PRAYER OF THE DAY

The Litany of St. Vincent de Paul

Lord, have mercy on us,

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us,

Christ, graciously hear us.

V. The just shall spring up like the lily,

R. And flourish forever before the Lord. Alleluia.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us.

Holy Mary, comforter of the afflicted, Pray for us.

Saint Vincent de Paul, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who at the tenderest age didst display a wisdom most mature, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who from thy childhood wast full of pity and compassion, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who like David, from a simple shepherd becamest a ruler and pastor of the people of God, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who in thy captivity by Turkish pirates didst preserve perfect freedom, Pray for us.

St. Vincent the just man, who didst live by faith, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, always supported on the firm anchor of a Christian hope, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, always inflamed with the fire of perfect charity, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, truly simple, upright, and fearing God, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, true disciple of Jesus Christ, always meek and humble of heart, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, perfectly mortified in heart and mind, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, ever animated with the spirit of Our Lord, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, generous maintainer of the glory of God, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, ever inwardly burning and ever outwardly transported with zeal for souls, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who in Christian poverty didst find the precious pearl and the rich treasure of the Gospel, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, like to the Angels in thy purity, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, faithful in obedience and victorious in word and deed, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who didst fly the slightest appearance of evil, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who in all thine actions didst aspire to the practice of perfect virtue, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who didst remain like a rock amidst the stormy sea of this world, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, invincible amidst the arrows of adversity, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, as patient in suffering as thou wast indulgent in forgiving, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, ever docile and obedient son of the Holy See, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who hadst exceeding horror of the novel ways and subtle words of heretics, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, destined by a special Providence to announce the Gospel to the poor, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, father and model of ecclesiastics, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, prudent founder of the Congregation of the Mission, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, wise institutor of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, tender in compassionating and prompt in relieving the necessities of the poor, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, equally fervent in the practice of prayer and in ministry of the word, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, admirable in imitation of the life and virtues of Jesus, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who didst persevere to the end in shunning evil and doing good, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, who as in life so in death wast most precious in the sight of God, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, glory of France and pride of Paris, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, patron of all charitable associations, Pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

V. The Lord hath led the just man through right ways,

R. And showed unto him the Kingdom of God.

Let Us Pray: O God, Who by an effect of Thine infinite goodness, hast renewed in our days, in the apostolic character and humility of Thy blessed servant Vincent, the spirit of Thy well-beloved Son---to preach the Gospel to the poor, relieve the afflicted, console the miserable, and add new luster to the ecclesiastical order---grant, we beseech Thee, through his powerful intercession, that we also, delivered from the great misery of sin, may labor to please Thee by the practice of the same humility, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who liveth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

R. Amen.

O God, Who for the preaching of the Gospel to the poor, and for promoting the honor of the priesthood, didst endue blessed Vincent with the zeal of an apostle, grant, we humbly pray Thee, that we who venerate his holy life may profit by the examples of virtue he has left us.

R. Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, priest

Reading

Eccl 1:2-11

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,

vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!

What profit has man from all the labor

which he toils at under the sun?

One generation passes and another comes,

but the world forever stays.

The sun rises and the sun goes down;

then it presses on to the place where it rises.

Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north,

the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.

All rivers go to the sea,

yet never does the sea become full.

To the place where they go,

the rivers keep on going.

All speech is labored;

there is nothing one can say.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing

nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.

What has been, that will be;

what has been done, that will be done.

Nothing is new under the sun.

Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!"

has already existed in the ages that preceded us.

There is no remembrance of the men of old;

nor of those to come will there be any remembrance

among those who come after them.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 And 17bc

R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

You turn man back to dust,

saying, "Return, O children of men."

For a thousand years in your sight

are as yesterday, now that it is past,

or as a watch of the night.

R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

You make an end of them in their sleep;

the next morning they are like the changing grass,

Which at dawn springs up anew,

but by evening wilts and fades.

R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Return, O LORD! How long?

Have pity on your servants!

R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,

that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

Prosper the work of our hands for us!

Prosper the work of our hands!

R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Gospel

Lk 9:7-9

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,

and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,

"John has been raised from the dead";

others were saying, "Elijah has appeared";

still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."

But Herod said, "John I beheaded.

Who then is this about whom I hear such things?"

And he kept trying to see him.

SAINT OF THE DAY

September 27

St. Vincent de Paul (1580?-1660)

The deathbed confession of a dying servant opened Vincent's eyes to the crying spiritual needs of the peasantry of France. This seems to have been a crucial moment in the life of the man from a small farm in Gascony, France, who had become a priest with little more ambition than to have a comfortable life.

It was the Countess de Gondi (whose servant he had helped) who persuaded her husband to endow and support a group of able and zealous missionaries who would work among poor tenant farmers and country people in general. Vincent was too humble to accept leadership at first, but after working for some time in Paris among imprisoned galley-slaves, he returned to be the leader of what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the Vincentians. These priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages.

Later, Vincent established confraternities of charity for the spiritual and physical relief of the poor and sick of each parish. From these, with the help of St. Louise de Marillac, came the Daughters of Charity, "whose convent is the sickroom, whose chapel is the parish church, whose cloister is the streets of the city." He organized the rich women of Paris to collect funds for his missionary projects, founded several hospitals, collected relief funds for the victims of war and ransomed over 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa. He was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when there was great laxity, abuse and ignorance among them. He was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries.

Most remarkably, Vincent was by temperament a very irascible person—even his friends admitted it. He said that except for the grace of God he would have been "hard and repulsive, rough and cross." But he became a tender and affectionate man, very sensitive to the needs of others.

Pope Leo XIII made him the patron of all charitable societies. Outstanding among these, of course, is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, founded in 1833 by his admirer Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (September 7).

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 99 (100)

Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,

and serve him with joy.

Exult as you enter his presence.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we are his

– his people, the sheep of his flock.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

Cry out his praises as you enter his gates,

fill his courtyards with songs.

Proclaim him and bless his name;

for the Lord is our delight.

His mercy lasts for ever,

his faithfulness through all the ages.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

Hymn

Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

Eternal Father, through your Word

You gave new life to Adam’s race,

And call us now to live in light,

New creatures by your saving grace.

To you who stooped to all who sin

We render homage and give praise:

To Father, Son and Spirit blest

Whose loving gift is endless days.

Psalm 17 (18)

Thanksgiving

The word of the Lord is a shield for all who make him their refuge.

The Lord’s ways are pure;

the words of the Lord are refined in the furnace;

the Lord protects all who hope in him.

For what God is there, but our Lord?

What help, but in the Lord our God?

God, who has wrapped me in his strength

and set me on the perfect path,

who has made my feet like those of the deer,

who has set me firm upon the heights,

who trains my hands for battle,

teaches my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

The word of the Lord is a shield for all who make him their refuge.

Psalm 17 (18)

Lord, your right hand upheld me.

You have given me the shield of your salvation;

your right hand holds me up;

by answering me, you give me greatness.

You have stretched the length of my stride,

my feet do not weaken.

I pursue my enemies and surround them;

I do not turn back until they are no more.

I smash them to pieces, they cannot stand,

they fall beneath my feet.

You have wrapped me round with strength for war,

and made my attackers fall under me.

You turned my enemies’ backs on me,

you destroyed those who hated me.

They cried out, but there was no-one to save them;

they cried to the Lord, but he did not hear.

I have ground them up until they are dust in the wind,

trodden them down like the mud of the street.

You have delivered me from the murmurings of the people

and placed me at the head of the nations.

A people I do not even know serves me –

at a mere rumour of my orders, they obey.

The children of strangers beg for my favour;

they hide away and tremble where they hide.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Lord, your right hand upheld me.

Psalm 17 (18)

Long life to the Lord! Praised be the God who saves me.

The Lord lives, my blessed Helper.

Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

God, you give me my revenge,

you subject peoples to my rule,

you free me from my enraged enemies.

You raise me up from those who attack me,

you snatch me from the grasp of the violent.

And so I will proclaim you among the nations, Lord,

and sing to your name.

Time and again you save your king,

you show your loving kindness to your anointed,

to David and his descendants for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Long life to the Lord! Praised be the God who saves me.

Uncover my eyes, Lord,

– and I will consider the wonders of your Law.

Reading

Ezekiel 37:15-28

The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, take a stick and write on it, “Judah and those Israelites loyal to him.” Take another stick and write on it, “Joseph, the wood of Ephraim, and all the House of Israel loyal to him.”

‘Join one to the other to make a single piece of wood, a single stick in your hand. And when the members of your nation say, “Tell us what you mean,” say, “The Lord says this: I am taking the stick of Joseph, now in the hand of Ephraim, and those tribes of Israel loyal to him, and I am going to put the stick of Judah with them. I shall make one stick out of the two, and I shall hold them as one.”

‘Keep the pieces of wood you have written on in your hand where they can see, and say, “The Lord says this: I am going to take the sons of Israel from the nations where they have gone. I shall gather them together from everywhere and bring them home to their own soil. I shall make them into one nation in my own land and on the mountains of Israel, and one king is to be king of them all; they will no longer form two nations, nor be two separate kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and their filthy practices and all their sins. I shall rescue them from all the betrayals they have been guilty of; I shall cleanse them; they shall be my people and I will be their God. My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all; they will follow my observances, respect my laws and practise them. They will live in the land that I gave my servant Jacob, the land in which your ancestors lived. They will live in it, they, their children, their children’s children, for ever. David my servant is to be their prince for ever. I shall make a covenant of peace with them, an eternal covenant with them. I shall resettle them and increase them; I shall settle my sanctuary among them for ever. I shall make my home above them; I will be their God, they shall be my people. And the nations will learn that I am the Lord, the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with them for ever.”’

Responsory

I am going to take the sons of Israel and gather them together from far and wide,

and I shall make them into one nation.

Then shall there be one flock and one shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

Then shall there be one flock and one shepherd.

Reading

A writing of St Vincent de Paul

Serving the poor is to be preferred above all things

Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearances nor from the mental gifts they seem to have received. On the contrary, if you consider the poor in the light of faith, then you will observe that they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor.

Although in his passion he almost lost the appearance of a man and was considered a fool by the Gentiles and a stumbling block by the Jews, he showed them that his mission was to preach to the poor: He sent me to preach the good news to the poor. We also ought to have this same spirit and imitate Christ’s actions, that is, we must take care of the poor, console them, help them, support their cause.

Since Christ willed to be born poor, he chose for himself disciples who were poor. He made himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty. He went so far as to say that he would consider every deed which either helps or harms the poor as done for or against himself. Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor. For when one person holds another dear, he also includes in his affection anyone who loves or serves the one he loves. That is why we hope that God will love us for the sake of the poor. So when we visit the poor and needy, we try to understand the poor and weak. We sympathise with them so fully that we can echo Paul’s words: I have become all things to all men. Therefore, we must try to be stirred by our neighbours’ worries and distress. We must beg God to pour into our hearts sentiments of pity and compassion and to fill them again and again with these dispositions.

It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer. Do not become upset or feel guilty because you interrupted your prayer to serve the poor. God is not neglected if you leave him for such service. One of God’s works is merely interrupted so that another can be carried out. So when you leave prayer to serve some poor person, remember that this very service is performed for God. Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity. Since she is a noble mistress, we must do whatever she commands. With renewed devotion, then, we must serve the poor, especially outcasts and beggars. They have been given to us as our masters and patrons.

Responsory

Though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone.

For the weak I made myself weak;

I made myself all things to all men in order to save them all.

I was eyes for the blind, and feet for the lame.

Who but I was father of the poor?

I made myself all things to all men in order to save them all.

Let us pray.

Father, you endowed Saint Vincent de Paul with the spirit of an apostle

to give himself to the service of the poor and to the training of priests.

Give us a share of the same spirit

that we may love what he loved

and do as he taught us.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.