dóminus, Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis. Benedíctus, qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis.

COMMUNION - Wisdom 16: 20

Thou hast given us, O Lord, bread from Heaven, having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste.

POSTCOMMUNION

We who have received the heavenly Sacraments, beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may increasingly advance towards eternal redemption. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God…

POSTCOMMUNION - Commemoration of Philip Benizi, Confessor

We pray You, almighty God, that we who have received heavenly nourishment may thereby, through the intercession of blessed Philip, Your Confessor, be sustained against all harm and danger. Through Jesus Christ.

Postcommunion for the Intercession of the Saints

May the gift of this Divine Sacrament which we have offered, cleanse us and defend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord; and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God, of St. Joseph, of Thy holy apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, free us from all iniquity and deliver us from all adversity. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God.

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

 

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY 

Commemoration of Ss. Timothy, Hippolytus, and Symphorian 

In the Twelfth week after Pentecost  

                    Double/II Class/White               

                       Missa “Adeámus”

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary has always flourished in the Church, but its first official approval did not come until the beginning of the 19th century, when Pope Pius VI approved, for certain religious organizations, a Feast for the Most Pure Heart of Mary. The devotion was approved for the universal Church when Pope Pius XII dedicated all mankind to the Heart of Mary in December 1942, following this by the institution of the new Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the BVM 

INTROIT: Hebrews 4:16

Let us go with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid. (Ps. 44: 2) My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the King. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

COLLECT

Almighty, everlasting God, who didst prepare in the Heart of the Virgin Mary a worthy dwelling-place for the Holy Ghost, mercifully grant that we, devoutly contemplating the festivity of the same Immaculate Heart, may be enabled to live according to Thy heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.

COLLECT for Commemoration of Ss. Timothy, Hippolytus, and Symphorian

O Lord, we beseech Thee, graciously lend us Thine assistance, and through the intercession of Thy blessed martyrs Timothy, Hippolytus, and Symphorian, extend over us the right hand of Thy mercy.  Through our Lord.

EPISTLE:   Eccles. 24: 23-31

As the vine, I have brought forth a pleasant odor, and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way, and in me is all truth, all hope of life, and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits; for my spirit is sweeter than honey, and my inheritance is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me shall yet hunger; and they that drink me shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded, and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have everlasting life.

GRADUAL: Psalm 12:6

My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation: I will sing to the Lord, who giveth me good things: yea, I will sing to the name of the Lord, the most high. V. (Ps. 44: 18) They shall remember thy name throughout all generations. Therefore shall people praise thee forever: yea, forever and ever.

Alleluia: Luke 1: 46, 47

My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL: John 19: 26-27

At that time, there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus, therefore, had seen His mother and the disciple standing, whom He loved, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold thy son.” After that, He said to the disciple, “Behold, thy mother.” And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own home. Praise be to Christ.

OFFERTORY:    Luke 1:46

My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior; because He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His name.

SECRET

Offering the Immaculate Lamb to Thy Majesty, O Lord, we beg that the divine fire which ineffably inflamed the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be lighted in our hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God…

Secret: Commemoration of Ss. Timothy, Hippolytus, and Symphorian

May the sacrifice of a consecrated people be acceptable to Thee, O Lord, for the honor of Thy Saints, through whose merits they know that they have received help in tribulation. Through our Lord.

PREFACE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and eternal God: and that we should praise, bless, and proclaim Thee in the Assumption of the blessed Mary, ever virgin: who conceived Thine only begotten Son by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost; and losing not the glory of her virginity, gave forth to the world the eternal Light, Jesus Christ our Lord, through Whom the angels praise Thy majesty, Dominations worship, Powers stand in awe: the Heavens and the hosts of heaven, with blessed Seraphim, unite, exult, and celebrate; and we entreat that Thou wouldst bid our voices also to be heard with theirs, singing in lowly praise:

SANCTUS

SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria Tua. Hosanna in excelsis.  Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

COMMUNION: John 19: 27

Jesus said to His mother: Woman, behold thy son. Then He said to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.

POSTCOMMUNION

Now that we have received, O Lord, the Sacrament of salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that through the merits and the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary, who was taken up into heaven, we may be brought to the glory of the resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God. Forever and ever.

Postcommunion: Commemoration of Ss. Timothy, Hippolytus, and Symphorian

Filled with the abundance of Thy divine gifts, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, that, by the intercession of Thy holy martyrs, Timothy, Hippolytus, and Symphorian, we may live forever through the participation therein.  Through our Lord.

 

FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASSUMPTION - AUGUST 20

 

It is a great thing for a saint to have as much grace as would suffice for many; but if he had sufficient for all men in the world, that would be fullness of measure: and this is the case with Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin. So speaks the prince of theologians with regard to her whom Suarez salutes as the universal cause, intimately united to the Lord her Son. 

A higher authority than that of the School has confirmed this teaching of the Angelic Doctor; in his encyclical Magnæ Dei Matris, the Sovereign Pontiff Leo XIII. has deigned to make his own the words we have just quoted; and he adds: When, therefore, we hail Mary as full of grace, we awaken the recollection of her sublime dignity and of the redemption of the human race, wrought by God through her intermediary; moreover, we call to mind the divine and eternal relationship whereby she is associated with Christ in his joys and his sorrows, his humiliations and his triumphs, in ruling and aiding men with a view to their eternal welfare.  

St. Bernardine of Sienna compares our Lady to the fountain mentioned in Genesis, which sprang from the earth and watered its whole surface. And, as it is well to know the different expressions of the different schools, we may add that the illustrious representative of the Seraphic Order recognises in Mary what he calls a sort of jurisdiction or authority over every temporal procession of the Holy Ghost, because, he continues, she is the Mother of him from whom the Holy Ghost proceeds; and therefore all the gifts, graces, and virtues of this Holy Spirit are administered by her hands, distributed to whom she wills, when she wills, as she wills, and as much as she wills. 

We must not, however, conclude from these words that the Blessed Virgin has a right, properly so called, over the Holy Ghost or his gifts. Nor may we ever consider our Lady to be in any way a principle of the Holy Ghost, any more than she is of the Word himself as God. The Mother of God is great enough not to need any exaggeration of her titles. All that she has, she has, it is true, from her Son, by whom she is the first redeemed. But in the historical order of the accomplishment of our salvation, the divine predilection, whereby she was chosen to be Mother of the Saviour, made her to be the source of the source of life, according to the expression of St. Peter Damian. Moreover, being Bride as perfectly as she was Mother, and united, in the fullness of all her powers of nature and of grace to all the prayers, to all the sufferings, to the whole oblation of the Son of Man, as his truly universal co-operator in the time of his sorrow: what wonder that she should, in the days of his glory, have a Bride's full share in the dispensation of the goods acquired in common, though differently, by the new Adam and the new Eve? Even if Jesus were not bound in justice to give it to her, who would expect such a Son to act otherwise?

Bossuet, who cannot be suspected of being carried away, and whom we therefore quote by preference, did not consider his necessary controversies with heresy an excuse for not following the doctrine of the saints. God, says he, having once willed to give us Jesus Christ by the holy Virgin, the gifts of God are without repentance, and this order remains unchanged. It is and ever will be true that, having received by her charity the universal principle of grace, we also receive through her mediation its various applications in all the different states whereof the Christian life is made up. Her maternal love, having contributed so much to our salvation in the mystery of the Incarnation, which is the universal principle of grace, will eternally contribute to it in all the other operations which are but dependent on the first.  

Theology recognises three principal operations of the grace of Jesus Christ: God calls us, justifies us, and gives us perseverance. Vocation is the first step; justification is our progress; perseverance ends the voyage and gives us in our true country glory and rest, which are not to be found on earth. Mary's charity takes part in these three works. Mary is the Mother of the called, of the justified, and of the persevering; her fruitful charity is a universal instrument of the operations of grace. '  

This noble language is an authentic testimony to the tradition of the holy Church of Gaul, which, by its Irenæus , its Bernard, its Anselm, and so many others, made France the kingdom of Mary. May the present teachers put to profit what they have inherited from their great predecessors, and continue to sound the inexhaustible depths of mystery in Mary; so that one day they may deserve to hear from her lips that word of Eternal Wisdom: They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

We borrow from the ancient processional of our English St. Editha the beautiful Responsory   Quæ est ista; after which we will give a series of other graceful Responsories written in metre, which are to be found in the Antiphoner of Sens, 1552. 

RESPONSORIES

R. Who is this that hath penetrated the heavens? At whose passage the Saviour came to meet her and introduced her into his Royal Chamber, where music and hymns resound: * Which the Angels sing unceasingly, forever praising the Eternal King.

V. O Virgin unspeakably venerable, to whom Michael the Archangel and all the angelic hosts pay honour, whom they behold exalted above the heaven of heavens.

* Which the Angels.

Glory be to the Father.

* Which the Angels.

R. Holy first fruits does the Son offer to his Father. * The virginal flower, lovely in its snowy whiteness.

V. No heat has scorched it , nor night-cold withered it. * The virginal flower.

R. Through the fruit of virginity, of the heavenly kingdom, * The loss incurred by eating the forbidden fruit is repaired.

V. The sacred hierarchy rejoices that its diminished number is restored, * The loss incurred.

R. After the fall, virginity is the first to recover heaven. * First of all in the Son, then in his Blessed Mother.

V. The heavenly ranks revere holy virginity. * First of all.

R. The gate of Zion enters the gate of closed Paradise. * Which our first mother had closed to herself and the whole world.

V. To the spotless Mother, the gate of heaven is opened. * Which our first.

R. The Blessed Virgin received the one thing she requested. * To enjoy the face of the Lord for all eternity. The divine bounty both prevented and surpassed her desire. * To enjoy.

R. While she mounts the fifteen steps to the palace of life. * The Virgin deserved to rise above the Angelic heights.

V. Next to her Son, the Mother merited to surpass all others. * The Virgin.

The Virgin brought forth the beautiful Spouse of the Church. * Who is both God and Man united in one Person.

V. Thus he placed his Mother with him on his heavenly throne. * Who is.

Glory be to the Father.

* Who is. 

The following hymn was composed by St. Peter Damian:

HYMN

As a brilliant aurora, Mary rises to the heights of heaven, glittering like the sun, most beautiful like the moon. Today the Queen of the world ascends to her throne of glory, the Mother of that Son who was begotten before the Day-Star. She is raised above the Angels and passes beyond the Archangels; this one woman surpasses all the merits of the Saints. Him, whom she had cherished in her bosom, she placed in a manger; now she beholds him King over all in the glory of his Father. O Virgin of virgins, implore for us thy Son: by thee he received of ours, through thee may he give us of his own. To thee, O Most High, be praise who wast born of the Virgin: be honour to thy ineffable Father and to the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

 

 

August 21 - St Jane Frances de Chantal

St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Widow and Foundress

Jane Frances de Chantal was born in Dijon, France, on 28 January 1572, the daughter of the royalist president of the Parliament of Burgundy. Her mother died when Jane was 18 months old. Her father became the main influence on her education. She developed into a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperament. She married the Baron de Chantal when she was 21 and then lived in the feudal castle of Bourbilly. Baron de Chantal was accidentally killed by an arquebus while out shooting in 1601. Left a widow at 28, with four children, the broken-hearted baroness took a vow of chastity. Her mother, step mother, sister, first two children and now her husband had died. Chantal gained a reputation as an excellent manager of the estates of her husband, as well as of her difficult father-in-law, while also providing alms and nursing care to needy neighbors.

During Lent in 1604, the pious baronness met Saint Francis de Sales, the bishop of Geneva who was preaching at the Sainte Chapelle in Dijon. They became close friends and de Sales became her spiritual director. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision. Later, with his support, and that of her father and brother (the archbishop of Bourges), and after providing for her children, Chantal left for Annecy, to start the Congregation of the Visitation. The Congregation of the Visitation was canonically established at Annecy on Trinity Sunday, 6 June 1610. The order accepted women who were rejected by other orders because of poor health or age. During its first eight years, the new order also was unusual in its public outreach, in contrast to most female religious who remained cloistered and adopted strict ascetic practices. The usual opposition to women in active ministry arose and Francis de Sales was obliged to make it a cloistered community following the Rule of St. Augustine. He wrote his Treatise on the Love of God for them. When people criticized her, Chantal famously said, "What do you want me to do? I like sick people myself; I'm on their side."

Her reputation for sanctity and sound management resulted in many visits by (and donations from) aristocratic women. The order had 13 houses by the time de Sales died, and 86 before Chantal herself died at the Visitation Convent in Moulins, aged 69. St. Vincent de Paul served as her spiritual director after de Sales' death. Her favorite devotions involved the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary. Chantal was buried in the Annecy convent next to de Sales. The order had 164 houses by 1767, when she was canonized. Chantal outlived her son (who died fighting Huguenots and English on the Île de Ré during the century's religious wars) and two of her three daughters, but left extensive correspondence. Her granddaughter also became a famous writer, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné.

August 21 - Seventh day within the Octave of the Assumption, Twelfth week after Pentecost

St Jane Frances de Chantal, Widow Foundress Congregation of the Visitation

     Double / White Vestments

           Missa 'Cognovi'

           

INTROIT - Psalm 118: 75, 120 

Cognovi, Domine, quia æquitas judicia tua, et in veritate tua humiliasti me: confige timore tuo carnes meas, a mandatis tuis timui. Ps. Beati immaculati in via: qui ambulant in lege Domini. Gloria Patri.

I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are equity, and in Thy truth Thou hast humbled me: pierce Thou my flesh with Thy fear, I am afraid of Thy judgments. Ps. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Glory be to the Father.

Francis de Sales meets Jane Frances de Chantal

COLLECT

Almighty and merciful God, Who didst endow blessed Jane Frances, burning with love of Thee, with an admirable strength of soul through all the paths of life in the way of perfection, and Who wast pleased to glorify Thy Church with a new family by her means, grant to her merits and prayers that we, who, conscious of our own infirmity, trust in Thy power, may, by the assistance of divine grace, conquer all obstacles which beset us. Through our Lord.

EPISTLE - Proverbs 31: 10-31

Who shall find a valiant woman? Far and from the uttermost coasts is the price of her. The heart of her husband trusteth in her, and he shall have no need of spoils. She will render him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She hath sought wool and flax, and hath wrought by the counsel of her hands. She is like the merchant's ship, she bringeth her bread from afar. And she hath risen in the night, and given prey to her household, and victuals to her maidens. She hath considered a field, and bought it: with the fruit of her hand she hath planted a vineyard. She hath girded her loins with strength, and hath strengthened her arm. She hath tasted and seen that her traffic is good: her lamp shall not be put out in the night. She hath put out her hand to strong things, and her fingers have taken hold of the spindle. She hath opened her hand to the needy, and stretched out her hands to the poor. She shall not fear for her house in the cold of snow: for all her domestics are clothed with double garments. She hath made for herself clothing of tapestry: fine linen and purple is her covering. Her husband is honourable in the gates, when he sitteth among the senators of the land. She made fine linen and sold it, and delivered a girdle to the Chanaanite. Strength and beauty are her clothing, and she shall laugh in the latter day. She hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on her tongue. She hath looked well to the paths of her house, and hath not eaten her bread idle. Her children rose up, and called her blessed: her husband, and he praised her. Many daughters have gathered together riches: thou hast surpassed them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: the woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her works praise her in the gates.

GRADUAL - Ps. 44: 3, 5 

Grace is poured abroad in thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever and for ages of ages. Because of truth, and meekness, and justice: and thy right hand shall conduct thee wonderfully.

ALLELUIA - Ps. 44: 5 

Alleluia, alleluia. With thy comeliness, and thy beauty set out, proceed prosperously, and reign. Alleluia.

GOSPEL - Matthew 13: 44-52

At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to His disciples: The kingdom of Heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field; which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like to a merchant seeking good pearls. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went his way and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all kinds of fishes; which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth. So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have ye understood all these things? They say to Him, Yes. He said unto them, Therefore, every scribe instructed in the kingdom of Heaven, is like to a man who is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.

OFFERTORY – Psalm: 44: 3

Grace is poured abroad in thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever and for ages of ages.

SECRET

May this saving Victim, O Lord, inflame us with that fire of love with which it vehemently kindled the heart of blessed Jane Frances, burning it away with the flames of eternal charity. Through our Lord.

COMMON PREFACE

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: through Christ our Lord. Through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise.

COMMUNION - Psalm 44: 8

Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

POSTCOMMUNION

Pour upon us, O Lord, the spirit of Thy love, that we, whom Thou hast filled with the virtue of the Heavenly bread, may, by the intercession of blessed Jane Frances, be made to despise earthly things and with pure minds seek only Thee, our God. Through our Lord.