Easter: May 1st

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MASS READINGS

May 01, 2023 (Readings on USCCB website)

PROPERS [Show]

Mass Propers for Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter:

Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 66(65):1-2: Christ, having risen from the dead, dies now no more; death will no longer have dominion over him, alleluia.

Alleluia Verse, Jn 10:14: I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me.

Preface II of Easter: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, at all times to acclaim you, O Lord, but in this time above all to laud you yet more gloriously, when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

Through him the children of light rise to eternal life and the halls of the heavenly Kingdom are thrown open to the faithful; for his Death is our ransom from death, and in his rising the life of all has risen.

Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every land, every people exults in your praise and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts, sing together the unending hymn of your glory, as they acclaim:

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Communion Antiphon, Jn 20:19: Jesus stood in the midst of his disciples and said to them: Peace be with you, alleluia.

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Mass Propers for the Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker:

Entrance Antiphon, Ps. 128 (127):1-2: Blessed are all who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labor of your hands you shall eat; blessed are you, and blessed will you be, alleluia.

Alleluia Verse, Ps 68:20: Blessed be the LORD day by day, God, our salvation, who bears our burdens.

Preface: The Mission of St. Joseph: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, and on the commemoration of Saint Joseph to give you fitting praise, to glorify you and bless you.

For this just man was given by you as spouse to the Virgin Mother of God and set as a wise and faithful servant in charge of your household to watch like a father over your Only Begotten Son, who was conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through him the Angels praise your majesty, Dominions adore and Powers tremble before you. Heavens and the Virtues of heaven and the blessed Seraphim worship together with exultation. May our voices, we pray, join with theirs in humble praise, as we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon Cf. Col 3:17: Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to God through him, alleluia.

COLLECT PRAYER

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter: O God, perfect light of the blessed, by whose gift we celebrate the paschal mysteries on earth, bring us, we pray, to rejoice in the full measure of your grace for ages unending. 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.

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Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker: O God, Creator of all things, who laid down for the human race the law of work, graciously grant that by the example of Saint Joseph and under his patronage we may complete the works you set us to do and attain the rewards you promise. 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.

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Recipes (11)

• Baptist Cakes
• Bauernfruhstuck (Farmer's Breakfast)
• Cavazune (St. Joseph's Pants Cookies)
• Minestrone
• Pane de San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Bread)
• Ricotta Filling
• Spaghetti with Fennel Sauce
• St. Joseph's Cream Puffs I
• St. Joseph's Sfinge I
• St. Joseph's Sfinge II
• Vuccidrato -- Mary's Palms

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Activities (8)

• Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album
• Feast of St. Joseph
• May, the Month of Mary
• Plenary Indulgences Attached to the Year of St. Joseph
• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: May
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: May
• St. Joseph's Table or Buffet Dinner
• Traditions related to Saint Joseph

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Prayers (15)

• Prayer to Saint Joseph for Working People by Pope Pius X
• Family Novena to Saint Joseph
• Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven)
• Prayer to Saint Joseph for Protection
• Ad te Beate Ioseph - To thee, O Blessed Joseph
• Litany of Saint Joseph
• Chaplet of Saint Joseph
• Seven Sorrows and Joys of Saint Joseph
• Novena to St. Joseph II
• Thirty Days' Prayer to Saint Joseph
• Novena to St. Peregrine
• Prayer to Saint Peregrine
• Litany of Saint Joseph (Newer Translation)
• Prayer to Saint Joseph by the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary
• Prayer to Saint Joseph by Pope Francis

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Library (8)

• Imitate St Joseph's Simple, Hard-Working Style | Pope Saint John Paul II
• On Devotion to St. Joseph (Quamquam pluries) | Pope Leo XIII
• Saint Joseph Continues in His Role as Protector of the Body of Christ | Pope Saint John Paul II
• Saint Joseph the Worker, Man of Faith and Prayer | Pope Saint John Paul II
• St. Joseph — a Compilation | Various
• St. Joseph the Workman | Fr. Robert Voigt
• St. Joseph, a Witness to Fulfillment of the Promise | Pope Saint John Paul II
• St. Joseph: Man of Trust | Pope Saint John Paul II

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Blog & Podcasts (1)

• Pope St. John Paul II—Redemptoris Custos: On the Person and Mission of St. Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church

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The Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker was established by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in order to Christianize the concept of labor and give to all workmen a model and a protector. By the daily labor in his shop, offered to God with patience and joy, St. Joseph provided for the necessities of his holy spouse and of the Incarnate Son of God, and thus became an example to all laborers. "Workmen and all those laboring in conditions of poverty will have reasons to rejoice rather than grieve, since they have in common with the Holy Family daily preoccupations and cares" (Leo XIII).

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Peregrine Laziosi (1260-1345). Peregrine was a member of the noble family of the Lazioli in Central Italy. He became a Servite Brother, and lived in Servite Monastery in Forli. He was known as a fervent preacher, excellent orator, and gentle confessor. He was miraculously cured of cancer, and lived 20 years after the miracle, dying at the age of 85 from natural causes. He is often invoked for those fighting cancer.

St. Joseph the Worker
"May Day" has long been dedicated to labor and the working man. It falls on the first day of the month that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII expressed the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labor and would bring a spiritual dimension to labor unions. It is eminently fitting that St. Joseph, a working man who became the foster-father of Christ and patron of the universal Church, should be honored on this day.

The texts of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours provide a catechetical synthesis of the significance of human labor seen in the light of faith. The Opening Prayer states that God, the creator and ruler of the universe, has called men and women in every age to develop and use their talents for the good of others. The Office of Readings, taken from the document of the Second Vatican Council on the Church in the modern world, develops this idea. In every type of labor we are obeying the command of God given in Genesis 2:15 and repeated in the responsory for the Office of Readings. The responsory for the Canticle of Zechariah says that "St. Joseph faithfully practiced the carpenter's trade. He is a shining example for all workers." Then, in the second part of the Opening Prayer, we ask that we may do the work that God has asked of us and come to the rewards he has promised. In the Prayer after Communion we ask: "May our lives manifest your love; may we rejoice for ever in your peace."

The liturgy for this feast vindicates the right to work, and this is a message that needs to be heard and heeded in our modern society. In many of the documents issued by Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II, reference is made to the Christian spirit that should permeate one's work, after the example of St. Joseph. In addition to this, there is a special dignity and value to the work done in caring for the family. The Office of Readings contains an excerpt from the Vatican II document on the modern world: "Where men and women, in the course of gaining a livelihood for themselves and their families, offer appropriate service to society, they can be confident that their personal efforts promote the work of the Creator, confer benefits on their fellowmen, and help to realize God's plan in history" (no. 34).
—Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi

Patronage: against doubt and hesitation; against pain; dying people; exiles; expectant mothers; families; fathers; happy and holy death; house hunters; immigrants; interior souls; married people; orphans; people who fight Communism; pioneers; pregnant women; social justice; travellers; unborn children

Vocational: accountants; attorneys; barristers; bursars; cabinetmakers; carpenters; cemetery workers; children; civil engineers; confectioners; craftsmen; educators; emigrants; furniture makers; grave diggers; joiners; laborers; lawyers; solicitors; teachers; wheelwrights; workers; working people

Church: Catholic Church; Oblates of Saint Joseph; protection of the Church; Universal Church; Vatican II

Countries: Americas; Austria; Belgium; Bohemia; Canada; China; Croatia; Croatian people; Indonesia; Korea; Mexico; New France; New World; Papal States; Peru; Philippines; Russia; Vatican City; Viet Nam

See CatholicSaints.info for further listings of patronages for dioceses and cities around the world.

Symbols and Representation: Bible; branch; carpenter's square; carpenter's tools; chalice; cross; hand tools; infant Jesus; ladder; lamb; lily; monstrance; old man holding a lily and a carpenter's tool such as a square; old man holding the infant Jesus; plane; rod

Highlights and Things to Do:

• Listen to the Catholic Culture Podcast reading Pope St. John Paul II—Redemptoris Custos: On the Person and Mission of St. Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church
• Read more about St. Joseph the Worker:
  • Catholic Ireland
  • Franciscan Media
  • Franciscan Media
  • Vatican
  • Crisis Magazine
  • CatholicSaints.info
  • St. Josemaria Institute
• May 1 is celebrated in Communist countries as the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers. Today would be a good day to pray for atheistic Communism's influence to cease and a proper application of the principles explained by Leo XIII in Rerum novarum and John Paul II in Centesimus annus to be the guide used by nations.
• Read this comparison, May Day the Socialist Worker vs. St. Joseph the Worker.
• Read St. Joseph the Worker on May 1 and Every Day in the National Catholic Register.
• Louisiana in 2021 made May 1 an Annual ‘St. Joseph the Worker Day’ Statewide.
• Consider purchasing and reading Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Fr. Donald Calloway.
• The Josephites are a religious order of brothers and priests with the mission of serving African Americans. Visit their site for more information and also some prayers for the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. They are named Josephites because St. Joseph was the first missionary.
• Find some cooking inspiration for this feast day at Catholic Cuisine.

St. Peregrine
As a young man St. Peregrine was a member of an anti-papal party until he encountered St. Philip Benizi, the head of the Servite order, who had been sent to try to reconcile the divided community. While trying to preach in Forli, Philip was heckled and even struck by Peregrine, who was overcome by momentary political fervor. But that moment also changed Peregrine. He began to channel his energies in new directions, engaged in good works and eventually joined the Servites in Siena and went on to be ordained a priest. Returning to his home town, he founded a new Servite house there and became well known for his preaching and holiness as well as his devotion to the sick and poor.

One of the special penances he imposed on himself was standing whenever it was not necessary to sit. Over time, Peregrine developed varicose veins and, in turn, cancer of the foot. The wound became painful and diseased and all medical treatment failed. The local surgeon determined amputation of the leg was called for.

Tradition has it that the night before surgery was scheduled, Peregrine spent much time in prayer before the crucified Jesus, asking God to heal him if it was God’s will to do so. Falling asleep at one point, Peregrine had a vision of the crucified Jesus leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awoke, the wound was healed and his foot and leg, seemingly miraculously cured, were saved. He lived another 20 years.

Peregrine was canonized in 1726.
—Excerpted from Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons and Feast by Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Patronage: against cancer; against breast cancer; against open sores; against skin diseases; AIDS patients; cancer patients; sick people; diocese of Forli-Bertinoro, Italy; Forli, Italy

Symbols and Representation: being supported by angels while Jesus descends from the Cross to heal him

Highlights and Things to Do:

• Read more about St. Peregrine:
  • Communio
  • Anastpaul
  • Franciscan Mission Associates
• Read more about the Order of Servites: Catholic Encyclopedia: Order of Servites and their official website in USA: Order of Friar Servants of Mary, USA Province.
• Instead of a prayer shawl to knit or crochet for the sick or homebound, how about crocheting a St. Peregrine Cowl?
• His body rests in the Servite church of Forlì, the Basilica of Saint Pellegrino Laziosi.