Readings for the Feast of St. Denis and companions

Readings for the Feast of St. Denis and companions
Pope and Martyrs
August 7

MASS

ENTRANCE SONG
The blood of the holy Martyrs was poured out for Christ upon the earth; therefore they have gained everlasting rewards.

Or:

The souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead, but they are in peace.

PRAYER
O God,
who sent Saint Denis and his companions
to preach your glory to the nations
and strengthened them for their mission
with the virtue of constancy in suffering,
grant, we pray, that we may imitate them
in disdaining prosperity in this world
and in being undaunted by any trial.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

FIRST READING

A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians          6:4-10

As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM          126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

R. (5) Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

ALLELUIA          John 8:12
I am the light of the world, says the Lord:
whoever follows me will have the light of life.

GOSPEL

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew          5:13-16

"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Look with favor, we pray, O Lord,
upon these sacrificial gifts offered here
that, celebrating in mystery the Passion of your Son,
we may, by following the example of blessed St. Denis and his companions,
honor it with loving devotion.
Through Christ our Lord.

Or:

May this sacrifice, O Lord,
which we bring for the triumph of blessed St. Denis and his companions,
constantly kindle in our hearts the fire of your love
and prepare them for the rewards
you have promised to those who persevere.
Through Christ our Lord..

COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Neither death nor life nor any created thing will be able to separate us from the love of Christ.          (Romans 8:38-39)

Or:

The hairs on your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.           (Mt 10: 30, 31)

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Having been fed, O Lord,
on the commemoration of your blessed Martyrs St. Denis and his companions,
with the precious Body and Blood of your Only Begotten Son,
we humbly pray:
grant that by steadfast charity we may abide in you,
draw life from you, and to you be drawn.
Through Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Hours
St. Denis and his Companions, Martyrs

From the Common of Several Martyrs, except the following:

Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From a commentary on Psalm 118 by Saint Ambrose, bishop
(Sermo 20, 47-50; CSEL 62, 467-469)

Be a Faithful and Courageous Witness

As there are many kinds of persecution, so there are many kinds of martyrdom. Every day you are a witness to Christ. You were tempted by the spirit of fornication, but feared the coming judgment of Christ and did no want your purity of mind and body to be defiled: you are a martyr for Christ. You were tempted by the spirit of avarice to seize the property of a child and violate the rights of a defenseless widow, but remembered God’s law and saw your duty to give help, not act unjustly: you are a witness to Christ. Christ wants witnesses like this to stand ready, as Scripture says: Do justice for the orphan and defend the widow. You were tempted by the spirit of pride but saw the poor and the needy and looked with loving compassion on them, and loved humility rather than arrogance: you are a witness to Christ. What is more, your witness was not in word only but also in deed.

Who can give greater witness than one who acknowledges that the Lord Jesus has come in the flesh and keeps the commandments of the Gospel? One who hears but does not act, denies Christ. Even if he acknowledges him by his words, he denies him by his deeds. How many will say to Christ: Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy and cast out devils and work many miracles, all in your name? On that day he will say to them: Depart from me, all you evildoers. The true witness is one who bears witness to the commandments of the Lord Jesus and supports that witness by deeds.

How many hidden martyrs there are, bearing witness to Christ each day and acknowledging Jesus as the Lord! The Apostle knew this kind of martyrdom, this faithful witness to Christ. This is our boast, he said, the witness of our conscience. How many have borne witness in public but denied it in private! Do not believe every spirit, he said, but know from their fruits whom you should believe. Be faithful and courageous when you are persecuted within, so that you may win approval when you are persecuted in public. Even in those unseen persecutions there are kings and governors, judges with terrible power. You have an example in the temptation endured by the Lord.

In another place we read: Do not let sin be king in your mortal body. You see the kings before whom you are made to stand, those who sit in judgment over sinners, where sin is in control. There are as many kings as there are sins and vices; it is before these kings that we are led and before these we stand. These kings have their thrones in many hearts. But if anyone acknowledges Christ, he immediately makes a prisoner of this kind of king and casts him down from the throne of his own heart. How shall the devil maintain his throne in one who builds a throne for Christ in his heart?

RESPONSORY
These saints of God underwent a great struggle;
passing through fire and water, they were saved
- and received crowns of glory
from the Lord our God.

They sacrificed their lives to bear witness to God.
- and received crowns of glory
from the Lord our God.

PRAYER
O God,
who sent Saint Denis and his companions
to preach your glory to the nations
and strengthened them for their mission
with the virtue of constancy in suffering,
grant, we pray, that we may imitate them
in disdaining prosperity in this world
and in being undaunted by any trial.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

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