Saint Boniface

Readings for the Feast of St. Boniface
Bishop and Martyr
June 5 23

Entrance Song
These are holy men who became God's friends and glorious herlads of his truth.

Opening Prayer:
Lord,
your martyr Boniface
spread the faith by his teaching
and witnessed to it with his blood.
By the help of his prayers
keep us loyal to our faith
and give us courage to profess it in our lives.
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
Acts 26:19-23

Paul testified: "Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles."

Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 31:3-4, 6, 7, 8, 17, 21
R./ Into you hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Incline your ear to me; make haste to rescue me!
Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to save me.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name's sake lead and guide me.
R./ Into you hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, LORD, faithful God.
R./ Into you hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
You hate those who serve worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD
R./ Into you hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
I will rejoice and be glad in your love,
once you have seen my misery, observed my distress.
R./ Into you hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your kindness.
R./ Into you hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
You hide us in the shelter of your presence,
safe from scheming enemies.
You keep us in your abode,
safe from plotting tongues.
R./ Into you hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Gospel Reading
John 10:11-16

Jesus said: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know My own and My own know Me, as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed My voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

Prayer over the gifts
All-powerful God,
look upon the gifts we bring on this feast
in honor of Saint Boniface.
May we who celebrate the mystery of the death of the Lord
imitate the love we celebrate.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon:
I will feed my sheep, says the Lord, and give them repose. - (Ezekiel 34:15)

Prayer after Communion

Lord,
Saint Boniface worked tirelessly for the faith,
spending his life in its service.
With the power this eucharist gives
make your people strong in the same true faith
and help us to proclaim it everywhere
by all we say and do.
Grant this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

From the Daily Office

From the common of one martyr or of pastors, except for the following:

From the Office of Readings

From a letter on the martyrdom of Saint Boniface
(Ep. 78: MGH, Epistolae,3, 352-354)

The careful shepherd watches over Christ's flock

In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.

The ancient fathers showed us how we should carry out this duty: Clement, Cornelius and many others in the city of Rome, Cyprian at Carthage, Athanasius at Alexandria. They all lived under emperors who were pagans; they all steered Christ’s ship – or rather his most dear spouse, the Church. This they did by teaching and defending her, by their labours and sufferings, even to the shedding of blood.

I am terrified when I think of all this. Fear and trembling came upon me and the darkness of my sins almost covered me. I would gladly give up the task of guiding the Church which I have accepted if I could find such an action warranted by the example of the fathers or by holy Scripture.

Since this is the case, and since the truth can be assaulted but never defeated or falsified, with our tired mind let us turn to the words of Solomon: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own prudence. Think on him in all your ways, and he will guide your steps. In another place he says: The name of the Lord is an impregnable tower. The just man seeks refuge in it and he will be saved.

Let us stand fast in what is right and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to him: O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.

Let us trust in him who has placed this burden upon us. What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ. For he is all-powerful and he tells us: My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Let us continue the fight on the day of the Lord. The days of anguish and of tribulation have overtaken us; if God so wills, let us die for the holy laws of our fathers, so that we may deserve to obtain an eternal inheritance with them.

Let us be neither dogs that do not bark nor silent onlookers nor paid servants who run away before the wolf. Instead let us be careful shepherds watching over Christ’s flock. Let us preach the whole of God’s plan to the powerful and to the humble, to rich and to poor, to men of every rank and age, as far as God gives us the strength, in season and out of season, as Saint Gregory writes in his book of Pastoral Instruction.

RESPONSORY 1 Thessalonians 2:8; Galatians 4:19
I have longed to give you the Gospel,
and more than that, to give you my very life;
- you have become very dear to me.

My little children, I am like a mother giving birth to you,
until Christ is formed in you.
- you have become very dear to me.

PRAYER
Lord,
your martyr Boniface
spread the faith by his teaching
and witnessed to it with his blood.
By the help of his prayers
keep us loyal to our faith
and give us courage to profess it in our lives.
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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