PRAYER OF THE DAY

THE HOLY FATHER's PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR DECEMBER 2012

General Intention:

That migrants throughout the world may be welcomed with generosity and authentic love, especially by Christian communities.

Missionary Intention:

Christ, light for all humanity. 
That Christ may reveal himself to all humanity with the light that shines forth from Bethlehem and is reflected in the face of his Church.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading

Rv 22:1-7

John said:

An angel showed me the river of life-giving water,

sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God

and of the Lamb down the middle of the street,

On either side of the river grew the tree of life

that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month;

the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.

Nothing accursed will be found anymore.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,

and his servants will worship him.

They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun,

for the Lord God shall give them light,

and they shall reign forever and ever.

And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true,

and the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits,

sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon."

"Behold, I am coming soon."

Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 95:1-2, 3-5, 6-7ab

R. Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

R. Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

For the LORD is a great God,

and a great king above all gods;

In his hands are the depths of the earth,

and the tops of the mountains are his.

His is the sea, for he has made it,

and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

R. Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, let us bow down in worship;

let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

For he is our God,

and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R. Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Gospel

Lk 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy

from carousing and drunkenness

and the anxieties of daily life,

and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.

For that day will assault everyone

who lives on the face of the earth.

Be vigilant at all times

and pray that you have the strength

to escape the tribulations that are imminent

and to stand before the Son of Man."

SAINT OF THE DAY

December 1

Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)

Born into an aristocratic family in Strasbourg, France, Charles was orphaned at the age of six, raised by his devout grandfather, rejected the Catholic faith during high school and joined the French army. Inheriting a great deal of money from his grandfather, 
Charles went to Algeria with his regiment, but not without his mistress, Mimi.

When he refused to give her up, he was dismissed from the army. Later he reenlisted in Algeria after he had left Mimi. He resigned from the army when he was refused permission to make a scientific exploration of nearby Morocco. With the help of a Jewish rabbi, 
Charles disguised himself as a Jew and in 1883 began a one-year exploration that he recorded in a book that was well received.

Inspired by the Jews and Muslims whom he met, when he returned to France he resumed the practice of his Catholic faith in 1886. He joined a Trappist monastery in Ardeche, France, and later transferred to one in Akbes, Syria. He left them and in 1897 began to work as gardener and sacristan for the Poor Clares nuns in Nazareth and later in Jerusalem. He returned to France and was ordained a priest in 1901.

Later that year he returned to Beni-Abbes, Morocco, intending to found a monastic religious community in North Africa, offering hospitality to Christians, Muslims, Jews or people with no religion. He lived a peaceful, hidden life but attracted no companions.

A former army comrade invited him to live among the Tuareg people in Algeria. Charles learned their language enough to write a Tuareg-French and French-Taureg dictionary and to translate the Gospels into Tuareg. In 1905 he came to Tamanrasset, 
where he lived the rest of his life. His two-volume collection of Tuareg poetry was published after his death.

In early 1909 he visited France and established an association of laypeople who pledged to live by the Gospels. His return to Tamanrasset was welcomed by the Tuareg. In 1915 he wrote to Louis Massignon: “The love of God, the love for one’s neighbor…All religion is found there…How to get to that point? Not in a day since it is perfection itself: it is the goal we must always aim for, 
which we must unceasingly try to reach and that we will only attain in heaven.”

The outbreak of World War I led to attacks on the French in Algeria. Seized in a raid by another tribe, 
Charles and two French soldiers coming to visit him were shot to death on December 1, 1916.

Five religious congregations, associations and spiritual institutes (Little Brothers of Jesus, Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Little Sisters of Jesus, Little Brothers of the Gospel and Little Sisters of the Gospel) draw inspiration from the peaceful, 
largely hidden yet hospitable life that characterized Charles. He was beatified on November 13, 2005.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 94 (95)

Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,

let us acclaim God our salvation.

Let us come before him proclaiming our thanks,

let us acclaim him with songs.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

For the Lord is a great God,

a king above all gods.

For he holds the depths of the earth in his hands,

and the peaks of the mountains are his.

For the sea is his: he made it;

and his hands formed the dry land.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

Come, let us worship and bow down,

bend the knee before the Lord who made us;

for he himself is our God and we are his flock,

the sheep that follow his hand.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

If only, today, you would listen to his voice:

“Do not harden your hearts

as you did at Meribah,

on the day of Massah in the desert,

when your fathers tested me –

they put me to the test,

although they had seen my works.”

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

“For forty years they wearied me,

that generation.

I said: their hearts are wandering,

they do not know my paths.

I swore in my anger:

they will never enter my place of rest.”

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

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.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

Hymn

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life thou givest, to both great and small;

In all life thou livest, the true life of all;

We blossom and flourish, like leaves on the tree,

Then wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,

Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;

All laud we would render: O help us to see

‘Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

Psalm 135 (136)

A paschal hymn

The Lord alone has wrought marvellous works,

for his love endures for ever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his love is for ever.

Give thanks to the God of gods,

for his love is for ever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for his love is for ever.

He alone works wonders,

for his love is for ever.

In his wisdom he made the heavens,

for his love is for ever.

He set the Earth upon the waters,

for his love is for ever.

He created the great lights,

for his love is for ever.

The sun, to rule over the day,

for his love is for ever.

The moon and stars, to rule over the night,

for his love is 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.

The Lord alone has wrought marvellous works,

for his love endures for ever.

Psalm 135 (136)

He brought Israel out from Egypt,

with arm outstretched,

with power in his hand.

He struck down the first-born of Egypt,

for his love is for ever.

He led Israel out from their midst,

for his love is for ever.

With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for his love is for ever.

He divided the Red Sea in two,

for his love is for ever.

He led Israel out through the sea,

for his love is for ever.

He overthrew Pharaoh and his army,

for his love is 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.

He brought Israel out from Egypt,

with arm outstretched,

with power in his hand.

Psalm 135 (136)

To the Lord of heaven give thanks:

he set us free from our foes.

He led his people through the wilderness,

for his love is for ever.

He struck down great kings,

for his love is for ever.

Sihon, king of the Amorites,

for his love is for ever.

And Og, the king of Bashan,

for his love is for ever.

He gave their land to his people,

for his love is for ever.

A heritage for Israel his servant,

for his love is for ever.

He remembered us in our affliction,

for his love is for ever.

He rescued us from our enemies,

for his love is for ever.

He gives food to all creatures that live,

for his love is for ever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven,

for his love is 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.

To the Lord of heaven give thanks:

he set us free from our foes.

Lord, show me your ways,

– and teach me your paths.

Reading

Jude 1:1-8,12-13,17-25

From Jude, servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James; to those who are called, to those who are dear to God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ, wishing you all mercy and peace and love.

My dear friends, at a time when I was eagerly looking forward to writing to you about the salvation that we all share, I have been forced to write to you now and appeal to you to fight hard for the faith which has been once and for all entrusted to the saints. Certain people have infiltrated among you, and they are the ones you had a warning about, in writing, long ago, when they were condemned for denying all religion, 
turning the grace of our God into immorality, and rejecting our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

I should like to remind you-though you have already learnt it once and for all-how the Lord rescued the nation from Egypt, but afterwards he still destroyed the men who did not trust him. Next let me remind you of the angels who had supreme authority but did not keep it and left their appointed sphere; he has kept them down in the dark, in spiritual chains, to be judged on the great day. The fornication of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other nearby towns was equally unnatural, and it is a warning to us that they are paying for their crimes in eternal fire.

Nevertheless, these people are doing the same: in their delusions they not only defile their bodies and disregard authority, but abuse the glorious angels as well. They are a dangerous obstacle to your community meals, coming for the food and quite shamelessly only looking after themselves. They are like clouds blown about by the winds and bringing no rain, or like barren trees which are then uprooted in the winter and so are twice dead; like wild sea waves capped with shame as if with foam; or like shooting stars bound for an eternity of black darkness. But remember, my dear friends, what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you to expect. ‘At the end of time,’ they told you ‘there are going to be people who sneer at religion and follow nothing but their own desires for wickedness.’ These unspiritual and selfish people are nothing but mischief-makers.

But you, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life. When there are some who have doubts reassure them; when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out; but there are others to whom you must be kind with great caution, 
keeping your distance even from outside clothing which is contaminated by vice.

Glory be to him who can keep you from falling and bring you safe to his glorious presence, innocent and happy. To God, the only God, 
who saves us through Jesus Christ our Lord, be the glory, majesty, authority and power, which he had before time began, now and for ever. 
Amen.

Responsory

Let us live sober,

upright and godly lives in this world,

as we await the blessed Day for which we hope,

when the glory of our great God and Saviour,

Jesus Christ,

will appear.

Let us be concerned for one another,

encouraging one another to show love and to do good,

as we await the blessed Day for which we hope,

when the glory of our great God and Saviour,

Jesus Christ,

will appear.

Reading

From a sermon by Saint Augustine

Let us sing Alleluia to God, 

who is good and frees us from evil

Let us sing alleluia here on earth, while we are still anxious and worrying, so that we may one day be able to sing it there in heaven, without any worry or care. Why anxious and worrying here? You must want me to be anxious, Lord, when I read, Is not man’s life on earth a trial and a temptation? You must want me to worry when temptation is so plentiful that the Prayer itself tells us to worry, when we say, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us. Every day we are petitioners, every day we are trespassers. Do you want me to throw care to the winds, Lord, when every day I am requesting pardon for sins and assistance against dangers? After all, when I have said, because of past sins, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, I must immediately go on to add, because of future dangers, Lead us not into temptation. And how can a people be in a good way, when they cry out with me, Deliver us from evil? And yet, my brethren, 
in this time that is still evil, let us sing alleluia to the good God, who does deliver us from evil.

Even here, among the dangers, among the trials and temptations of this life, both by others and by ourselves let alleluia be sung. God is faithful, he says, and he will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you are able to endure. So even here let us sing alleluia. Man is still a defendant on trial, but God is faithful. He did not say “he will not permit you to be tempted” but he will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you are able to endure; and with the temptation he will also make a way out, so that you may be able to endure it. You have entered into temptation; but God will also make a way out so that you do not perish in the temptation; so that like a potter’s jar you may be shaped by the preaching and fired into strength by the tribulation. But when you enter the temptation, bear in mind the way out: because God is faithful, 
God will watch over you and guard your going in and your coming out.

Furthermore, when this body has become immortal and imperishable, when all temptation has been done away with; because the body is dead – why is it dead? – Because of sin. But the spirit is life, because of justice. So do we leave the body dead, then? No, but listen: But if the Spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead dwells within you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies. 
So you see: now the body receives its life from the soul, but then it will receive it from the Spirit.

O! what a happy alleluia there, how carefree, how safe from all opposition, where nobody will be an enemy, where no-one will ever cease to be a friend! God’s praises sung there, sung here – here, by the anxious; there, by the carefree – here, by those who will die; there, 
by those who will live for ever – here, in hope; there, in reality – here, on our journey; there, in our homeland.

So now, my brethren, let us sing, not to delight our leisure, but to ease our toil. In the way that travellers are in the habit of singing, sing, but keep on walking. What does it mean, “keep on walking”? Go onward always – but go onward in goodness, for there are, according to the Apostle, some people who go ever onward from bad to worse. If you are going onward, you are walking; 
but always go onward in goodness, onward in the right faith, onward in good habits and behaviour. Sing, and walk onwards.

Responsory

Jerusalem,

your streets shall be paved with pure gold and within your walls a song of gladness will be raised,

and Alleluia will be on the lips of all who dwell in your homes.

You will shine with a very great splendour,

and all the ends of the earth will revere you,

and Alleluia will be on the lips of all who dwell in your homes.

Let us pray.

Lord, strengthen the wills of your people

to be more active in doing good works,

and so gain from your loving-kindness

more abundant healing.

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.