Readings for the Memorial of St. Cajetan

Readings
for the Memorial of

St. Cajetan
Priest
August 7

Go to the Liturgy of the Hours

MASS

From the Common of Pastors: For one Pastoror from the Common of Holy Men and Women: For Religious.

COLLECT
Deus, qui beato Caietano presbytero apostolicam vivendi formam imitari tribuisti, eius nobis exemplo et intercessione concede in te semper confidere, et regnum tuum indesinenter quaerere.
O God,
who endowed the Priest Saint Cajetan
with the grace of imitating the apostolic way of life,
grant us, through his example and intercession,
to trust in you at all times
and to seek unceasingly your Kingdom.
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          Sirach 2:7-11
You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy,
turn not away lest you fall.
You who fear the LORD, trust him,
and your reward will not be lost.
You who fear the LORD, hope for good things,
for lasting joy and mercy.
You who fear the Lord, love him
and your hearts will be enlightened.
Study the generations long past and understand;
has anyone hoped in the LORD and been disappointed?
Has anyone persevered in his commandments and been forsaken?
Has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed?
Compassionate and merciful is the LORD;
he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble
and he is a protector to all who seek him in truth.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM            112:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7b-8, 9

R. (1) Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be might upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R. Alleluia.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R. Alleluia.
An evil report he shall not fear.
His heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R. Alleluia.
Lavishly he gives to the poor,
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord. or: R. Alleluia.

ALLELUIA
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

GOSPEL          Luke 12:32-34
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."

The Liturgy of the Hours
St. Cajetan

From the Common of Pastors, or of Holy Men, religious, except for the following:

The Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From a letter by Saint Cajetan, priest
(Epist. ad Elizabeth Porto: Studi e Testi 177. Citta del Vaticano 1954, pp 50-51)

Christ dwells in our hearts

I am a sinner and do not think much of myself; I have recourse to the greatest servants of the Lord, that they may pray for you to the blessed Christ and his Mother. But do not forget that all the saints can not endear you to Christ as much as you can yourself. It is entirely up to you. If you want Christ to love you and help you, you must love him and always make an effort to please him. Do not waver in your purpose, because even if all the saints and every single creature should abandon you, he will always be near you, whatever your needs.

You know, of course, that we are pilgrims in this world, on a journey to our true home in heaven. The man who becomes proud loses his way and rushes to death. While living here we should strive to gain eternal life. Yet of ourselves we cannot achieve this since we have lost it through sin; but Jesus Christ has recovered it for us. For this reason we must always be grateful to him and love him. We must always obey him, and as far as possible remain united with him.

He has offered himself to be our food. How wretched is the man who knows nothing of such a gift! To us has been given the opportunity to receive Christ, son of the Virgin Mary, and we refuse him. Woe to the man who does not care enough to receive him. My daughter, I want what is good for myself; I beg the same for you. Now there is no other way to bring this about than to ask the Virgin Mary constantly to come to you with her glorious Son. Be bold! Ask her to give you her Son, who in the blessed sacrament of the altar is truly the food of your soul. Readily will she give him to you, still more readily will he come to you, giving you the strength to make your way fearlessly through this dark wood. In it large numbers of our enemies lie in wait, but they cannot reach us if they see us relying on such powerful help.

Nor, my child, must you receive Jesus Christ simply as a means to further your own plans; I want you to surrender to him, that he my welcome you and, as your divine Savior, do to you and in you whatever he wills. This is what I want, this is what I beg of you, this, as far as I can, is what I compel you to do.

RESPONSORY
Let us praise the fame of this holy man
and his boundless love.
- Turning aside worldly pleasures, he gained eternal life.

For to him life was Christ, and death was gain.
- Turning aside worldly pleasures, he gained eternal life.

COLLECT
O God,
who endowed the Priest Saint Cajetan
with the grace of imitating the apostolic way of life,
grant us, through his example and intercession,
to trust in you at all times
and to seek unceasingly your Kingdom.
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.

The English translation of Psalm Responses, Alleluia Verses, Gospel Verses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); the English translation of Antiphons, Invitatories, Responsories, Intercessions, Psalm 95, the Canticle of the Lamb, Psalm Prayers, Non-Biblical Readings from The Liturgy of the Hours © 1973, 1974, 1975, ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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