Readings
for the Feast of

The Passion of John the Baptist
Memorial
August 29



MASS


ENTRANCE ANTIPHON          Cf. Ps 119 (118): 46-47
Loquebar, Domine, de testimoniis tuis in conspectu regum, et non confundebar, et meditabar in mandatis tuis, quae dilexi nimis.
I spoke, O Lord, of your decrees before kings,
and was not confounded;
I pondered your commands and loved them greatly.


COLLECT
Deus, qui beatum Ioannem Baptistam et nascentis et morientis Filii tui Praecursorem esse voluisti, concede, ut, sicut ille veritatis et iustitiae martyr occubuit, ita et nos pro tuae confessione doctrinae strenue certemus.
O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist
should go ahead of your Son
both in his birth and in his death,
grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice,
we, too, may fight hard
for the confession of what you teach.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.


FIRST READING          Jeremiah 1:17-19
The word of the LORD came to me:
Gird your loins;
stand up and tell them
all that I command you.
Be not crushed on their account,
as though I would leave you crushed before them;
for it is I this day
who have made you a fortified city,
a pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
against the whole land:
against Judah’s kings and princes,
against its priests and people.
They will fight against you but not prevail over you,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.


RESPONSORIAL PSALM          71:1-2,34a,5-6ab, 15ab, 17
De ventri matris meae tu es susceptor meus.

R. (6) Since my mother's womb, you have been my strength.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. Since my mother's womb, you have been my strength.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. Since my mother's womb, you have been my strength.
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. Since my mother's womb, you have been my strength.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. Since my mother's womb, you have been my strength.


ALLELUIA          Matt. 5:10
Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter iustitiam, quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.


GOSPEL          Mark 6:17-29
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias' own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."
He even swore many things to her,
"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom."
She went out and said to her mother,
"What shall I ask for?"
She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."
The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request,
"I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.


PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Da nobis, Domine, per haec munera quae tibi offerimus, illam tuarum rectitudinem semitarum, quam beatus Ioannes, vox in deserto clamantis, edocuit, et, fuso sanguine, magna virtute signavit.
Through these offerings which we bring you, O Lord,
grant that we may make straight your paths,
as taught by that voice crying in the desert,
Saint John the Baptist,
who powerfully sealed his teaching
by the shedding of his blood.
Through Christ our Lord.


PREFACE           The mission of the Precursor
Vere dignum et iustum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere: Domine, sancte Pater, omnipotens aeterne Deus: per Christum Dominum nostrum. In cuius Praecursore beato Ioanne tuam magnificentiam collaudamus, quem inter natos mulierum honore praecipuo consecrasti. Qui cum nascendo multa gaudia praestitisset, et nondum editus exsultasset ad humanae salutis adventum, ipse solus omnium prophetarum Agnum redemptionis ostendit. Sed et sanctificandis etiam aquae fluentis ipsum baptismatis lavit auctorem, et meruit fuso sanguine supremum illi testimonium exhibere. Et ideo, cum caelorum Virtutibus, in terris te iugiter praedicamus, maiestati tuae sine fine clamantes: Sanctus.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

In his Precursor, Saint John the Baptist,
we praise your great glory,
for you consecrated him for a singular honor
among those born of women.

His birth brought great rejoicing;
even in the womb he leapt for joy
at the coming of human salvation.
He alone of all the prophets
pointed out the Lamb of redemption.

And to make holy the flowing waters,
he baptized the very author of Baptism
and was privileged to bear him supreme witness
by the shedding of his blood.

And so, with the Powers of heaven,
we worship you constantly on earth,
and before your majesty
without end we acclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts . . .


COMMUNION ANTIPHON          Jn 3: 27, 30
Respondit Ioannes: Illum oportet crescere, me autem minui.
John answered and said,
He must increase; but I must decrease.


PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Concede nobis, Domine, beati Ioannis Baptistae natale recensentibus, ut et salutaria sacramenta quae sumpsimus significata veneremur, et in nobis potius edita gaudeamus.
Grant, O Lord,
as we celebrate the heavenly birth of Saint John the Baptist,
that we may revere, for what it signifies,
the saving Sacrament we have received
and, even more, may rejoice
at its clear effects in us.
Through Christ our Lord.



 
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