Readings
for the Feast of
SAINT IRENAEUS
Bishop and Martyr
June 21
MASS
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Matthew 7:25
This holy man fought to the death for the law of his God, never cowed by the threats of the wicked; his house was built on solid rock.
OPENING PRAYER
Father,
you called St. Irenaeus to uphold your truth
and bring peace to your Church.
By his prayers renew us in faith and love
that we may always be intent
on fostering unity and peace.
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.
A reading from the second letter of Paul to Timothy 2:22b-26
Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
RESPONSORIAL PSALM 37:3-4,5-6,30-31
R. (30a) The mouth of the just tells of wisdom.
Trust in the Lord and do good
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the Lord
and he will grant you your heart's requests.
R. The mouth of the just tells of wisdom.
Commit to the Lord your way;
trust in him and he will act
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.
R. The mouth of the just tells of wisdom.
The mouth of the just tells of wisdom;
and his tongue utters what is right.
The law of his God is in his heart
and his steps do not falter.
R. The mouth of the just tells of wisdom.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 22:34-40
Jesus prayed for his disciples: "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold My glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Lord,
as we celebrate the feast of Saint Irenaeus
may this Eucharist bring you glory,
increase our love of truth,
and help your Church to remain firm in faith and unity.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Mt. 16:14
If anyone wishes to come after me, he must renounce himself, take up his cross, and follow me, says the Lord.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord,
by these holy mysteries increase our faith.
As the holy bishop Irenaeus reached eternal glory
by being faithful until death,
so may we be saved by living our faith.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Hours
From the Common of One Martyr or of Pastors, except for the following:
Morning Prayer
BENEDICTUS (Canticle of Zechariah)
Antiphon:
Irenaeus, true to his name, made peace the aim and object of his life, and he labored strenously for the peace of the church.
Office of Readings
SECOND READING
From the treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop
(Lib. 4, 20, 5-7; SC 100, 640-642, 644-648)
Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God
The glory of God gives life; those who see God receive life. For this reason God, who cannot be grasped, comprehended or seen, allows himself to be seen, comprehended and grasped by men, that he may give life to those who see and receive him. It is impossible to live without life, and the actualization of life comes from participation in God, while participation in God is to see God and enjoy his goodness.
Men will therefore see God if they are to live; through the vision of God they become immortal and attain to God himself. As I have said, this was shown in symbols by the prophets: God will be seen by men who bear his Spirit and are always waiting for his coming. As Moses said in the Book of Deuteronomy: On that day we shall see, for God will speak to man, and man will live.
God is the source of all activity throughout creation. He cannot be seen or described in his own nature and in all his greatness by any of his creatures. Yet he is certainly not unknown. Through his Word the whole creation learns that there is one God the Father, who holds all things together and gives them their being. As it is written in the Gospel: No man has ever seen God, except the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father; he has revealed him.
From the beginning the Son is the one who teaches us about the Father; he is with the Father from the beginning. He was to reveal to the human race visions of prophecy, the diversity of spiritual gifts, his own ways of ministry, the glorification of the Father, all in due order and harmony, at the appointed time and for our instruction. Where there is order, there is also harmony; where there is harmony, there is also correct timing; where there is correct timing, there is also advantage.
The Word became the steward of the Father's grace for the advantage of men, for whose benefit he made such wonderful arrangements. He revealed God to men and presented men to God. He safeguarded the invisibility of the Father to prevent man from treating God with contempt and to set before him a constant goal toward which to make progress. On the other hand, he revealed God to men and made him visible in many ways to prevent man from being totally separated from God and so cease to be. Life in man is the glory of God: the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation gives life to all who live upon the earth, much more does the manifestation of the Father through the Word give life to those who see God.
RESPONSORY Malachi 2:6; Psalm 89:22
True teaching was in his mouth;
no evil was ever found on his lips.
- He walked with me in goodness and in peace.
My hand will be a steady help to him;
my arm will give him strength.
- He walked with me in goodness and in peace.
PRAYER
Father,
you called St. Irenaeus to uphold your truth
and bring peace to your Church.
By his prayers renew us in faith and love
that we may always be intent
on fostering unity and peace.
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.