8th January
Saint Peter Thomas
Bishop

OC: Feast
OCD: Optional Memory

Born about 1305, in southern Perigord in France, Peter Thomas entered the Carmelite Order 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 transferred 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 in Cyprus in 1366.

Entrance Antiphon - Col 3:15
May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, that peace to which all of you are called as one body. Always be thankful.

Opening Prayer
Lord, you inspired in your bishop Saint Peter Thomas an intense desire to promote peace and Christian unity. Following his example may we live steadfast in the faith and work perseveringly for peace. 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

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians - 4:1-7,11 13
Fully mature with the fullness of Christ.

I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.
Each of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

Responsorial Psalm - Ps 22

R/. The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose. R/.

Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name. R/.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort. R/.

You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing. R/.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lords own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever. R/.

Gospel Acclamation - cf. Matt 10,13; Lk 17,21
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The kingdom of God is among you, says the Lord.
Proclaim the message of peace to all mankind.
Alleluia!

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke- 10:1-9
Your peace will rest on that man.

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, "Peace to this house!" And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, "The kingdom of God is very near to you."

Prayer over the Gifts
Father,in your mercy fill our hearts with the warmth of your love. Through these holy mysteries bring us to unity and peace. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon - 1 Cor 10:17
Because there is one bread we, though many, are one body, for we all share in the one loaf.

Prayer after Communion
Lord God, by the power of this mystery increase among us, your servants, that peace and unity for which Saint Peter Thomas laboured all his life. Grant this through Christ our Lord.