As my parish has been presenting lesser known saints to the congregation, via little A5 booklet inserts in the Sunday newsletter, I wrote one for yesterday, for St Philippine Duchesne, whose feast we celebrate today. Inevitably, I emphasised her passionate, courageous, whole-hearted generosity of spirit, alongside her deep prayerfulness... and, of course, the many, many setbacks, struggles and failures she encountered throughout her life, and especially while establishing the Society in the USA. The Gospel for her feast - John 12: 20-26 - echoes this, with its reminder of the grain of wheat which must fall to the ground, and the cost of discipleship.
So, I was surprised when, checking our liturgical calendar, I noticed that the psalm chosen for today's feast is some verses from Psalm 15/16... the same psalm we had yesterday, and the same one I chose for my first vows, using Paul Inwood's lovely setting, Centre of my Life. And those verses are full, not of sacrifice or grim determination, but of declarations of deep, enduring joy, and strong, unshakeable faith...
My happiness lies in you alone...
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup,
it is you yourself who are my prize...
Since you are at my right hand, I shall stand firm...
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand, happiness forever.
And so, on Philippine's feast, I feel I'm being invited to focus on her undoubted fullness of joy in God. A fullness mysteriously experienced through ups and downs, peaks and troughs... through hard times and humiliations, tears, sacrifice and struggle, as much as in moments of delight and soaring elation. This is the mystery at the heart of the hundredfold promised by Jesus; and the mystery at the heart of one who truly knew what it meant to give everything, freely and with gladness, and receive a fullness of everlasting joy in return.
So, today, as we celebrate Philippine's extraordinary life and legacy, let us also rejoice with her, at God's steadfast fidelity and generous love...
And if feel you don't know Philippine, here below is my potted biography, with a couple of short additions...
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