Twenty-Fourth Sundy After Pentecost

From Dom Prosper Guéranger's Liturgical Year:

The number of the Sundays after Pentecost may exceed twenty-four, and go up as far as twenty-eight, according as Easter is each Year, more or less near to the vernal equinox. But, the Mass here given, is always reserved for the last; and the intervening ones, be their number what it may, are taken from the Sundays after the Epiphany, which, in that case, were not used at the beginning of the year.** This, however, does not apply to the Introit, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion, which, as we have already said, are repeated from the twenty-third Sunday.

During this brief period, the Church no longer dwells on the mysteries of our Lord’s infancy. She listens to His teachings and admires His miracles, but she selects no special circumstances of His life. The color of the vestments she uses on these Sundays is green; we have elsewhere explained its symbolism. Frequently a saint’s feast of a double rite falls on these same days; the Sunday’s Office is then omitted, and a mere commemoration is made of it.

INTROIT

Adore God, all ye his angels: Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Juda rejoiced.

Ps. The Lord hath reigned: let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad.

℣. Glory, etc. Adore.

COLLECT

Preserve, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy family by thy constant mercy; that, as it leans solely on the hope of heavenly grace, it may always be defended by thy protection. Through, etc.

SECOND COLLECT

Preserve us, O Lord, we beseech thee, from all dangers of soul and body: and by the intercession of the glorious and blessed Mary, the ever Virgin Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed apostles, Peter and Paul, of blessed N. (here is mentioned the titular saint of the church), and of all the saints, grant us in thy mercy, health and peace; that all adversities and errors being removed, thy Church may serve thee with undisturbed liberty.

A third Collect is added, at the choice of the priest.

EPISTLE

Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle, to the Colossians 3:12-17

Brethren, put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection: And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body: and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Christian, trained as he has been in the school of the Man-God who deigned to dwell upon this earth, should ever show mercy towards his fellow men. This world which has been purified by the presence of the Incarnate Word, would become an abode of peace if we were but to live in such manner as to merit the titles, given us by the apostle, of elect of God, holy, and beloved. The peace here spoken of should, first of all, fill the heart of every Christian and give it an uninterrupted joy, which would be ever pouring itself forth in singing the praises of God. But it is mainly on the Sundays that the faithful, by taking part with the Church in her psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, fulfil this duty so dear to their hearts. Let us, moreover, in our everyday life, practice the advice given us by the apostle, of doing all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order that we may in all things find favor with our heavenly Father.

GRADUAL

The Gentiles shall fear thy name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

℣. For the Lord hath built up Sion, and he shall be seen in his glory.

Alleluia, alleluia.

℣. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 13:24-30

At that time: Jesus spoke this parable to the multitude, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seeds in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the good man of the house coming said to him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it cockle? And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.

The kingdom of heaven, spoken of our by our Lord, is the Church Militant, the society of them that believe in Him. And yet, the field He has tilled with so much care is oversown with cockle; heresies have crept in, scandals have abounded; are we, on that account, to have misgivings about the foresight of the Master, who knows all things, and without whose permission nothing happens? Far from us be such a thought! He Himself tells us that these things must needs be. Man has been gifted with free will; it is for him to choose between good and evil; but God will turn all to His own greater glory. Heresies, then, like weeds in a field, may spring up in the Church; but the day must come when they will be uprooted; some of them will wither on the parent stems, but the whole cockle shall be gathered into bundles to burn. Where are now the heresies that sprang up in the first ages of the Church? And in another hundred years, what will have become of the heresy which, under the pretentious name of “the reformation,” has caused incalculable evil? It is the same with the scandals which rise up within the pale of the Church: they are a hard trial; but trials must come. The divine Husbandman wills not that this cockle be torn up, lest the wheat should suffer injury. First of all, the mixture of good and bad is an advantage; it teaches the good not to put their hopes in man, but in God. Then, too, the mercy of our Lord is so great that at times the very cockle is converted, by divine grace, into wheat. We must therefore have patience. But whereas it is while the men are asleep that the enemy oversows the field with cockle, it behooves us to pray for pastors, and ask their divine Master to bless them with that vigilance which is the primary condition of the flock being safe, and is so essential a quality in every bishop, that his very name is “one who watches.”

OFFERTORY

The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength, the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me: I shall not die, but live, and shall declare the works of the Lord.

SECRET

We offer thee, O Lord, this sacrifice of propitiation, that thou wouldst mercifully forgive us our sins, and guide our faltering hearts. Through, etc.

SECOND SECRET

Graciously grant us, O God our Savior, that by virtue of this Sacrament, thou mayst defend us from all enemies, both of soul and body; giving us grace in this life, and glory in the next.

A third Secret, at the choice is the priest, is added.

COMMUNION

All wondered at the words that came from the mouth of God.

POSTCOMMUNION

We beseech thee, O almighty God, that we may one day receive the effects of that salvation, of which we have received the pledge in these mysteries. Through, etc.

SECOND POSTCOMMUNION

May the oblation of this divine Sacrament, we beseech thee, O Lord, both cleanse and defend us; and, by the intercession of blessed Mary, the Virgin-Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, of blessed N. and of all the saints, free us from all sin, and deliver us from all adversity.

The third Postcommunion is at the choice of the priest.

VESPERS

The psalms and antiphons as earlier in the volume.

CAPITULUM (2 Corinthians 1)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation, who comforteth us in all our tribulations.

The hymn and versicle as earlier in the volume.

ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT

Gather up first the cockle and bind it into bundles to burn: but gather the wheat into my barn, saith the Lord.

LET US PRAY

Preserve, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy family by thy constant mercy; that, as it leans solely on the hope of heavenly grace, it may always be defend by thy protection. Through, etc.