Readings for the Feast of St. Monica

Readings for the Feast of St. Monica
Religious
August 27

MASS

ENTRANCE SONG See Proverbs 31:21,28
Honor the woman who fears the Lord. Her sons will bless her, and her husband praise her.

PRAYER
God of mercy,
comfort of those in sorrow,
the tears of St. Monica moved you to convert her son St. Augustine
to the faith of Christ.
By their prayers, help us to turn from our sims
and to find your loving forgiveness.
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.

FIRST READING Ecclesiasticus 26:1-4,13-16
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          Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11

R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
praise shall be always in my mouth.
My soul will glory in the LORD
that the poor may hear and be glad.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
Magnify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, who answered me,
delivered me from all my fears.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
Look to God that you may be radiant with joy
and your faces may not blush for shame.
In my misfortune I called,
the LORD heard and saved me from all distress.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
The angel of the LORD, who encamps with them,
delivers all who fear God.
Learn to savor how good the LORD is;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
Fear the LORD, you holy ones;
nothing is lacking to those who fear him.
The powerful grow poor and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.

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

GOSPEL          Luke 7:11-17
Jesus went to a city called Nain, and His disciples and a great crowd went with Him. As He drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." And He came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited His people!" And this report concerning Him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Lord,
may the gifts we present in memory of St. Monica
bring us your forgiveness and salvation.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON          Mt 13:45-46
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one rare pearl he sells everything he has and buys it.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
All-powerful God,
fill us with your light and love
by the sacrament we receive
on the feast of Saint Monica.
May we burn with love for your kingdom
and let our light shine before the world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Liturgy of the Hours
Monica

From the Common of Holy Women, except the following:

Morning Prayer

BENEDICTUS (Canticle of Zechariah)
Antiphon:
You answered her prayer, O Lord, you did not disregard her tears which fell upon the earth wherever she prayed.

PRAYER
God of mercy,
comfort of those in sorrow,
the tears of St. Monica moved you to convert her son St. Augustine
to the faith of Christ.
By their prayers, help us to turn from our sims
and to find your loving forgiveness.
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.

Evening Prayer

MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)
Antiphon: While in this world, Monica lived in Christ; the goodness of her life was so evident that the name of the Lord was praised in her faith and in her works.

PRAYER
God of mercy,
comfort of those in sorrow,
the tears of St. Monica moved you to convert her son St. Augustine
to the faith of Christ.
By their prayers, help us to turn from our sims
and to find your loving forgiveness.
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.

The Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From the Confessions of St. Augustine, bishop
(Lib. 9,10-11:CSEL 33, 215-219)

Let us gain eternal wisdom

The day was now approaching when my mother Monica would depart from this life; you know that day, Lord, though we did not. She and I happened to be standing by ourselves at a window that overlooked the garden in the courtyard of the house. At the time we were in Ostia on the Tiber. And so the two of us, all alone, were enjoying a very pleasant conversation, "forgetting the past and pushing on to what is ahead.." We were asking one another in the presence of the Truth - for you are the Truth - what it would be like to share the eternal life enjoyed by the saints, which "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, which has not even entered into the heart of man." We desired with all our hearts to drink from the streams of your heavenly fountain, the fountain of life.

That was the substance of our talk, though not the exact words. But you know, O Lord, that in the course of our conversation that day, the world and its pleasures lost all their attraction for us. My mother said, "Son, as far as I am concerned, nothing in this life now gives me any pleasure. I do not know why I am still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died. God has lavished his gifts on me in that respect, for I know that you have even renounced earthly happiness to be his servant. So what am I doing here?"

I do not really remember how I answered her. Shortly, within five days or thereabouts, she fell sick with a fever. Then one day during the course of her illness she became unconscious and for a while she was unaware of her surroundings. My brother and I rushed to her side, but she regained consciousness quickly. She looked at us as we stood there and asked in a puzzled voice: "Where was I?"

We were overwhelmed with grief, but she held her gaze steadily upon us, and spoke further: "Here you shall bury your mother." I remained silent as I held back my tears. However, my brother haltingly expressed his hope that she might not die in a strange country but in her own land, since her end would be happier there. When she heard this, her face was filled with anxiety, and she reproached him with a glance because he had entertained such earthly thoughts. Then she looked at me and spoke: "Look what he is saying." Thereupon she said to both of us, "Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern. One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be." Once our mother had expressed this desire as best she could, she fell silent as the pain of her illness increased.

RESPONSORY 1 Cor. 7:29,30,31;2:12
The time is growing short,
so we must rejoice as though we were not rejoicing;
we must work in the world yet without becoming immersed in it,
- for the world as we know it is passing away.

We have not adopted the spirit of the world.
- For the world as we know it is passing away.

PRAYER
God of mercy,
comfort of those in sorrow,
the tears of St. Monica moved you to convert her son St. Augustine
to the faith of Christ.
By their prayers, help us to turn from our sims
and to find your loving forgiveness.
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.

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