Monday after Pentecost
Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Eternal High Priest
Feast
The Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Eternal High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek. In him, the Father has been well pleased since before all time. As a Mediator between God and human beings, fulfilling his Father's will, he sacrificed himself once on the altar of the Cross as a saving Victim for the whole world. Thus, instituting the pattern of an everlasting sacrifice, with a brother's kindness, he chose, from among the children of Adam, men to augment the priesthood. So that, from the sacrifice continually renewed in the Church, streams of divine power might flow, whereby a new heaven and a new earth might be made, and throughout the whole universe, there would be perfected what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the human heart.
Entrance Antiphon
Christ, Mediator of the New Covenant,
has an eternal priesthood
because he remains for ever.
Collect
O God, who for the glory of your majesty
and the salvation of the human race,
made your Only Begotten Son the Eternal High Priest,
grant that, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
those whom he has chosen as ministers
and stewards of his mysteries
may be found faithful in carrying out the ministry
they have received.
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.
Year C
Reading I
A reading from the of the Prophet Isaiah
In the year that King Uzziah died
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up;
and his train filled the temple.
Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings:
with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called,
and the house was filled with smoke.
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’
Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’
The word of the Lord.
or
Reading I
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
It was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist,
in bringing many sons to glory,
should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.
For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin.
That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying,
‘I will proclaim your name to my brethren,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’
And again,
‘I will put my trust in him.’
18 Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ
And again,
‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.’
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood,
he himself likewise partook of the same nature,
that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death,
that is, the devil,
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.
For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned
but with the descendants of Abraham.
Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect,
so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God,
to make expiation for the sins of the people.
For because he himself has suffered and been tempted,
he is able to help those who are tempted.
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
℟ (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me;
he revives my soul.
He guides me along the right path,
for the sake of his name.
℟ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You have prepared a table before me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
℟ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for length of days unending.
℟ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Alleluia
℟ Alleluia. Alleluia.
I will pour clean water upon you
and I will give you a new heart;
a new spirit I will put within you.
℟ Alleluia. Alleluia.
Gospel
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,
‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
since you have given him power over all flesh,
to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
I am praying for them;
I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me,
for they are yours.
I have given them your word;
and the world has hated them because they are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world.
I do not pray that you should take them out of the world,
but that you should keep them from the evil one.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
As you did send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.
‘I do not pray for these only,
but also for those who believe in me through their word,
that they may all be one;
even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The glory which you have given me I have given to them,
that they may be one even as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may become perfectly one,
so that the world may know that you have sent me
and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me,
may be with me where I am,
to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me
before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you;
and these know that you have sent me.
I made known to them your name, and I will make it known,
that the love with which you have loved me
may be in them, and I in them.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
Prayer Over The Offerings
Lord, may our Mediator Jesus Christ
render these gifts acceptable to you,
and may he present us
as sacrifices pleasing to you
in union with him.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Preface: The priesthood of Christ and of the Church
V: The Lord be with you.
V: Lift up your hearts.
V: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
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.
For by the anointing of the Holy Spirit
you made your Only Begotten Son
High Priest of the new and eternal covenant,
and by your wondrous design were pleased to decree
that his one Priesthood should continue in the Church.
For Christ not only adorns with a royal priesthood
the people he has made his own,
but with a brother’s kindness he also chooses men
to become sharers in his sacred ministry
through the laying on of hands.
They are to renew in his name
the sacrifice of human redemption,
to set before your children the paschal banquet,
to lead your holy people in charity,
to nourish them with the word
and strengthen them with the Sacraments.
As they give up their lives for you
and for the salvation of their brothers and sisters,
they strive to be conformed to the image of Christ himself
and offer you a constant witness of faith and love.
And so, Lord, with all the Angels and Saints,
we, too, give you thanks, as in exultation we acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts...
Communion Antiphon
And behold, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.
Prayer After Communion
May this divine sacrifice we have offered and received
fill us with life, O Lord, we pray,
so that, bound to you in lasting charity,
we may bear fruit that lasts for ever.
Through Christ our Lord.