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TWENTY-SECOND OF JUNE

FEAST OF SAINT JOHN FISHER & THOMAS MORE, MARTYRS

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ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

The souls of the Saints

are rejoicing in heaven,

the Saints who followed

the footsteps of Christ,

and since for love of him

they shed their blood,

they now exult with Christ for ever.

OR:

These are the brave

who resisted the king’s command,

saying:

in this matter it is our duty to disobey.

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GLORIA

LATIN

Gloria in excelsis Deo

et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis.

Laudamus te,

benedicimus te,

adoramus te,

glorificamus te,

gratias agimus tibi propter

magnam gloriam tuam,

Domine Deus,

Rex cælestis,

Deus Pater omnipotens.

Domine Fili Unigenite,

Iesu Christe,

Domine Deus,

Agnus Dei,

Filius Patris,

qui tollis peccata mundi,

miserere nobis,

qui tollis peccata mundi,

suscipe deprecationem nostram.

Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,

miserere nobis.

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus,

tu solus Dominus,

tu solus Altissimus,

Iesu Christe,

cum Sancto Spiritu:

in gloria Dei Patris.

Amen.

ENGLISH

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you,

we bless you,

we adore you,

we glorify you,

we give you thanks for your great glory,

Lord God, heavenly King,

O God, almighty Father,

Lord Jesus Christ,

Only Begotten Son,

Lord God,

Lamb of God,

Son of the Father,

you take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us,

you take away the sins of the world,

receive our prayer;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

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COLLECT

O God, who in martyrdom

have brought true faith to its highest expression

graciously grant that,

strengthened through the intercession of

Saints John Fisher and Thomas More,

we may confirm by the witness of our life

the faith we profess with our lips.

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.

R.) Amen.

OR:

God of truth and justice,

by whose grace your servants

Saints John Fisher and Thomas More

stood forth as champions of your Church in this land,

grant us, we pray,

by their example and prayers,

that, following always a good conscience

and holding fast to the truth

we may at the last meet merrily with them

and be partakers for ever

in the inheritance of your saints in light.

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.

R.) Amen.

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FIRST READING

2 MACCABEES 6:18.21.24-31

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A READING FROM THE SECOND BOOK OF MACCABEES

(I AM GLAD TO SUFFER BECAUSE THE AWE WHICH HE INSPIRES IN ME.)

Eleazar, one of the foremost teachers of the Law,

a man already advanced in years

and of most noble appearance,

was being forced to open his mouth wide to swallow pig’s flesh.

Those in charge of the impious banquet, b

ecause of their long-standing friendship with him,

took him aside and privately urged him to have meat brought of a kind he could properly use,

prepared by himself,

and only pretend to eat the portions of sacrificial meat

as prescribed by the king.

“Such pretence” he said

“does not square with our time of life;

many young people would suppose that Eleazar at the age of ninety

had conformed to the foreigners’ way of life,

and because I had played this part for the sake

of a paltry brief spell of life might themselves

be led astray on my account;

I should only bring defilement and disgrace

on my old age.

Even though for the moment I avoid execution by man,

I can never, living or dead,

elude the grasp of the Almighty.

Therefore if I am man enough to quit this life here and now

I shall prove myself worthy of my old age,

and I shall have left the young

a noble example of how to make a good death,

eagerly and generously,

for the venerable and holy laws.”

With these words he went straight to the block.

His escorts, so recently well disposed towards him, turned against him after this declaration, which they regarded as sheer madness.

Just before he died under the blows, he groaned aloud and said,

“The Lord whose knowledge is holy sees clearly that, though I might have escaped death,

whatever agonies of body I now endure under this bludgeoning,

in my soul I am glad to suffer, because of the awe which he inspires in me.”

This was how he died,

leaving his death as an example of nobility and a record of virtue not only for the young but for the great majority of the nation.

The word of the Lord.

R.) Thanks be to God.

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1 PETER 4:12-19

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A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF SAINT PETER

(IT IS A BLESSING FOR YOU WHEN THEY INSULT YOU FOR BEARING THE NAME OF CHRIST.)

My dear people,

you must not think it unaccountable that you should be tested by fire.

There is nothing extraordinary in what has happened to you.

If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ,

be glad,

because you will enjoy a much greater gladness

when his glory is revealed.

It is a blessing for you when they insult you

for bearing the name of Christ,

because it means that you have the Spirit of glory,

the Spirit of God resting on your.

None of you should ever deserve to suffer

for being a murderer, a thief, a criminal

or an informer;

but if anyone of you should suffer for being a Christian,

then he is not to be ashamed of it;

he should thank God that he has been called one.

The time has come for the judgement to begin

at the household of God;

and if what we know now is only the beginning,

what will it be when it comes down to those who

refuse to believe God’s Good News?

If it is hard for a good man to be saved,

what will happen to the wicked and to sinners?

So even those whom God allows to suffer

must trust themselves to the constancy of the creator

and go on doing good.

The word of the Lord.