28 August

SAINT AUGUSTINE

BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Patron of the whole Canonical Order

SOLEMNITY

 

 

Entrance Antiphon                                                                 Si 15:5

In the midst of the assembly the Lord opened his mouth.

He filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding.

He clothed him in a robe of glory.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord God,

renew in your Church

the spirit with which you endowed Saint Augustine.

Filled with that same spirit,

may we thirst for you alone,

the fountain of true wisdom,

and seek you, the source of divine love.

We ask 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                                                                          Si 50:5-14

A reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus

 

How splendid he was with the people thronging around him, when he emerged from the curtained shrine, like the morning star among the clouds, like the moon at the full, like the sun shining on the Temple of the Most High, like the rainbow gleaming amongst brilliant clouds, like a rose in springtime, like a lily by a spring, like a branch of the incense tree in summer, like fire and incense in the censer, like a massive golden vessel encrusted with every kind of precious stone, like an olive tree, laden with fruit, like a cypress soaring in the clouds; when he took his ceremonial robe and put on his magnificent ornaments, when he went up to the holy altar, and filled the sanctuary precincts with his grandeur; when he received the portions from the hands of the priests, himself standing by the altar, crowned with the circle of his brothers, as a cedar of Lebanon is by its foliage, as though surrounded by the trunks of palm trees. When all the sons of Aaron in their glory, with the offerings of the Lord in their hands, stood before the whole assembly of Israel.

 

The word of the Lord.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                                                         Ps 132

 

R/. How good and how pleasant it is, when brothers live in unity.

 

How good and how pleasant it is,

when brothers live in unity. R/.

 

It is like the precious oil upon the head

running down upon the beard,

running down upon Aaron’s beard

upon the collar of his robes. R/.

 

It is like the dew of Hermon

which falls on the heights of Sion.

For there the Lord gives his blessing,

life for ever. R/.

 

Second Reading                                                                      I Jn 4:7-16

A reading from the First Letter of Saint John

 

My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love. This is the revelation of God’s love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him. Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins. My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love each other God remains in us and his love comes to perfection within us. This is the proof that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us a share in his Spirit. We ourselves have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have recognized for ourselves, and put our faith in, the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.

 

The word of the Lord.

 

Gospel Acclamation                                                               Jn:15:l3

Alleluia, Alleluia.

No one can have greater love, than to lay down his life for his friends. Alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                           Jn 17:1,14—21

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.

 

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

I passed your word on to them and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in the truth. I pray not only for these, but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me. May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me, and I in you, so that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.

 

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord of mercy,

as we celebrate this memorial of our salvation,

we humbly pray that this sacrament of your love

may be for us a sign of unity

and a bond of charity.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

 

Preface

V/. The Lord be with you.

R/. And also with you.

 

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 to give him thanks and praise.

 

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,

we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So perfectly did Christ turn the heart of Augustine

to you, Father,

that he became an outstanding witness to the power of your grace,

and filled your Church with the radiant light of his teaching.

 

You pierced his heart with the sweet wound of your love

and filled him with such zeal for your glory,

that he never tired of feeding his flock

with the food of sound doctrine.

You answered his yearning for perfection

by inspiring him to gather his clergy into community,

thus enhancing the sacred ministry

by the profession of the religious life.

 

And so, with angels and archangels,

and with all the heavenly host,

we proclaim your glory

and join in their unending hymn of praise:

 

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

 

Communion Antiphon                                                            Lk 12:42

This is the faithful and wise servant, whom the Lord has put in charge of his household, to give them their share of food at the appointed time.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord,

may our sharing at the table of Christ make us holy.

May we be transformed into what we have received

and become members of his body.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.