Readings for the Feast of Saint Augustine of Canterbury

Readings for the Feast of Saint Augustine of Canterbury
Bishop
May 27

Entrance Song
I will look after my sheep, says the Lord, and I will raise up one shepherd who wil pasture them. I, the Lord, will be their God. - Ez. 34:11,23-24

Opening Prayer:
Father,
by the preaching of Saint Augustine of Canterbury,
you led the people of England to the gospel.
May the fruits of his work continue in your Church.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

First Reading
1 Thessalonians 2:2-8

Though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from error or uncleanness, nor is it made with guile; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never used either words of flattery, as you know, or a cloak for greed, as God is witness; nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Psalm Response:
Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations - Psalm 96:3

Gospel Reading
Matthew 9:35-38

Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Lord,
accept the gifts we bring to your holy altar
on this feast of Saint Augustine.
May our offering bring honor to your name
and pardon to your people.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon:
You have not chosen me; I have chosen you. Go and bear fruit that will last. - Jn. 15:16

Prayer after Communion
Lord,
may we who receive this sacrament
be inspired by the example of Saint Augustine of Canterbury.
May we learn to proclaim what he believed
and put his teaching into action
. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

The Liturgy of the Hours
Augustine of Canterbury

From the common of pastors, except for the following:

From the Office of Readings

SECOND READING
From a letter by Saint Gregory the Great, pope
(Lib 9, 36: MGH Epistolae, 2, 305-306)

The nation of Angles was bathed with the light of holy faith

Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth, because the grain of wheat has fallen into the earth and has died. Christ has died in order to reign in heaven. Not only that: by his death we live; by his weakness we are strengthened; by his passion we are freed from suffering; impelled by his love, we are seeking in Britain brothers whom we do not know; through his help we have found those for whom we were searching, although we were not acquainted with them.

Who, dear brother, is capable of describing the great joy of believers when they have learned what the grace of Almighty God and your own cooperation achieved among the Angles? They abandoned the errors of darkness and were bathed with the light of holy faith. With full awareness they trampled on the idols which they had previously adored with savage fear. They are now committed to Almighty God. The guidelines given them for their preaching restrain them from falling into evil ways. In their minds they are submissive to the divine precepts and consequently feel uplifted. They bow down to the ground in prayer lest their minds cling too closely to earthly things. Whose achievement is this? It is the achievement of him who said: My Father is at work until now and I am at work as well.

God chose illiterate preachers and sent them into the world in order to show the world that conversion is brought about not by men’s wisdom but rather by his own power. So in like manner God worked through weak instruments and wrought great things among the Angles. Dear brother, in this heavenly gift there is something which should inspire us with great fear and great joy.

For I know through your love for that people, specially chosen for you, that Almighty God has performed great miracles. But it is necessary that the same heavenly gift should cause you to rejoice with fear and to fear with gladness. You should be glad because by means of external miracles the souls of the Angles have been led to interior grace. But you should tremble, lest on account of these signs, the preacher’s own weak soul be puffed up with presumption; lest, while seeming externally raised aloft in honour, it fall internally as a result of vainglory.

We should remember that when the disciples on their joyous return from their preaching mission said to their heavenly master: Lord, in your name even devils were subjected to us, he immediately retorted: Do not rejoice about this but rather that your names are inscribed in heaven.

RESPONSORY Phil. 3:17; 4:9; 1 Cor. 1:10
Be imitators of me, my brothers,
and, as you have us as a model,
observe those who follow the example we set.
- Live, according to what you have learned and accepted,
what you have heard me say or seen me do,
and the God of peace will be with you.

I plead with you, my brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to agree among yourselves.
- Live, according to what you have learned and accepted,
what you have heard me say or seen me do,
and the God of peace will be with you.

PRAYER
Father,
by the preaching of Saint Augustine of Canterbury,
you led the people of England to the gospel.
May the fruits of his work continue in your Church.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

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