Saint of the day · August 21
St. Pius X, Pope
MemorialFriday, week 20 in Ordinary Time
Liturgical colour : White
St. Pius X, born Giuseppe Sarto in northern Italy in the 19th century, served as Pope during a period marked by rapid change in both the Church and the wider world. He is especially remembered for his deep personal humility, pastoral approach, and reforms that shaped Catholic life. His papacy, which began in the early twentieth century, emphasized the importance of frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially encouraging children to receive the Eucharist at an earlier age. St. Pius X worked diligently to promote liturgical renewal and the reform of church music, emphasizing Gregorian chant and active participation in the sacred liturgy. He was also a tireless champion of catechesis, renewing methods for teaching the faith and strengthening the formation of clergy and laity alike. Amid social and political upheaval, St. Pius X firmly defended the Church's teachings, responding energetically to theological trends and movements he saw as dangerous to the faith. Canonized for his holiness, profound charity, and zeal for the truths of the faith, Pius X remains a model for pastors and faithful, inspiring devotion and commitment to Christ and the Church. The Church commemorates his memory to highlight his example of faith, simplicity, and dedication to the spiritual nourishment of God's people.
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Mass readings
"Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord: from your graves I will bring you up, O my people" — Ez 37, 1-14
In those days,
the hand of the Lord came upon me,
by his spirit he carried me
and set me down in the middle of a valley;
it was full of bones.
He made me walk among them;
the surface of the valley was covered with them,
and they were completely dried out.
Then the Lord said to me:
"Son of man, can these bones come back to life?"
I answered him:
"Lord God, you alone know that!"
Then he said to me:
"Prophesy over these bones. You shall say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord:
Thus says the Lord God to these bones:
I am going to bring spirit into you,
and you shall live.
I will put sinews on you,
cover you with flesh,
and clothe you with skin;
I will give you spirit,
and you shall live.
Then you will know that I am the Lord."
I prophesied as I had been commanded.
While I was prophesying, there was a noise,
then a great shaking,
and the bones came together bone to bone.
I saw that sinews were on them,
flesh grew back,
skin covered them,
but there was no spirit in them.
Then the Lord said to me:
"Prophesy to the spirit,
prophesy, son of man.
Say to the spirit:
Thus says the Lord God:
Come from the four winds, O spirit!
Breathe on these slain, that they may live!"
I prophesied as he had commanded me,
and spirit came into them;
they came to life,
and they stood up on their feet:
it was a vast army!
Then the Lord said to me:
"Son of man, these bones
are the whole house of Israel.
For they say:
'Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost,
we are cut off!'"
Therefore, prophesy.
You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God:
I am going to open your graves
and bring you up from them, O my people,
and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
You will know that I am the Lord,
when I open your graves
and bring you up from them, O my people!
I will put my spirit within you,
and you shall live;
I will give you rest on your land.
Then you will know that I am the Lord:
I have spoken and I will do it
-- oracle of the Lord."
– The word of the Lord.
Ps 106 (107), 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Let the redeemed of the Lord say this,
those he redeemed from the hand of the oppressor,
those he gathered from all the lands,
from the north and the south, from the east and the west.
Some wandered in the desert on lost paths,
without finding a city to dwell in:
they suffered from hunger and thirst,
they felt their spirits failing.
In their anguish, they cried out to the Lord,
and he rescued them from their distress:
he led them by the right way,
he brought them to a city where they could dwell.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love,
for his wonders for humankind:
for he quenches their thirst,
and fills the hungry with good things!
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself" — Mt 22, 34-40
At that time,
The Pharisees,
learning that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
gathered together,
and one of them, a doctor of the Law, questioned Jesus
to test him:
"Teacher, in the Law,
which is the greatest commandment?"
Jesus replied to him:
"You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
And the second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments depend the whole Law,
and the Prophets as well."
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org