Born about 1305 in southern Perigord in France, Peter Thomas entered the Carmelites when he was twenty-one. He was chosen by the Order as its procurator general to the Papal Court at Avignon in 1345. After being made bishop of Patti and Lipari in 1354, he was entrusted with many papal missions to promote peace and unity with the Eastern Churches. He was translated to the see of Corone in the Peloponnesus in 1359 and made Papal Legate for the East. In 1363 he was appointed Archbishop of Crete and in 1364 Latin Patriarch of Constantinople. He won a reputation as an apostle of church unity before he died at Famagosta on Cyprus in 1366.
Invitatory
Lord, open my lips.
— and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Antiphon. Christ, our High Priest, suffered for us; come, let us adore him.
Psalm 95
Come, let us sing to the Lord
and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.
The Lord is God, the mighty God,
the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him,
the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.
Come, then, let us bow down and worship,
bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God and we are his people,
the flock he shepherds.
Today, listen to the voice of the Lord:
Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness,
when at Meriba and Massah
they challenged me and provoked me,
Although they had seen all of my works.
Forty years I endured that generation.
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger,
“They shall not enter into my rest.”
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
Office of Readings
Hymn
Sing out with thankfulness Saint Andrew’s mighty deeds,
Trust in his fervent prayer for you are all his kin,
You who in faith and hope, hearts all with love aflame,
Seek fulfillment of endless life.
The saint was resolute, steadfast about his quest,
Knowing that earthly joy never could fill his heart;
Wealth, honors and high rank, compared with life in Christ,
Seemed more vanishing than the wind.
Like strongly growing tree planted in Carmel’s soil,
He persevered in prayer, fruitful in kindly deeds;
God gave him light to see how he could mirror Christ,
Serving others with constancy.
Adhering to the Cross, God’s servant soon became
Exemplary in life, wise, calm, mature in grace;
Set over other men, their profit was his care,
Their perfection his quest and aim.
Most Holy Trinity, hear his appeal for us,
That we may come to you when our life’s task is done;
There silence is your praise, there praise is melody,
Soaring, swelling while ages run.
Andreae meritis pangite gloriam
Tr. unknown
Psalmody
Ant. 1 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest: he will do whatever I desire.
Psalm 20 (21):2-8, 14
O Lord, your strength gives joy to the king;
how your saving help makes him glad!
You have granted him his heart’s desire;
you have not refused the prayer of his lips.
You came to meet him with the blessings of success,
you have set on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked you for life and this you have given,
days that will last from age to age.
Your saving help has given him glory.
You have laid upon him majesty and splendor,
you have granted your blessings to him for ever.
You have made him rejoice with the joy of your presence.
The king has put his trust in the Lord:
through the mercy of the Most High he shall stand firm.
O Lord, arise in your strength;
we shall sing and praise your power.
Ant. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest: he will do whatever I desire.
Ant. 2 The Lord chose him as his servant, to care for his heritage.
Psalm 91 (92)
I
It is good to give thanks to the Lord
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your truth in the watches of the night,
on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute ,
with the murmuring sound of the harp.
Your deeds, O Lord, have made me glad;
for the work of your hands I should with joy.
O Lord, how great are your works!
How deep are your designs!
The foolish man cannot know this
and the fool cannot understand.
Though the wicked spring up like grass
and all who do evil thrive;
they are doomed to be eternally destroyed.
But you, Lord, are eternally on high.
Ant. The Lord chose him as his servant, to care for his heritage.
Ant. 3 The Lord gave him a glorious throne and overthrew his powerful foes.
II
See how your enemies perish;
all doers of evil are scattered.
To me you give the wild-ox’s strength;
you anoint me with the purest oil.
My eyes looked in triumph on my foes;
my ears heard gladly of their fall.
The just will flourish like the palm-tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
Planted in the house of the Lord
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just.
In him, my work, there is no wrong.
Ant. The Lord gave him a glorious throne and overthrew his powerful foes.
You will hear my words from my own mouth.
— And proclaim them in my name.
The First Reading
James 2:1-9, 14-24
A reading from the Letter of St. James
Faith without works is dead
My brothers, do not try to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with the making of distinctions between classes of people. Now suppose a man comes into your synagogue, beautifully dressed and with a gold ring on, and at the same time a poor man comes in, in shabby clothes, and you take notice of the well-dressed man, and say, ‘Come this way to the best seats;’ then you tell the poor man, ‘Stand over there’ or ‘You can sit on the floor by my foot-rest.’ Can’t you see that you have used two different standards in your mind, and turned yourselves into judges, and corrupt judges at that?
Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who are poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. In spite of this, you have no respect for anybody who is poor. Isn’t it always the rich who are against you? Isn’t it always their doing when you are dragged before the court? Aren’t they the ones who insult the honorable name to which you have been dedicated? Well, the right thing to do is to keep the supreme law of scripture: “you must love your neighbor as yourself;” but as soon as you make distinctions between classes of people, you are committing sin, and under condemnation for breaking the Law.
Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well, keep yourself warm and eat plenty,’ without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.
This is the way to talk to people of that kind: ‘You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds – now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show. You believe in the one God – that is creditable enough, but the demons have the same belief, and they tremble with fear. Do realize, you senseless man, that faith without good deeds is useless. You surely know that Abraham our father was justified by his deeds, because he ‘offered his son Isaac on the altar’? There you see it: faith and deeds were working together; his faith became perfect by what he did. This is what scripture really means when it says: ‘Abraham put his faith in God, and this was counted as making him justified;’ and that is why he was called ‘the friend of God.’
You see now that it is by doing something good, and not only by believing, that a man is justified.
Responsory
Pure, unspoiled religion in the eyes of God our Father is this:
— you must come to the help of orphans and widows in their need and keep yourself uncontaminated by the world.
Quick to be generous, he gave to the poor; his righteousness remains forever.
— You must come to the help of orphans and widows in their need and keep yourself uncontaminated by the world.
OC: The Second Reading
From the Life of Saint Andrew by Bishop Francesco Venturi.
The good and faithful servant whom the Lord places over his household
Andrew was chosen to rule the church of Fiesole by the evident call of God. He so dedicated himself to the worship of God, looked after the salvation of souls with such vigilance, faithfully persevered in the task entrusted to him with such holiness of life, that in all justice he can be for the pastors of the Church a perfect exemplar of what a bishop should be.
Though he was already advanced in age and afflicted by various illnesses, he increased rather than abated the rigors by which he was accustomed to control his senses. The holy bishop was moved by such kindness and pity towards the needy and afflicted that the very thought of them moved him to tears. It is well known that no poor person left his presence uncomforted. He often sat at the door of his residence and personally distributed bread to the needy. But this holy man’s kindness was not restricted to this place; it spread far and wide. He showed himself especially generous with those whom he knew to be in straitened conditions, and yet could not approach him personally because of age, circumstances or social standing. His was a spontaneous open-handedness which foresaw needs; to some he even gave large quantities of grain. His goodness was not reserved for those of his own diocese but overflowed to the citizens of Florence and other places. To all these people he distributed not only alms but also clothing.
The holy bishop expended large sums of money for the construction and restoration of churches. He restored much of the cathedral, which was close to complete ruin, and embellished the facade with cut stone. He had residences built for the canons. He restored and enlarged the bishop’s house, where he himself took up residence, so that he might furnish an apt and appropriate dwelling for his successors.
Among his own Carmelite brethren, he showed himself to be a splendid father of his household, providing inspired leadership in the living of religious life. As bishop he provided for the Christian lifestyle of the members of his household. He was constantly vigilant and attentive in safeguarding Church patrimony. At home he was frugal, but generous and even extravagant in what concerned the worship of God and help to the needy.
The holy bishop dedicated much time to settling quarrels among the citizens of Florence. Privately he eliminated hatred by means of friendly conversations; publicly he preached Christian charity and civic harmony. Since he preached well and was held in veneration because of his fame for holiness, many came to hear him, not only from nearby villages but from Florence itself.
This wise leader knew how to temper the rigor of a judge with the gentleness of a pastor. He never tired , year after year, of decreeing that priests reside in their parishes. In the first place, most priests were ignorant of the doctrine of the Church and of their proper duties. Understandably, they were of no benefit to the people; on the contrary, because of their ignorance they were a negative factor, especially in the case of those who by their scandalous lives gave bad example. Consequently, on his canonical visitations of the diocese, the saintly bishop was obliged to examine his clergy as to their knowledge of doctrine. Those whom he found to be little suited for Church offices and for working for the salvation of souls – and their number was great – he removed from their benefices, which he granted to others who were more suited.
We are aware that much of what we have said has frequently been practiced by other pastors of the Church. Some might say that these things are not especially worthy of recall. However, we are of the opinion that whatever the saints have said or done for the increase of divine worship and the good of the people should be proclaimed.
Responsory
The Lord speaks of peace to his people, and to his holy ones;
— and peace will be the fruit of justice.
Lord, give us peace, for all our works are in your hands.
— And peace will be the fruit of justice.
OCD: The Second Reading
Bk 1, 10
A reading from The Pastoral Rule of Pope St. Gregory the Great
Portrait of a good pastor
It is important that a man who is set up as a model of how to live should be one who is dead to all the passions of the flesh and lives by the spirit, turns his back on what the world has to offer, is unafraid of hardship, and is attracted only by the interior life. He does not let his body shirk its duty our of frailty; he does not become depressed when abused, for he realizes that things of this kind further his true ends. He does not readily covet what is not his, but with what he does possess he is generous. His loving nature is quick to forgive, though he never allows himself to be misled into condoning more than he should. While he does no wrong himself, he grieves over the misdeeds of others as if they were his own. His compassion for others when they are sick is heartfelt, and he is just as glad when good befalls his neighbor as when his own interests are advanced. His behavior is so exemplary in all respects that he need never fear being made to blush, even for past faults. He so conducts his life that those whose hearts are in need of refreshment can always find it in the guidance he gives. He is so well versed in the art of prayer that he can obtain anything he asks for from the Lord; it is as though he were singled out by a prophetic voice saying to him: ‘While you are still speaking I will say, “See, I am here.”‘
If someone happened to come and ask one of us to intercede for him with an influential man we did not know and who was annoyed with him, we should at once say: ‘I cannot come and intercede – I do not know what he is like.’ So if a person is afraid to intercede with a mere man about whom he knows nothing, how can one, who is not sure whether or not his conduct makes him worthy to be the people’s advocate before God? How can he ask pardon for others if he is not sure that his own sins have been forgiven?
Responsory
Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.
— Try then to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Tend the flock that is placed under your care, willingly as God would have you do, being examples to your flock.
— Try then to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Te Deum
Prayer
God our Father,
you reveal that those who work for peace
will be called your children.
Through the prayers of St. Andrew Corsini,
who excelled as a peacemaker,
help us to work without ceasing
for that injustice which brings true and lasting peace.
We ask this through our Lord.
Morning Prayer
Hymn
Let all unite in joyous song
To celebrate Saint Andrew’s praise;
His glory, like a flaming star
Lights Carmel with undying rays.
His cell of blessed solitude
For love of souls he sacrificed,
The Spirit having nourished him
That he might feed the flock of Christ.
Devoted to his bishopric
Both priests and flock his precepts heard;
He made them shape their lives anew,
Example speaking more than word.
Still poor in spirit, he could make
The poor man’s suffering his own,
Thus in each place where he held sway
The seeds of peace and love were sown.
Now high in heav’n, fulfillment found,
He prays that Mary may obtain
The grace of Christ for this poor world,
The Holy Spirit’s gentle reign.
Then through Saint Andrew’s pow’rful prayer
May we attain to endless bliss,
And venerate the Trinity
With adoration like to his.
Margarita of Jesus, OCD
Psalmody
Ant. 1 I will call my servant and give authority to him, and he will be exalted on high.
Psalms and canticle of Sunday I. (Click, here).
Ant. 2 The Lord will cherish his almsgiving as his treasure, and will look upon his generosity as the apple of his eye.
Ant. 3 Truth and justice were his achievements and his praise will be sung forever.
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 25:3-4c
A mighty people gives you glory,
the city of pitiless nations holds you in awe;
for you are a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in distress,
a shelter from the storm
a shade from the heat.
Responsory
I was hungry and you gave me to eat.
— I was hungry and you gave me to eat.
Whatever you did to one of these brothers of mine, you did to me,
— and you gave me to eat
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— I was hungry and you gave me to eat.
Benedictus
OC: I was an eye for the blind and feet for the lame; I was a father to the poor, and the stranger’s case had a hearing before me.
OCD: Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be called children of God, says the Lord.
Intercessions
Jesus Christ our Lord listens attentively to the prayers of the needy, and fills the hungry with good things. Let us pray to him then with faith and confidence:
Lord, show us your mercy.
In your loving kindness you have gathered your flock together in your name;
— let none be lost whom the Father has given you.
You offer conversion to the sinner and strength to the fallen;
— give repentance and salvation to all.
You loved all mankind with an unquenchable love;
— may all who follow you be joined in unity of spirit by the bond of peace.
You left your gift of peace for all to share;
— help us today to live in peace with all.
In your love you consoled the little ones of the world;
— have pity on the tears of the poor.
Our Father…
Prayer
God our Father,
you reveal that those who work for peace
will be called your children.
Through the prayers of St. Andrew Corsini,
who excelled as a peacemaker,
help us to work without ceasing
for that injustice which brings true and lasting peace.
We ask this through our Lord.
Evening Prayer
Hymn as at Office of Readings.
Psalmody
Ant. 1 He did what was good and true before the Lord, seeking God with all his heart.
Psalm 14 (15)
Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent
and dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue.
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbor,
who holds the godless in disdain,
and honors those who fear the Lord;
he who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a man will stand firm forever.
Ant. He did what was good and true before the Lord, seeking God with all his heart.
Ant. 2 He was found perfect in all things, and in the time of wrath he became reconciliation.
Psalm 111 (112)
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Riches and wealth are in his house;
his justice stands firm for ever.
He is light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honor.
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
He has no fear of evil news;
with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast heart he will not fear;
he will see the downfall of his foes.
Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
The wicked man sees and is angry,
grinds his teeth and fades away;
the desire of the wicked leads to doom.
Ant. He was found perfect in all things, and in the time of wrath he became reconciliation.
Ant. 3 I will lead my sheep to pasture and I will show them where to rest.
Canticle: Rev 15:3-4
Great and wonderful are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the ages!
Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord?
For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you,
for your judgements have been revealed.
Ant. 3 I will lead my sheep to pasture and I will show them where to rest.
Scripture Reading
1 Peter 5:1-4
Now I have something to tell your elders: I am an elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed. Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty, but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.
Responsory
Here is a man who loves his brethren and intercedes for his people
— Here is a man who loves his brethren and intercedes for his people
He laid down his life for his friends,
— and intercedes for his people.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— Here is a man who loves his brethren and intercedes for his people
Magnificat
OC: Here was a great priest, who in his lifetime restored God’s house and in his days adorned the sanctuary.
OCD: The kingdom of God consists of justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way pleases God and wins the esteem of all.
Intercessions
Christ our brother wished to be like us in all things, so that he might be our compassionate and faithful high priest before God. Let us praise him and say:
Lord, pour out upon us the treasures of your love.
Strengthen the priests and ministers of your Church;
— so that in preaching to others they too may grow more faithful in your service.
Make them the salt of the earth and the light of the world;
— that by their efforts the Church may be renewed in spirit.
Teach us to recognize your Spirit today in those who are around us;
— and to find you especially in the sorrowful and the poor.
We pray for the suffering members of your Church;
— free the oppressed, give sight to the blind, care for widows and orphans.
Be merciful to our brothers and sisters who have died;
— may they be with those who sleep in Christ.
Our Father…
Prayer
God our Father,
you reveal that those who work for peace
will be called your children.
Through the prayers of St. Andrew Corsini,
who excelled as a peacemaker,
help us to work without ceasing
for that injustice which brings true and lasting peace.
We ask this through our Lord.
Source: Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, Rome: Institutum Carmelitanum, 1993.