Readings for the Feast of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

Readings for the Feast of
St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Priest
July 5

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
The Spirit of God is upon me; he has anointed me. He sent me to bring good news to the poor, and to heal the brokenhearted. - Luke 4:18

OPENING PRAYER
Lord,
enable us to grasp in the spirit of Saint Paul,
the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ,
the wisdom which inspired Saint Anthony Zaccaria
to preach the message of salvation in your church.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

FIRST READING      2 Timothy 1:13-14, 2:1-3
Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM          Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R./ Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. or

R./ Blessed are they who delight in the law of the Lord. or

R./ The just will flourish like the palm tree in the garden of the Lord.

Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked,
nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
but delights in the law of the Lord
and meditates on his law day and night.
R./
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R./
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the Lord watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R./

GOSPEL READING       Matthew 10:13-16
And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Father of mercy,
we have these gifts to offer in honor of your saints
who bore witness to your mighty power.
May the power of the Eucharist
bring us your salvation.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON
I, the Lord, am with you always, until the end of the world. (Matt 28:20)

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord,
may the mysteries we receive
prepare us for the eternal joys
Saint Anthony Zaccaria won by his faithful ministry.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

The Liturgy of the Hours
Anthony Zaccaria

From the Common of Pastors; or of Holy Men: Teachers; or Religious; except the following

Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From a sermon to fellow members of his society by Saint Anthony Zaccaria, priest
(J.A. Gabutio, Historia Congregationis Clericorum Regularium S. Pauli, 1,8)

The follower of the apostle Paul

We are fools for Christ's sake: our holy guide and most revered patron was speaking about himself and the rest of the apostles, and about the other people who profess the Christian and apostolic way of life. But there is no reason, dear brothers, that we should be surprised or afraid; for the disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. We should love and feel compassion for those who oppose us, rather than abhor and despise them, since they harm themselves and do us good, and adorn us with crowns of everlasting glory while they incite God's anger against themselves. And even more than this, we should pray for them and not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by goodness. We should heap good works like red-hot coals of burning love upon their heads, as our Apostle urges us to do, so that when they become aware of our tolerance and gentleness they may undergo a change of heart and be prompted to turn in love to God.

In his mercy God has chosen us, unworthy as we are, out of the world, to serve him and thus to advance in goodness and to bear the greatest possible fruit of love in patience. We should take encouragement not only from the hope of sharing in the glory of God's children, but also from the hardships we undergo.

Consider your calling, dearest brothers; if we wish to think carefully about it we shall see readily enough that its basis demands that we who have set out to follow, admittedly from afar, the footsteps of the holy apostles and the other soldiers of Christ, should not be unwilling to share in their sufferings as well. We should keep running steadily in the race we have started, not losing sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection. And so since we have chosen such a great Apostle as our guide and father and claim to follow him, we should try to put his teaching and example into practice in our lives. Such a leader should not be served by faint-hearted troops, nor should such a parent find his sons unworthy of him.

RESPONSORY Acts 20:21,24; Romans 1:16
I have preached faith in our our Lord Jesus Christ,
and now I fear no danger.
- I do not count my life more precious than my work,
which is to finish my course,
the task of preaching and proclaiming
the good news of God's grace.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
- I do not count my life more precious than my work,
which is to finish my course,
the task of preaching and proclaiming
the good news of God's grace.

PRAYER
Lord,
enable us to grasp in the spirit of Saint Paul,
the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ,
the wisdom which inspired Saint Anthony Zaccaria
to preach the message of salvation in your church.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

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