Readings for the Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul

Readings
for the Memorial of

St. Vincent de Paul
Priest
September 27

Go to the Liturgy of the Hours

MASS

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON          Cf. Lk 4: 18
Spiritus Domini super me: propter quod unxit me, evangelizare pauperibus misit me, sanare contritos corde.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me
and sent me to preach the good news to the poor,
to heal the broken-hearted.

COLLECT
Deus, qui ad salutem pauperum et cleri institutionem beatum Vincentium presbyterum virtutibus apostolicis imbuisti, praesta, quaesumus, ut, eodem spiritu ferventes, et amemus quod amavit, et quod docuit operemur.
O God, who for the relief of the poor
and the formation of the clergy
endowed the Priest Saint Vincent de Paul
with apostolic virtues,
grant, we pray, that, afire with that same spirit,
we may love what he loved
and put into practice what he taught.
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          1 Cor 1:26-31
Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God,
as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
so that, as it is written,
Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM          Ps 112:1bc-2,3-4,5-7,7-8,9

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 mighty 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          John 10:14
Ego sum pastor bonus, dicit Dominus; et cognosco oves meas, et cognoscunt me meae.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.

GOSPEL          Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds,
his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Deus, qui beato Vincentio divina celebranti mysteria tribuisti quod tractabat imitari, concede, ut, huius sacrificii virtute, ipsi quoque in oblationem tibi acceptabilem transeamus.
O God, who enabled Saint Vincent
to imitate what he celebrated in the divine mysteries,
grant that by the power of this sacrifice
we, too, may be transformed into an oblation acceptable to you.
Through Christ our Lord.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON           Ps 107 (106): 8-9
Confiteantur Domino misericordiae eius, et mirabilia eius filiis hominum, quia satiavit animam inanem et animam esurientem satiavit bonis.
Let them thank the Lord for his mercy,
his wonders for the children of men,
for he satisfies the thirsty soul,
and the hungry he fills with good things.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Caelestibus, Domine, refecti sacramentis, supplices deprecamur, ut ad imitandum Filium tuum pauperibus evangelizantem, sicut exemplis beati Vincentii provocamur, ita et patrociniis adiuvemur.
Renewed by this heavenly Sacrament, O Lord,
we implore,
that just as we are prompted by Saint Vincent’s example
to imitate your Son in his preaching of the Gospel to the poor,
so, too, we may be sustained by his prayers.
Through Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Hours
St. Vincent de Paul, Priest

From the Common of Pastor or of Holy Men: those who work for the underprivileged, except the following:

Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From a writing by Saint Vincent de Paul, priest
(Epist. 2546: Correspondance, entretiens, documents, Paris 1922-1925, 7)

Serving the poor is to be our first preference

Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearances nor from the mental gifts they seem to have received. On the contrary, if you consider the poor in the light of faith, then you will observe that they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor. Although in his passion he almost lost the appearance of a man and was considered a fool by the Gentiles and a stumbling block by the Jews, he showed them that his mission was to preach to the poor: He sent me to preach the good news to the poor. We also ought to have this same spirit and imitate Christ’s actions, that is, we must take care of the poor, console them, help them, support their cause.

Since Christ willed to be born poor, he chose for himself disciples who were poor. He made himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty. He went so far as to say that he would consider every deed which either helps or harms the poor as done for or against himself. Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor. For when one person holds another dear, he also includes in his affection anyone who loves or serves the one he loves. That is why we hope that God will love us for the sake of the poor. So when we visit the poor and needy, we try to be understanding where they are concerned. We sympathize with them so fully that we can echo Paul’s words: I have become all things to all men. Therefore, we must try to be stirred by our neighbors’ worries and distress. We must beg God to pour into our hearts sentiments of pity and compassion and to fill them again and again with these dispositions.

It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer. Do not become upset or feel guilty because you interrupted your prayer to serve the poor. God is not neglected if you leave him for such service. One of God’s works is merely interrupted so that another can be carried out. So when you leave prayer to serve some poor person, remember that this very service is performed for God. Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity. Since she is a noble mistress, we must do whatever she commands. With renewed devotion, then, we must serve the poor, especially outcasts and beggars. They have been given to us as our masters and patrons.

RESPONSORY 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22; Job 29:15-16
Though I am not bound to anyone,
I became a slave to all.
To the weak I became weak.
– I became all things to all men
that I might at least save some.

I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame;
I was a father to the poor.
– I became all things to all men
that I might at least save some.

COLLECT
O God, who for the relief of the poor
and the formation of the clergy
endowed the Priest Saint Vincent de Paul
with apostolic virtues,
grant, we pray, that, afire with that same spirit,
we may love what he loved
and put into practice what he taught.
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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