PRAYER OF THE DAY

A Prayer for Deceased Parents

O God,

who hast commanded us to honor our father and our mother;

in Thy mercy have pity on the souls of my father and mother,

and forgive them their trespasses;

and make me to see them again in the joy of everlasting brightness.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Reading

2 MC 7:1, 20-31

It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested

and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,

to force them to eat pork in violation of God’s law.

Most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother,

who saw her seven sons perish in a single day,

yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.

Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with manly courage,

she exhorted each of them

in the language of their ancestors with these words:

“I do not know how you came into existence in my womb;

it was not I who gave you the breath of life,

nor was it I who set in order

the elements of which each of you is composed.

Therefore, since it is the Creator of the universe

who shapes each man’s beginning,

as he brings about the origin of everything,

he, in his mercy,

will give you back both breath and life,

because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of his law.”

Antiochus, suspecting insult in her words,

thought he was being ridiculed.

As the youngest brother was still alive, the king appealed to him,

not with mere words, but with promises on oath,

to make him rich and happy if he would abandon his ancestral customs:

he would make him his Friend

and entrust him with high office.

When the youth paid no attention to him at all,

the king appealed to the mother,

urging her to advise her boy to save his life.

After he had urged her for a long time,

she went through the motions of persuading her son.

In derision of the cruel tyrant,

she leaned over close to her son and said in their native language:

“Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months,

nursed you for three years, brought you up,

educated and supported you to your present age.

I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth

and see all that is in them;

then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things;

and in the same way the human race came into existence.

Do not be afraid of this executioner,

but be worthy of your brothers and accept death,

so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them.”

She had scarcely finished speaking when the youth said:

“What are you waiting for?

I will not obey the king’s command.

I obey the command of the law given to our fathers through Moses.

But you, who have contrived every kind of affliction for the Hebrews,

will not escape the hands of God.”

Responsorial Psalm

PS 17:1BCD, 5-6, 8B AND 15

R. Lord, when your glory appears,

my joy will be full.

Hear, O LORD, a just suit;

attend to my outcry;

hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.

R. Lord, when your glory appears,

my joy will be full.

My steps have been steadfast in your paths,

my feet have not faltered.

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;

incline your ear to me; hear my word.

R. Lord, when your glory appears,

my joy will be full.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings.

But I in justice shall behold your face;

on waking, I shall be content in your presence.

R. Lord, when your glory appears,

my joy will be full.

Gospel

LK 19:11-28

While people were listening to Jesus speak,

he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem

and they thought that the Kingdom of God

would appear there immediately.

So he said,

“A nobleman went off to a distant country

to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.

He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins

and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’

His fellow citizens, however, despised him

and sent a delegation after him to announce,

‘We do not want this man to be our king.’

But when he returned after obtaining the kingship,

he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money,

to learn what they had gained by trading.

The first came forward and said,

‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’

He replied, ‘Well done, good servant!

You have been faithful in this very small matter;

take charge of ten cities.’

Then the second came and reported,

‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’

And to this servant too he said,

‘You, take charge of five cities.’

Then the other servant came and said,

‘Sir, here is your gold coin;

I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,

for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man;

you take up what you did not lay down

and you harvest what you did not plant.’

He said to him,

‘With your own words I shall condemn you,

you wicked servant.

You knew I was a demanding man,

taking up what I did not lay down

and harvesting what I did not plant;

why did you not put my money in a bank?

Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’

And to those standing by he said,

‘Take the gold coin from him

and give it to the servant who has ten.’

But they said to him,

‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’

He replied, ‘I tell you,

to everyone who has, more will be given,

but from the one who has not,

even what he has will be taken away.

Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king,

bring them here and slay them before me.’”

After he had said this,

he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

SAINT OF THE DAY

November 20

St. Edmund Rich (1175 - 1240)

Archbishop of Canterbury England, who battled for discipline and justice, also called Edmund of Abingdon.

Born in Abingdon, on November 30, 1180. he studied at Oxford, England, and in Paris, France. He taught art and mathematics at Oxford and was ordained. He spent eight years teaching theology and became Canon and treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral. An eloquent speaker, Edmund preached a crusade for Pope Gregory IX and was named archbishop of Canterbury. He became an advisor to King Henry III and presided in 1237 at Henry’s ratification of the Great Charter. When Cardinal Olt became a papal legate with the patronage of King Henry, Edmund protested. A long-lasting feud between Edmund, the king, and his legate led him to resigning his see in 1240. 

He went to Pontigny, France, where he became a Cistercian. 

He died at Soissons, on November 16.

Edmund was canonized in 1246 or 1247. 

A hall in Oxford bears his name.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 94 (95)

Let us adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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 adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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 adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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 adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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 adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

“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 adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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 adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

Hymn

Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

Bright as fire in darkness,

Sharper than a sword,

Lives throughout the ages

God’s eternal word.

Father, Son and Spirit,

Trinity of might,

Compassed in your glory,

Give the world your light.

Psalm 17 (18)

Thanksgiving for salvation and victory

I love you, Lord, my strength.

I will love you, Lord, my strength:

Lord, you are my foundation and my refuge,

you set me free.

My God is my help: I will put my hope in him,

my protector, my sign of salvation,

the one who raises me up.

I will call on the Lord – praise be to his name –

and I will be saved from my enemies.

The waves of death flooded round me,

the torrents of Belial tossed me about,

the cords of the underworld wound round me,

death’s traps opened before me.

In my distress I called on the Lord,

I cried out to my God:

from his temple he heard my voice,

my cry to him came to his ears.

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.

I love you, Lord, my strength.

Psalm 17 (18)

The Lord saved me because he loved me.

The earth moved and shook,

at the coming of his anger the roots of the mountains rocked

and were shaken.

Smoke rose from his nostrils,

consuming fire came from his mouth,

from it came forth flaming coals.

He bowed down the heavens and descended,

storm clouds were at his feet.

He rode on the cherubim and flew,

he travelled on the wings of the wind.

He made dark clouds his covering;

his dwelling-place, dark waters and clouds of the air.

The cloud-masses were split by his lightnings,

hail fell, hail and coals of fire.

The Lord thundered from the heavens,

the Most High let his voice be heard,

with hail and coals of fire.

He shot his arrows and scattered them,

hurled thunderbolts and threw them into confusion.

The depths of the oceans were laid bare,

the foundations of the globe were revealed,

at the sound of your anger, O Lord,

at the onset of the gale of your wrath.

He reached from on high and took me up,

he lifted me from the many waters.

He snatched me from my powerful enemies,

from those who hate me, for they were too strong for me.

They attacked me in my time of trouble,

but the Lord was my support.

He led me to the open spaces,

he was my deliverance, for he held me in favor.

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 saved me because he loved me.

Psalm 17 (18)

You, O Lord, are my lamp,

my God who lightens my darkness.

The Lord rewards me according to my uprightness,

he repays me according to the purity of my hands,

for I have kept to the paths of the Lord

and have not departed wickedly from my God.

For I keep all his decrees in my sight,

and I will not reject his judgements;

I am stainless before him,

I have kept myself away from evil.

And so the Lord has rewarded me according to my uprightness,

according to the purity of my hands in his sight.

You will be holy with the holy,

kind with the kind,

with the chosen you will be chosen,

but with the crooked you will show your cunning.

For you will bring salvation to a lowly people

but make the proud ashamed.

For you light my lamp, O Lord;

my God brings light to my darkness.

For with you I will attack the enemy’s squadrons;

with my God I will leap over their wall.

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, O Lord, are my lamp,

my God who lightens my darkness.

All were astonished by the gracious words

– that came from his lips.

First Reading

Zechariah 10:3-11:3

Thus says the Lord:

‘My anger burns against the shepherds,

and I mean to punish the he-goats.

Yes, the Lord of Hosts will take care of his flock, the House of Judah,

he will make it his proud steed in battle.

From him will issue Cornerstone and Tent-peg,

from him the Bow of battle,

from him all the Leaders.

Together they will be like heroes

trampling the dirt of the streets in battle;

they will fight, since the Lord is with them,

and the riders of horses will be thrown into confusion.

‘And I will make the House of Judah mighty,

and the House of Joseph victorious.

I am going to restore them, because I have taken pity on them,

and they shall be as though I had never cast them off

for I am the Lord their God and I mean to answer their prayer.

‘Ephraim will be like a hero.

Their hearts will be cheered as though by wine.

Their sons will look on this in gladness,

their hearts will exult in the Lord.

‘I am going to whistle to them and gather them in,

for I have redeemed them;

they will be as numerous as they used to be.

I have scattered them among the peoples

but from far away they will remember me:

they will teach their sons, and these will return.

I mean to bring them back from the land of Egypt,

and gather them from Assyria;

I shall lead them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,

and even that will not be large enough for them.

They will pass through the sea of Egypt

and he will strike the waves on the sea;

all the depths of the Nile will be dried up.

The arrogance of Assyria will be cast down

and the scepter of Egypt be taken away.

‘Their strength will be in the Lord;

in his name they will glory.’

It is the Lord who speaks.

Open your gateways, Lebanon,

and let the fire burn down your cedars.

Wail, cypress,

for felled is the cedar,

the mighty ones have been brought low!

Wail, oaks of Bashan,

for the impenetrable forest has been felled!

The wailing of the shepherds is heard;

their glorious pastures have been ruined.

The roaring of the young lions is heard;

the thickets of the Jordan have been laid waste.

Responsory

I am going to restore them,

because I have taken pity on them,

for I am the Lord their God,

and their hearts will exult in the Lord.

On that day the Lord of hosts shall be a lovely garland,

a beautiful diadem for the faithful remnant of his people,

and their hearts will exult in the Lord.

Second Reading

From a sermon

by Saint Augustine

The heart of the just man will rejoice in the Lord

The just man will rejoice in the Lord and put his hope in him; the hearts of all good men will be filled with joy. We must surely have sung these words with our hearts as well as with our voices. Indeed, the tongue of the Christian expresses his deepest feelings when it addresses such words to God. The just man will rejoice, not in the world, but in the Lord. Light has dawned for the just, Scripture says in another place, and joy for the upright of heart. Were you wondering what reason he has for joy? Here you are told: The just man will rejoice in the Lord. Another text runs: 

Delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

What are we instructed to do then, and what are we enabled to do? To rejoice in the Lord. But who can rejoice in something he does not see? Am I suggesting that we see the Lord then? No, but we have been promised that we shall see him. Now, as long as we are in the body, we walk by faith, for we are absent from the Lord. We walk by faith, and not by sight. When will it be by sight? Beloved, says John, we are now the sons of God; what we shall be has not yet been revealed, but we know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 

When this prophecy is fulfilled, then it will be by sight.

That will be the great joy, the supreme joy, joy in all its fullness. Then we shall no longer drink the milk of hope, but we shall feed on the reality itself. Nevertheless, even now, before that vision comes to us, or before we come to that vision, let us rejoice in the Lord; for it is no small reason for rejoicing to have a hope that will some day be fulfilled.

Therefore, since the hope we now have inspires love, the just man rejoices, Scripture says, in the Lord; but because he does not yet see, it immediately goes on to say, and hopes in him.

Yet already we have the first fruits of the Spirit, and have we not also other reasons for rejoicing? 

For we are drawing near to the one we love, and not only are we drawing near – 

we even have some slight feeling and taste of the banquet we shall one day eagerly eat and drink.

But how can we rejoice in the Lord if he is far from us? Pray God he may not be far. If he is, that is your doing. Love, and he will draw near; love, and he will dwell within you. The Lord is at hand; have no anxiety. 

Are you puzzled to know how it is that he will be with you if you love? 

God is love.

“What do you mean by love?” you will ask me. It is that which enables us to be loving. What do we love? A good that words cannot describe, a good that is for ever giving, a good that is the Creator of all good. Delight in him from whom you have received everything that delights you. But in that I do not include sin, for sin is the one thing that you do not receive from him. With that one exception, everything you have comes from him.

Responsory

Believe in the unseen God,

if you would see him who is now hidden from you.

Walk the dark ways of faith and you will attain the vision of God.

If faith has not supported you on life’s journey,

you will not attain the blissful vision of God in your heavenly country.

Walk the dark ways of faith and you will attain the vision of God.

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 praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.