Readings for the Feast of St. Hedwig

Readings
for the Feast of

SAINT HEDWIG
Religious
October 16

MASS

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON          Cf. Hos 2: 21-22
The Lord has taken her as his bride for ever in faithfulness and mercy.

OPENING PRAYER
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that the revered intercession of Saint Hedwig
may bring us heavenly aid,
just as her wonderful life
is an example of humility for all.
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 book of Sirach          26: 1-4, 16-21

Happy is the husband of a good wife; the number of his days will be doubled. A loyal wife rejoices her husband, and he will complete his years in peace. A good wife is a great blessing; she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord. Whether rich or poor, his heart is glad, and at all times his face is cheerful. A wife's charm delights her husband, and her skill puts fat on his bones. A silent wife is a gift of the Lord, and there is nothing so precious as a disciplined soul. A modest wife adds charm to charm, and no balance can weigh the value of a chaste soul. Like the sun rising in the heights of the Lord, so is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM          128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

ALLELUIA          John 8:31b-32
If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, says the Lord.

GOSPEL

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus' mother and his brethren came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brethren are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brethren?" And looking around on those who sat about him, He said, "Here are my mother and my brethren! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
God of all mercy,
you transformed St. Hedwig
and made her a new creature in your image.
Renew us in the same way
by making our gifts of peace acceptable to you.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON          Cf. Lam 3: 24-25
The Lord is my portion: he is good to the soul that seeks him

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
By the power of this Sacrament, Lord, we pray,
lead us always in your love,
through the example of Saint Hedwig,
and bring to fulfillment the good work you have begun in us
until the day of Christ Jesus.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Liturgy of the Hours
St. Hedwig

From the Common of Holy women: those who work for the underprivileged or religious, except for the following:

Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From the life of Saint Hedwig by a contemporary author
(Acta Sanctorum Octobria 8 [1853], 201-202a)

She Was Always Directed Towards God

Hedwig knew that those living stones that were to be placed in the building of the heavenly Jerusalem had to be smoother out by buffetings and pressures in this world, and that many tribulations would be needed before she could cross over into the glory of her heavenly homeland. And so she exposed herself completely to the waters of suffering and continually exhausted her body with rigorous chastisement. Because of such great daily fasts and abstinences she grew so thin that many wondered how such a feeble and delicate woman could endure these torments.

She afflicted herself with continual mortification of the flesh, but she did so with prudent discretion. The more attentively she kept watch, the more she grew in the strength of the spirit and in grace, and the more the fire of devotion and divine love blazed within her. She was often borne aloft with such ardent desire and impelled toward God that she would no longer be aware of the things that were around her.

Just as her devotion made her always seek after God, so her generous piety turned her toward her neighbor, and she bountifully bestowed alms on the needy. She gave aid to colleges and to religious persons dwelling within or outside monasteries, to widows and orphans, to the weak and the feeble, to leers and those bound in chains or imprisoned, to travelers and needy women nursing infants. She allowed no one who came to her for help to go away uncomforted.

And because this servant of God never neglected the practice of all good works, God also conferred on her such grace that when she lacked human means to do good, and her own powers failed, the divine power of the sufferings of Christ strengthened her to respond to the needs of her neighbors. And so through diving favor she had the power to relieve the bodily and spiritual troubles of all who sought her help.

RESPONSORY See Proverbs 31:17-18
She set herself to work with courage;
she put forth all her strength;
- therefore her lamp will never go out.

She has discovered how good it is
to work for the God of wisdom.
- Therefore her lamp will never go out.

PRAYER
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that the revered intercession of Saint Hedwig
may bring us heavenly aid,
just as her wonderful life
is an example of humility for all.
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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