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The Proper of Saints
[Missal]


Vigil of Saint John the Baptist

INTROIT. Ne timeas. St. Luke 1
Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John: and he shall be great in the sight of he Lord: and shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb: and many shall rejoice at his birth. Ps. 21. The king shall rejoice in thy strength, O Lord: exceeding glad shall he be of thy salvation. V. Glory be.

The Collect.
GRANT, we beseech thee, O Lord, that we thy family may ever walk in the way of salvation: that following the teachings of thy holy forerunner, Saint John; we may attain in safety unto him whom he foretold, even Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth with thee.


For the Epistle. Jeremiah 1:4-10
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

GRADUAL. St. John 1. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. V. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

The Gospel. St Luke 1:5-17
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

OFFERTORY. PS. 8. Thou hast crowned him with glory and worship: and hast made him to have dominion of the works of thy hands, O Lord.

SECRET.
WE beseech thee, O Lord, that thou wouldest vouchsafe to sanctify these our oblations: and, at the intercession of blessed John the Baptist, to cleanse us from the defilement of all our iniquities. Through.

COMMUNION. Ps. 21. His honour is great in thy salvation: glory and great worship shalt thou lay upon him, O Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION.
GRANT, O Lord, we pray thee: that the glorious intercession of thy blessed Saint John Baptist may in all things prevent and follow us; and that he may ever implore for us the mercy of him whose coming he foretold, even Jesus Christ thy Son our Lore. Who liveth and reigneth with thee.