PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer in Honor of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

Gracious God,

you filled the heart of Philippine Duchesne with charity and missionary zeal,

and gave her the desire to make you known among all peoples.

Fill us who honor her memory today,

with that same love and zeal to extend your kingdom to the ends of the earth.

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.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Dn 12:1-3

In those days, I Daniel,

heard this word of the Lord:

"At that time there shall arise

Michael, the great prince,

guardian of your people;

it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress

since nations began until that time.

At that time your people shall escape,

everyone who is found written in the book.

"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;

some shall live forever,

others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.

"But the wise shall shine brightly

like the splendor of the firmament,

and those who lead the many to justice

shall be like the stars forever."

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence;

because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Reading 2

Heb 10:11-14, 18

Brothers and sisters:

Every priest stands daily at his ministry,

offering frequently those same sacrifices

that can never take away sins.

But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,

and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;

now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.

For by one offering

he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.

Where there is forgiveness of these,

there is no longer offering for sin.

GOSPEL

Mk 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples:

"In those days after that tribulation

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'

with great power and glory,

and then he will send out the angels

and gather his elect from the four winds,

from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.

When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,

you know that summer is near.

In the same way, when you see these things happening,

know that he is near, at the gates.

Amen, I say to you,

this generation will not pass away

until all these things have taken place.

Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,

neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

SAINT OF THE DAY

November 18

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769-1852)

Born in Grenoble, France, of a family that was among the new rich, Philippine learned political skills from her father and a love of the poor from her mother. The dominant feature of her temperament was a strong and dauntless will, which became the material—and the battlefield—of her holiness. She entered the convent at 19 and remained despite their opposition. As the French Revolution broke, the convent was closed, 
and she began taking care of the poor and sick, opened a school for street urchins and risked her life helping priests in the underground.

When the situation cooled, she personally rented her old convent, now a shambles, and tried to revive its religious life. The spirit was gone, and soon there were only four nuns left. They joined the infant Society of the Sacred Heart, whose young superior, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, would be her lifelong friend. In a short time Philippine was a superior and supervisor of the novitiate and a school. But her ambition, since hearing tales of missionary work in Louisiana as a little girl, was to go to America and work among the Indians. At 49, she thought this would be her work. With four nuns, she spent 11 weeks at sea en route to New Orleans, and seven weeks more on the Mississippi to St. Louis. She then met one of the many disappointments of her life. The bishop had no place for them to live and work among Native Americans. Instead, he sent her to what she sadly called "the remotest village in the U.S.," St. Charles, Missouri. With characteristic drive and courage, 
she founded the first free school for girls west of the Mississippi.

It was a mistake. Though she was as hardy as any of the pioneer women in the wagons rolling west, cold and hunger drove them out—to Florissant, Missouri, where she founded the first Catholic Indian school, adding others in the territory. "In her first decade in America, Mother Duchesne suffered practically every hardship the frontier had to offer, except the threat of Indian massacre—poor lodging, shortages of food, drinking water, fuel and money, forest fires and blazing chimneys, the vagaries of the Missouri climate, cramped living quarters and the privation of all privacy, and the crude manners of children reared in rough surroundings and with only the slightest training in courtesy" 
(Louise Callan, R.S.C.J., Philippine Duchesne).

Finally, at 72, in poor health and retired, she got her lifelong wish. A mission was founded at Sugar Creek, Kansas, among the Potawatomi. She was taken along. Though she could not learn their language, they soon named her "Woman-Who-Prays-Always." While others taught, she prayed. Legend has it that Native American children sneaked behind her as she knelt and sprinkled bits of paper on her habit, 
and came back hours later to find them undisturbed. She died in 1852 at the age of 83.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 99 (100)

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord:

let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

– Come, let us rejoice in the Lord:

let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,

and serve him with joy.

Exult as you enter his presence.

– Come, let us rejoice in the Lord:

let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we are his

– his people, the sheep of his flock.

– Come, let us rejoice in the Lord:

let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

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 rejoice in the Lord:

let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

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 rejoice in the Lord:

let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

Hymn

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,

Be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;

Be thou my best thought in the day and the night,

Both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,

Be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;

Be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;

Be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;

Be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might;

Be thou my soul’s shelter, be thou my strong tower:

O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise:

Be thou mine inheritance now and always;

Be thou and thou only the first in my heart;

O Sovereign of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of Heaven, thou Heaven’s bright sun,

O grant me its joys after victory is won!;

Great heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Psalm 1

The two paths

The cross of the Lord is become the tree of life for us.

Blessed the man who does not follow the counsels of the wicked,

or stand in the paths that sinners use,

or sit in the gatherings of those who mock:

his delight is the law of the Lord,

he ponders his law day and night.

He is like a tree planted by flowing waters,

that will give its fruit in due time,

whose leaves will not fade.

All that he does will prosper.

Not thus are the wicked, not thus.

They are like the dust blown by the wind.

At the time of judgement the wicked will not stand,

nor sinners in the council of the just.

For the Lord knows the path of the just;

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

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 cross of the Lord is become the tree of life for us.

Psalm 2

The Messiah, king and victor

It is I who have set up my king on Sion.

Why are the nations in a ferment?

Why do the people make their vain plans?

The kings of the earth have risen up;

the leaders have united against the Lord,

against his anointed.

“Let us break their chains, that bind us;

let us throw off their yoke from our shoulders!”

The Lord laughs at them,

he who lives in the heavens derides them.

Then he speaks to them in his anger;

in his fury he throws them into confusion:

“But I – I have set up my king on Zion,

my holy mountain.”

I will proclaim the Lord’s decrees.

The Lord has said to me: “You are my son: today I have begotten you.

Ask me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance,

the ends of the earth for you to possess.

You will rule them with a rod of iron,

break them in pieces like an earthen pot.”

So now, kings, listen: understand, you who rule the land.

Serve the Lord in fear, tremble even as you praise him.

Learn his teaching, lest he take anger,

lest you perish when his anger bursts into flame.

Blessed are all who put their trust in the Lord.

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.

It is I who have set up my king on Sion.

Psalm 3

The Lord is my protector

You, Lord, are my salvation and my glory: 

you lift up my head.

Lord, how many they are, my attackers!

So many rise up against me, so many of them say:

“He can hope for no help from the Lord.”

But you, Lord, are my protector, my glory:

you raise up my head.

I called to the Lord,

and from his holy mountain he heard my voice.

I fell asleep, and slept;

but I rose, for the Lord raised me up.

I will not fear when the people surround me in their thousands.

Rise up, O Lord;

bring me to safety, my God.

Those who attacked me – you struck them on the jaw,

you shattered their teeth.

Salvation comes from the Lord:

Lord, your blessing is upon your people.

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.

You, Lord, are my salvation and my glory: 

you lift up my head.

May the word of the Lord find a true home in you.

– Teach and advise one another in all wisdom.

Reading

Joel 2:21-32

O soil, do not be afraid;

be glad, rejoice,

for the Lord has done great things.

Beasts of the field, do not be afraid;

the pastures on the heath are green again,

the trees bear fruit,

vine and fig tree yield abundantly.

Sons of Zion, be glad,

rejoice in the Lord your God;

for he has given you

the autumn rain, since he is just,

and has poured the rains down for you,

the autumn and spring rain as before.

The threshing-floors will be full of grain,

the vats overflow with wine and oil.

‘I will make up to you for the years

devoured by grown locust and hopper

by shearer and young locust,

my great army

which I sent to invade you.’

You will eat to your heart’s content, will eat your fill,

and praise the name of the Lord your God

who has treated you so wonderfully.

(My people will not be disappointed any more.)

And you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,

that I am the Lord your God, with none to equal me.

My people will not be disappointed any more.

‘After this

I will pour out my spirit on all mankind.

Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

and your young men see visions.

Even on the slaves, men and women,

will I pour out my spirit in those days.

I will display portents in heaven and on earth,

blood and fire and columns of smoke.’

The sun will be turned into darkness,

and the moon into blood,

before the day of the Lord dawns,

that great and terrible day.

All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved,

for on Mount Zion there will be some who have escaped,

as the Lord has said,

and in Jerusalem some survivors whom the Lord will call.

Responsory

There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, 

and on earth nations in despair.

When you see this happen, 

you will know that the kingdom of God is near at hand.

Watch and pray, 

for you do not know when that time will come.

When you see this happen, 

you will know that the kingdom of God is near at hand.

Reading

A commentary of St Augustine on Psalm 95

Let us not resist the first advent, 

and the second will not terrify us

Then all the trees of the forest will exult before the face of the Lord, for he has come, he has come to judge the earth. He has come the first time, and he will come again. At his first coming, his own voice declared in the gospel: Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds. What does he mean by hereafter? Does he not mean that the Lord will come at a future time when all the nations of the earth will be striking their breasts in grief? Previously he came through his preachers, and he filled the whole world. 
Let us not resist his first coming, so that we may not dread the second.

What then should the Christian do? He ought to use the world, not become its slave. And what does this mean? It means having, as though not having. So says the Apostle: My brethren, the appointed time is short: from now on let those who have wives live as though they had none; and those who mourn as though they were not mourning; and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing; and those who buy as though they had no goods; and those who deal with this world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away. But I wish you to be without anxiety. He who is without anxiety waits without fear until his Lord comes. For what sort of love of Christ is it to fear his coming? Brothers, do we not have to blush for shame? We love him, yet we fear his coming. Are we really certain that we love him? Or do we love our sins more? Therefore let us hate our sins and love him who will exact punishment for them. He will come whether we wish it or not. Do not think that because he is not coming just now, he will not come at all. He will come, you know not when; and provided he finds you prepared, 
your ignorance of the time of his coming will not be held against you.

All the trees of the forest will exult. He has come the first time, and he will come again to judge the earth; 
he will find those rejoicing who believed in his first coming, for he has come.

He will judge the world with equity and the peoples in his truth. What are equity and truth? He will gather together with him for the judgement his chosen ones, but the others he will set apart; for he will place some on his right, others on his left. What is more equitable, what more true than that they should not themselves expect mercy from the judge, who themselves were unwilling to show mercy before the judge’s coming. Those, however, who were willing to show mercy will be judged with mercy. For it will be said to those placed on his right: Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world. And he reckons to their account their works of mercy: For I was hungry and you gave me food to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me drink.

What is imputed to those placed on his left side? That they refused to show mercy. And where will they go? Depart into the everlasting fire. The hearing of this condemnation will cause much wailing. But what has another psalm said? The just man will be held in everlasting remembrance; he will not fear the evil report. What is the evil report? Depart into the everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. 
Whoever rejoices to hear the good report will not fear the bad. This is equity, this is truth.

Or do you, because you are unjust, expect the judge not to be just? Or because you are a liar, will the truthful one not be true? Rather, if you wish to receive mercy, be merciful before he comes; forgive whatever has been done against you; give of your abundance. Of whose possessions do you give, if not from his? If you were to give of your own, it would be largess; but since you give of his, it is restitution. For what do you have, that you have not received? These are the sacrifices most pleasing to God: mercy, humility, praise, peace, charity. Such as these, then, let us bring and, free from fear, we shall await the coming of the judge who will judge the world in equity and the peoples in his truth.

Responsory

The Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father;

he will repay every man according to his deeds.

He will judge the world with righteousness, 

and the peoples with his truth;

he will repay every man according to his deeds.

Hymn

Te Deum

God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you!

You, the Father, the eternal –

all the earth venerates you.

All the angels, all the heavens, every power –

The cherubim, the seraphim –

unceasingly, they cry:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts:

heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!”

The glorious choir of Apostles –

The noble ranks of prophets –

The shining army of martyrs –

all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you.

– Father of immeasurable majesty,

– True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship,

– Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ:

– You are the king of glory.

– You are the Father’s eternal Son.

– You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb.

– You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you.

– You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father.

– You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants,

whom you set free at the price of your precious blood.

Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory.

Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance.

Rule them and lift them high for ever.

Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever.

Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.

Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.

In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

Let us pray.

Lord our God,

give us grace to serve you always with joy,

because our full and lasting happiness

is to make of our lives

a constant service to the Author of all that is good.

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.