Readings
for the Memorial of
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Religious
June 21
MASS
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Cf. Ps 24 (23): 4, 3
Innocens manibus et mundo corde ascendet in montem Domini, et stabit in loco sancto eius.
The clean of hands and pure of heart
shall climb the mountain of the Lord
and stand in his holy place.
COLLECT
Deus, caelestium auctor donorum, qui in beato Aloisio miram vitae innocentiam cum paenitentia sociasti, eius meritis et intercessione concede, ut, innocentem non secuti, paenitentem imitemur.
O God, giver of heavenly gifts,
who in Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
joined penitence to a wonderful innocence of life,
grant, through his merits and intercession,
that, though we have failed to follow him in innocence,
we may imitate him in penitence.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
FIRST READING John 5:1-5
Beloved:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves also the one begotten by him.
In this way we know that we love the children of God
when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this,
that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 11
Tu es, Domine, pars heredidatis meae.
R. (see 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
ALLELUIA John 13:34
Mandatum novum do vobis, dicit Dominus, ut diligatis invicem, sicut dilexi vos.
I give you a new commandment:
Love one another as I have loved you.
GOSPEL Matthew 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Caelesti convivio fac nos, Domine, exemplo beati Aloisii, nuptiali veste semper indutos accumbere, ut ex huius participatione mysterii gratia tua divites efficiamur.
Grant us, O Lord,
that by the example of Saint Aloysius,
we may take our place at the heavenly banquet,
clothed always in our wedding garment,
so that, by participation in this mystery,
we may possess the riches of your grace.
Through Christ our Lord.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps 78 (77): 24-25
Panem caeli dedit eis, panem Angelorum manducavit homo.
God gave them bread from heaven;
man ate the bread of Angels
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Angelorum esca nutritos, fac nos, Domine, pura tibi conversatione servire, et, eius quem hodie colimus exemplo, in gratiarum semper actione manere.
Bring us, who have been fed
with the food of Angels, O Lord,
to serve you in purity of life,
and, following the example of Saint Aloysius,
whom we honor today,
may we persevere in constant thanksgiving.
Through Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Hours
Aloysius Gonzaga
From the Common of Holy Men: religious, except for the following:
Office of Readings
SECOND READING
From a letter to his mother by Saint Aloysius
(Acta Sanctorum, Iunii 5, 878)
God's mercies shall be my song for ever
May the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honored lady. Your letter found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way on to heaven at last and to praise God for ever in the land of the living; indeed I had hoped that before this time my journey there would have been over. If charity, as Saint Paul says, means to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are glad, then, dearest mother, you shall rejoice exceedingly that God in his grace and his love for you is showing me the path to true happiness, and assuring me that I shall never lose him.
The divine goodness, most honored lady, is a fathomless and shoreless ocean, and I confess that when I plunge my mind into thought of this it is carried away by the immensity and feels quite lost and bewildered there. In return for my short and feeble labours, God is calling me to eternal rest; his voice from heaven invites me to the infinite bliss I have sought so languidly, and promises me this reward for the tears I have so seldom shed.
Take care above all things, most honoured lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness; you would certainly do this if you mourned as dead one living face to face with God, one whose prayers can bring you in your troubles more powerful aid than they ever could on earth. And our parting will not be for long; we shall see each other again in heaven; we shall be united with our Saviour; there we shall praise him with heart and soul, sing of his mercies for ever, and enjoy eternal happiness. When he takes away what he once lent us, his purpose is to store our treasure elsewhere more safely and bestow on us those very blessings that we ourselves would most choose to have.
I write all this with the one desire that you and all my family may consider my departure a joy and favor and that you especially may speed with a mother’s blessing my passage across the waters till I reach the shore to which all hopes belong. I write the more willingly because I have no clearer way of expressing the love and respect I owe you as your son.
RESPONSORY Psalm 41:13;84:11
You upheld me because of my innocence;
- you let me stand in your sight for ever.
I would rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than live in the tents of the wicked.
- you let me stand in your sight for ever.
COLLECT
O God, giver of heavenly gifts,
who in Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
joined penitence to a wonderful innocence of life,
grant, through his merits and intercession,
that, though we have failed to follow him in innocence,
we may imitate him in penitence.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
The English translation of Psalm Responses, Alleluia Verses, Gospel Verses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); the English translation of Antiphons, Invitatories, Responsories, Intercessions, Psalm 95, the Canticle of the Lamb, Psalm Prayers, Non-Biblical Readings from The Liturgy of the Hours © 1973, 1974, 1975, ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL. All rights reserved. Used with permission.