Sunday in the Octave of Christmas + 4th day of Novena to St John the Apostle
and the Feast of St Thomas Becket and St David the King...
On this the Feast of St Thomas Becket, we ask you to join us in this Novena to our Patron Saint, St John the Apostle. This Novena will conclude on the final day of the Octave of St John the Apostle.
We are praying O Intemerata, the Medieval prayer recited in the Book of Hours of the Virgin Mary, seeking the intercession and prayer of the Blessed Mother and St John the Apostle.
O Untouchable, and forever blessed, singular and incomparable virgin Mary Mother of God, most grateful temple of God, the sacristy of the Holy Ghost, the gate of the kingdom of heaven, by whom next unto God the whole world liveth, incline O Mother of Mercy the ears of thy pity unto my unworthy supplications, and be pitiful to me a most wretched sinner, and be unto me a merciful helper in all things.
O most blessed John, the familiar and friend of Christ, which of the same Lord Jesus Christ was chosen a virgin, and among the rest more beloved, above all instructed in the heavenly mysteries, for thou wast made a most worthy Apostle and Evangelist: thee also I call upon with Mary mother of the same Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour, that thou wouldst vouchsafe to afford me thy aid with hers. O ye two celestial jewels, Mary, and John.
O ye two lights divinely shining before God. Chase away by your bright beams the clouds of my offences. For you are those two in whom the only begotten Son of God, for the merit of most sincere virginity, hanging upon the cross confirmed the privilege of his love, saying thus to the one of you: woman, behold thy son: and then unto the other: behold thy mother.
In the sweetness therefore of his most sacred love, through which by our Lord's own mouth, as mother and son you were joined in one, I a most wretched sinner recommend this day to you both my body and soul that at all hours and moments, inwardly and outwardly, you would vouchsafe to be unto me firm guardians, and before God devout intercessors: ask earnestly for me I beseech you, health of body and soul.
Procure I beseech you, procure by your glorious prayers, that the pure spirit, the best giver of graces, may vouchsafe to visit my heart and dwell therein, which may thoroughly purge me from all filth of vice, lighten and adorn me with sacred virtues: cause me perfectly to stand, and persevere in the love of God and my neighbour, and after the course of this life the most benign comforter may bring me to the joys of his elect, who with God the Father, and the Son liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen.1
Prayer for the Intercession of St Thomas Becket
O God, for the sake of Whose Church the glorious Bishop Thomas fell by the sword of ungodly men: grant, we beseech Thee, that all who implore his aid, may obtain the good fruit of his petition. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
ONÂ THE GOSPEL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, JOHN x., read on the Feast of ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY
Consider first, that the Son of God, by his incarnation and birth, did not only come amongst us to be our Father and to be our head - our king, our priest, and our sacrifice; our bother and our friend our physician and our advocate: - but also recommends himself to us in this gospel under the amiable quality of the good shepherd and pastor of our souls. 'I am the good shepherd,' saith he, verse 11: 'the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and runneth away, and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep: but the hireling runneth away, because he is a hireling; and he hath no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep,' &c. O, Christians, how happy are we in such a shepherd - so good, so loving, so careful of our true welfare! O he is the good shepherd indeed, that came down form heaven to seek the poor sheep that was lost, and when he had found it took it upon his own shoulders, to carry it home with joy to his heavenly fold, Luke xv. O how dearly have his sheep cost him! O how truly has he made good in himself that sentence, that 'the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep!' O let us ever embrace and love, follow and obey this true shepherd of our souls!
Consider secondly, in how many ways this heavenly shepherd is daily providing for all the necessities of his sheep, and the tender affection he perpetually shows them. 'The Lord ruleth me,' (or as it is in the original, is my shepherd,) saith the Psalmist, Ps xxi., 'and I shall want nothing: he hath set me in a place of pasture.' Yes, Christians, he has placed our souls here in the midst of rich pastures of his divine word and sacraments, in the communion of his church. He hath brought us up by the streams of the living waters of his grace, which are ever flowing to refresh and nourish us. He conducts us to the paths of justice, he converts our souls, he is with us even when we are walking in the midst of the shadow of death; his rod and his staff still comfort and support us. But O give ear, my soul, to what follows in the same Psalm: 'Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil, and thy chalice, which inebriated me, how goodly is it!' Here are benefits indeed of this divine pastor of our souls: he has prepared a table for us, in which he feeds his sheep with his own most sacred body and blood; he anoints our heads with the divine oil of his holy Spirit, and he inebriates us with the goodly chalice of his passion, continually offered up on our altars, to be a plentiful source to us of all heavenly grace. and in consequence of all these favours already bestowed on us he encourages us to conclude with the royal prophet, 'that his mercy will follow us all the days of our life, and that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days even to a happy eternity.'
Consider thirdly, what we owe, in quality of the sheep of Christ, to this divine shepherd. He tells us, John x. 3, 4, 5, 'That his sheep hear the voice of their shepherd; that he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out; that he goeth before them; and that the sheep follow him, because they know his voice; but a stranger they follow not, but fly from him, because they know not the voice of strangers.' And again, verses 27, 28, 'My sheep hear my voice; and I know them; and they follow me. and I give them eternal life; and they shall not perish for ever; and no man shall snatch them out of my hand.' Christians, do we keep close to this heavenly shepherd? Do we follow him both by our faith, and by our life? Do we know him and hear his voice? Do we fly from strangers, the world, the flesh, and the devil? If so, we are his sheep indeed; and if we persevere, he will bring us in spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the pastures of eternal life. But if we run away from our shepherd, to follow these strangers, we must expect to fall a prey to the wolves.
Conclude to embrace your divine Saviour, under this amiable character of the pastor and shepherd of your souls; and as nothing has been wanting on his side to fulfil, to the utmost perfection, even beyond all expression and imagination, every part of the character of the good shepherd; see nothing be wanting on your side to fulfil, by a perpetual correspondence with his grace, every part of the character of good sheep.2
Bishop Richard Challoner
https://medievalist.net/hourstxt/prayers.htm
https://liturgialatina.org/challoner/dec25.htm#27