Saint Pius of Pietrelcina
(Padre Pio) (1887-1968)
White
Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was a Capuchin friar who for more than fifty years bore the stigmata or the bleeding wounds of Jesus. He died a few days after the fiftieth anniversary of his receiving the stigmata, and over 100,000 people attended his funeral.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 131: 9
Your priests, O Lord, shall be clothed with justice; your holy ones shall ring out their joy.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, who, by a singular grace, gave the Priest Saint Pius a share in the Cross of your Son and, by means of his ministry, renewed the wonders of your mercy, grant that through his intercession we may be united constantly to the sufferings of Christ, and so brought happily to the glory of the resurrection. 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 : Proverbs 3:27-34
My son, do not refuse a kindness to anyone who begs it, if it is in your power to perform it. Do not say to your neighbour, ‘Go away! Come another time! I will give it you tomorrow’, if you can do it now. Do not plot harm against your neighbour as he lives unsuspecting next door. Do not pick a groundless quarrel with a man who has done you no harm. Do not emulate the man of violence, never model your conduct on his; for the wilful wrong-doer is abhorrent to the Lord, who confides only in honest men. The Lord’s curse lies on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the virtuous. He mocks those who mock, but accords his favour to the humble.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 14:2-5
R/ The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue.
He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm for ever.
Gospel Acclamation : James1:18
Alleluia, alleluia! By his own choice, the Father made us his children by the message of the truth, so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he created. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 8:16-18
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light. So take care how you hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we pray, the offerings placed on your altar in commemoration of blessed N., so that, as you brought him glory, you may, through these sacred mysteries, grant to us your pardon. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Mt 24: 46-47
Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds watching when he comes. Amen I say to you: He will put that servant in charge of all his property.
Prayer after Communion
May partaking at the heavenly table, almighty God, confirm and increase strength from on high in all who celebrate the feast day of blessed N., that we may preserve in integrity the gift of faith and walk in the path of salvation you trace for us. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The Christian life should be like a light that shines through the entire world. Light is one of the symbols that Jesus Christ uses to identify himself. He says, «I am the light of the world.» We all have been entrusted with this light of Christ. Sometimes we are ashamed of our faith; we feel timid talking about Jesus; we deny Jesus in the presence of non-Christians or those who speak mocking about Christians. How faithful are we to Christ? The past has happened and gone and there is not much we can do to change that than to seek the forgiveness of God for our failures. Christ is giving us one more opportunity today to rekindle our lights. Jesus once said he did not enter this world to judge it but to save it. Though he did not judge the world, many saw his way of life as a judgment on their own weakness and malice. Therefore, shamed by his strength and goodness, they attempted to destroy the light that Jesus was. «If they persecute me they will also persecute you,» Jesus told his disciples. There are many forms that persecution can take.