Readings for the Feast of St. Januarius

Readings for the Feast of St. Januarius
(San Gennaro)
Bishop and Martyr
September 19

ENTRANCE SONG
Here is a true martyr who shed his blood for Christ; his judges could not shake him by their menaces, and so he won through to the kingdom of heaven.

PRAYER
God our Father,
enable us who honor the memory of St. Januarius
to share with him the joy of eternal life.
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. Amen.

FIRST READING          Hebrews 10:32-36
But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.

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          Jas 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation,
for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life.

GOSPEL          John 12: 24-26
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
God of love,
pour out your blessing on our gifts
and make our faith strong,
the faith which St. Januarius professed by shedding his blood.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Or:

Lord,
accept these gifts we present in memory of St. Januarius
for no temptation could turn him away from you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON          John 15:15
I am the vine and you are the branches, says the Lord; he who lives in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord,
we are renewed by the mystery of the eucharist.
By imitating the fidelity of St. Januarius and by your patience
may we come to share the eternal life you have promised.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Liturgy of the Hours
St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr

From the Common of One Martyrs, except the following:

Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From a Sermon by Saint Augustine, Bishop
(Sermo 340,1 PL 38, 1483-1484)

For You I Am a Bishop, With You I Am a Christian

The day I became a bishop, a burden was laid on my shoulders for which it will be no easy task to render an account. The honors I receive are for me an ever present cause of uneasiness. Indeed, it terrifies me to think that I could take more pleasure in the honor attached to my office, which is where its danger lies, than in your salvation, which ought to be its fruit. This is why being set above you fills me with alarm, whereas being with you gives me comfort. Danger lies if the first; salvation in the second.

To be honest with you, my obligations involve me in so much turmoil that I feel as though I were tossed by storms on a great ocean. When I remember by whose blood I have been redeemed, this thought brings me peace, as though I were entering the safety of a harbor; and I am consoled, as I carry out the arduous duties of my own particular office, by the blessings which we all have in common. By finding my chief you therefore in the redemption, which I share with you, and not in my office, which has placed me over you, I shall the more truly be your servant; and so not only fulfill the Lord’s command, but also show myself not ungrateful to him for making me your fellow servant. For my Redeemer has a claim upon my love, and I do not forget how he questioned Peter, and asked: Do you love me, Peter? Then feed my sheep. He asked this once, then again and then a third time. He inquired about his love, and then he gave him work to do; for the greater one’s love is, the easier is the work.

How shall I repay the Lord for all the blessings he has given me? I could say perhaps that I repay him by feeding his sheep, but even though I do this, it is not really I who do it, but the grace of God within me. So when all that I do is the gift of God’s grace, how can I possibly repay him? As a matter of fact, I hope to be repaid myself, and this for the very reason that I love him freely and feed his sheep. But, you may ask, if I feed his sheep because I love him freely, how can I demand payment for feeding them? It is indeed unthinkable to ask for a recompense for love freely given unless that recompense is the loved one himself.

But even if feeding his sheep could repay him for redeeming me, what could repay him for having made me his shepherd? To be a good shepherd I depend entirely on his grace, for without his help I should be a very bad one, there is so much evil in me. Pray, then, that I may not be a bad shepherd, but a good one.

And for you, my brothers, I also pray and warn you against failing to cooperate with the grace you receive from God. Make my ministry a fruitful one. You are God’s garden, and you should therefore welcome the laborer who does the visible work of planting and watering the seed, even though the growth comes from one who works invisibly within you. Help me both by your prayers and by your obedience, for then it will be a pleasure for me, not to preside over you, but to serve you.

RESPONSORY
He was a true martyr, who shed his blood for the name of Christ.
- Fearless of the threats of judges and indifferent to worldly honors,
he attained the kingdom of heaven.

The Lord guided the just man on the right path
and showed him God's kingdom.
- Fearless of the threats of judges and indifferent to worldly honors,
he attained the kingdom of heaven.

PRAYER
God our Father,
enable us who honor the memory of St. Januarius
to share with him the joy of eternal life.
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. Amen.

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