September 27, 2012

Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, priest

St. Vincent de Paul, renowned for his charitable works which continue to this day in the Society which he founded.  Read more.

Lectionary: 452

First reading from the Holy Book of EcclesiastesEccl 1:2-11

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!

Everything in the world is vanity, says the Preacher.

What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?

What is the profit of physical labor when we die?

One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays.

Ages pass and the world remains the same.

The sun rises and the sun goes down;
then it presses on to the place where it rises.

The sun rises and sets everyday.

Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north,
the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.

The wind blows this way and that endlessly.

All rivers go to the sea,
yet never does the sea become full.

All the rivers flow to the sea but the sea is never filled.

To the place where they go,
the rivers keep on going.

And the rivers keep flowing there anyway.

All speech is labored;
there is nothing one can say.

No man knows the answer, what can we say?

The eye is not satisfied with seeing

The eye never stops seeing.

nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.

The ear never stops hearing.

What has been, that will be;
what has been done, that will be done.

Everything is what it is.

Nothing is new under the sun.

And nothing happens which has not happened before.

Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!"
has already existed in the ages that preceded us.

Even those things we believe are new, have happened ages past.

There is no remembrance of the men of old;

 A man dies and is forgotten.

nor of those to come will there be any remembrance
among those who come after them.

Nor will any man who comes after be remembered when they pass.

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

Response. (1) 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.

Two main thoughts are taught here.
One.  We are like dust in the wind.  One day we are here and then we are gone.  Therefore, knowing that, we should keep our mortality in mind and be ready to meet our Maker:

Matthew 24:42-44
King James Version (KJV)
⁴² Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.⁴³ But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.⁴⁴ Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

 The second thing is this, since we are mortal and do not know when we will meet our Maker,  we should rely completely upon Him during our lives.  That He may make us wise according to His Wisdom, that we may prosper in His Way.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke 

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.

Herod knew that he had killed St. John.  And yet a Great Prophet continued to live in the land.  And this worried him.  For he knew that St. John was a man of God and he was guilty of his murder.  This Great Prophet, is of course, Jesus.

Sincerely,

De Maria