Readings
for the Memorial of
St. Antony of Egypt
Desert Father
Patriarch of all MonksJanuary 17
+356
MASS
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Ps 91:13-14
Iustus ut palma florebit, sicut cedrus Libani multiplicabitur, plantatus in domo Domini, in atriis domus Dei nostri.
The just will flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a Lebanon cedar,
planted in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
COLLECT
Deus, qui beato Antonio abbati tribuisti mira tibi in deserto conversatione servire, eius nobis interventione concede, ut, abnegantes nosmetipsos, te iugiter super omnia diligamus.
O God, who brought the Abbot Saint Anthony
to serve you by a wondrous way of life in the desert,
grant, through his intercession,
that, denying ourselves,
we may always love you above all things.
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 Ephesians 6:10-13, 18
Brothers and sisters:
Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.
Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm
against the tactics of the Devil.
For our struggle is not with flesh and blood
but with the principalities, with the powers,
with the world rulers of this present darkness,
with the evil spirits in the heavens.
Therefore, put on the armor of God,
that you may be able to resist on the evil day
and, having done everything, to hold your ground.
With all prayer and supplication,
pray at every opportunity in the Spirit.
To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication
for all the holy ones.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 11
Tu es, Domine, pars heredidatis meae.
R. (see 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
ALLELUIA John 8:31b-32
Si manseritis in sermone meo, vere discipuli mei estis, et cognoscetis veritatem, dicit Dominus.
If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, says the Lord.
GOSPEL Matthew 19:16-26
Someone approached Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He asked him, "Which ones?"
And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The young man said to him,
"All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
"Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible."
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Accepta tibi sint, Domine, quaesumus, munera nostrae servitutis, pro beati Antonii commemoratione altari tuo proposita, et concede, ut, a terrenis impedimentis absoluti, te solo divites efficiamur.
May these offerings of our service,
placed on your altar in commemoration of Saint Anthony,
be acceptable to you, O Lord, we pray,
and grant that, released from earthly attachments,
we may have our riches in you alone.
Through Christ our Lord.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Cf. Matt 19:21
Si vis perfectus esse, vade, vende quae habes, et da pauperibus, et sequere me, dici Dominus.
If you would be perfect,
go, sell what you have, give to the poor,
and follow me, says the Lord.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Sacramentis tuis, Domine, salubriter enutritos, cunctas fac nos semper insidias inimici superare, qui beato Antonio dedisti contra potestates tenebrarum claras referre victorias.
Nourished for our healing by your Sacraments, O Lord,
may we escape every snare of the enemy unharmed,
just as by your grace Saint Anthony won glorious victories
over the powers of darkness.
Through Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Hours
Antony of Egypt
From the Common of Holy Men, Religious, except the following:
Office of Readings
From the Life of Saint Anthony by St. Athanasius, bishop
(Cap. 2-4: PG 26, 842-846)
Saint Anthony receives his vocation
Not six months after his parents’ death, as he was on his way to church for his usual visit, he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Saviour, and also of those mentioned in the book of Acts who had sold their possessions and brought the apostles the money for distribution to the needy. He reflected too on the great hope stored up in heaven for such as these. This was all in his mind when, entering the church just as the Gospel was being read, he heard the Lord’s words to the rich man: If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor – you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.
It seemed to Anthony that it was God who had brought the saints to his mind and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him. Immediately he left the church and gave away to the villagers all the property he had inherited, about 200 acres of very beautiful and fertile land, so that it would cause no distraction to his sister and himself. He sold all his other possessions as well, giving to the poor the considerable sum of money he collected. However, to care for his sister he retained a few things.
The next time he went to church he heard the Lord say in the Gospel: Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Without a moment’s hesitation he went out and gave the poor all that he had left. He placed his sister in the care of some well-known and trustworthy virgins and arranged for her to be brought up in the convent. Then he gave himself up to the ascetic life, not far from his own home. He kept a careful watch over himself and practised great austerity. He did manual work because he had heard the words: If anyone will not work, do not let him eat. He spent some of his earnings on bread and the rest he gave to the poor.
Having learned that we should always be praying, even when we are by ourselves, he prayed without ceasing. Indeed, he was so attentive when Scripture was read that nothing escaped him and because he retained all he heard, his memory served him in place of books.
Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as both son and brother.
RESPONSORY Matthew 19:21; Luke 14:33
If you wish to be perfect,
go, sell what you have,
and give to the poor;
you will be rich in heaven.
- Then come, follow me.
No one who will not renounce all his possessions can be my disciple.
- Then come, follow me.
COLLECT
O God, who brought the Abbot Saint Anthony
to serve you by a wondrous way of life in the desert,
grant, through his intercession,
that, denying ourselves,
we may always love you above all things.
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.