Liturgical Texts for Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

September 23
SAINT PIO OF PIETRELCINA, PRIEST
Obligatory Memorial

A provisional translation while awaiting the official English translation which is one of the texts I am personally looking forward to in the coming English translation of the Roman Missal. At present, this text is only available online in French at saint.padre.pio.free.fr on which I based my translation.

I. Liturgy of the Hours

from the Common of Pastors or the Common of Holy Men, religious; except for the following:

Almighty and eternal God,
by a singular grace you gave the holy priest, Pio,
a share in the Cross of your Son
and you renewed by his ministry
the wonders of your mercy.
Through his intercession,
grant that we may always remain united
with the Passion of Christ
so to come with joy to the glory of the Resurrection.

We ask this...

OFFICE OF READINGS

SECOND READING
Letter of Padre Pio to Raffaelina Cerase, 19 May 1914
The divine craftsman gets ready to prepare stones to build an eternal temple; he cuts these stones by repeated blows of his hammer and carefully polishes them by removing any excess.

This is what the holy Catholic church, our tender Mother sings, as the hymn of the Office of the Dedication of a Church. And it can be seen to be true in this way. Each heart intended for eternal glory can be very well considered as one of these stones created for the eternal temple. When a contractor wants to build a house, he must first cut the stones, which will be used for construction; this he does with blows of hammer and chisel. Thus our heavenly Father acts on the heart which he chooses and desires from all eternity, in his great wisdom and Providence, to build as an eternal dwelling place.

To reign with Christ in eternal glory, the heart must thus be cut with large blows of hammer and chisel; in this way, as with stones, the divine architect prepares the hearts that it chooses. What are these blows of hammer and chisel? They are the shadows, my sister: the fears, temptations, afflictions, spiritual anxieties, and also the physical maladies.

Therefore, give thanks for the infinite tenderness of our Heavenly Father, who deals thus with your heart to save it. Why will mature people not praise these kind gestures that every father does? Open your heart to this celestial doctor of hearts and surrender yourself in all confidence to his very sacred hands for he treats you as someone whom he has chosen to follow Jesus closely, until the summit of martyrdom. As for me, I believe, that his grace will make itself manifest in you through the joy and wise movement of your heart. Thus, do not doubt that all that happens to your soul has been willed by the Lord. Thus, do not fear that God makes you fall into some evil or ruin! It should be enough for you to know that in all your life, you never offended the Lord whom you should approach more and more.

If this most benevolent Spouse hides himself in your heart, he does so, not as a punishment for your sin as you believe, but to further test your fidelity and your constancy; and moreover, to cure some weakness that your eyes of feeble, failing flesh, do not see, of which no one is simply free. As we know from the Holy Scripture: the righteous man falls seven times a day. (Pr 24,16).

And believe me, if I did not learn that you are also afflicted, I would be less happy, since I would think that the Lord decides to give you less pearls… Drive out like temptations doubts to the contrary… Drive out also the doubts that refer to your manner of living, namely, that you did not heed the divine calls and that you opposed the gentle invitations of your Husband. All that does not come from the good spirit, but from the bad. They are diabolic tricks that aim to bring you away from perfection, or at least to delay you along his way. Do not lose courage!

When Jesus shows himself to you, thank him; should he hide from you, thank him still. To love, everything is a joy. I wish that you deliver your spirit with Jesus on the cross and that you be able to say with him: All is accomplished! (Jn 19,30)

II. Eucharistic Celebration

Entrance Antiphon (Ps 16, 5-6)
Those whose heart is with God sing:
Lord, you are my alloted portion and my cup.
My part is indeed the better one.

OPENING PRAYER

Almighty and eternal God,
by a singular grace you gave the holy priest, Pio,
a share in the Cross of your Son
and you renewed by his ministry
the wonders of your mercy.
Through his intercession,
grant that we may always remain united
with the Passion of Christ
so to come with joy to the glory of the Resurrection.

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 (Gal 2, 19-20)
Brothers and sisters: Thanks to the law, I died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me. Now, insofar as I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and has given himself up for me.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Ps 128, 1-2. 3. 4-5)
R. Happy the man who fears the Lord.
Happy are all who fear the Lord
and walk according to the ways of God.
What your hands provide, you will enjoy.
You will be happy and prosper.
R. Happy the man who fears the Lord.
Behold, how blessed,
the man who fears the Lord.
You will see the happiness of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Happy the man who fears the Lord.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL (Lk 21, 36)
Alleluia. Alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray
that you may have the strength to escape
the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

GOSPEL READING (Mt 16, 24-27)
Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his deeds.

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS

God of great mercy,
in Saint Pio you have recreated the old man
into a new man in your image.
Grant that we may be renewed like him
so we may please you by this sacrifice of pardon and peace. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Communion Antiphon (Mt 19, 27-29)
Amen, I say to you, who have left all for my sake:
you shall receive a hundred times more and inherit eternal life.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Strengthened by this communion,
we ask you, Lord, our God,
that through the example of Saint Pio,
we may desire nothing but you
and live always in this world
as persons recreated by your love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.