THE BOOK OF ONE’S  LIFE:
YOU NEVER KNOW
HOW MANY MORE PAGES,
HOW MANY MORE CHAPTERS,
HOW MANY MORE TWISTS AND TURNS
 

 
Today - November  18 -  is the feast of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne.
 
As I read about her life last night,  it hit me,  “Wow, what surprises, what twists and turns, great what’s next?”
 
So, the title of my sermon is, “The Book of One’s Life: You Never Know How Many More Pages, How Many More Chapters, How Many More Twists and Turns.”
 
20 years ago, did you know you’d be in Asbury Park – in 2020 and dealing with a pandemic like the world   is dealing with this year?
 
One of the great blessings of religious life – is the variety of places we get assigned to – the people we meet – the stories that wrap themselves around our lives.
 
I’ve been writing e-mails a bit more lately to a classmate in Curitiba, Brazil – population 1 million 900 thousand – and 3 ½ million if you include the surrounding area. My classmate Larry is  telling me they are dealing with a horrible draught – right now - no water.  I joined the Redemptorists to get to Brazil – never got assigned there. Larry ends up spending his life there.
 
Surprise.
 
In today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation John is called to go through an open door and walk up to a throne – that is all jewels – emeralds – that would be beautiful green glittering emeralds and 24 elders sitting on other thrones – dressed in white and wearing gold crowns on their heads – and then he hears flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder. And he sees and hears a lot more. He hears “Holy, Holy, Holy!”
 
It’s some scene, some dream, some mysterious experience.
 
Today’s gospel has the parable of the 10 servants and the gold coins – and each of the ten servants has their life ahead of them – and the question is – what am I going to do with my gold coins? What am I going to do with my life. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.
 
I don’t like it in these stories when the king says “Slay them!”
 
The only way I can understand them – like the parable the other day about the wasted talents – is for a person at the end of their life – with their head in their hands – hiding from themselves - crying and grinding their teeth – because of a wasted life.
 
Life to give it all – to do it all – out of love of God, neighbor and self.
 
Wow the stories of our life that we are called to live to the full.
 
Today is the feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.  She was born in 1769 in Grenoble France.  She died this day, November 18, 1842 in St. Charles, Missouri.
 
As a young girl she heard about missionary work in the Americas – but entered a Visitation Convent when she was 18.
 
Just before final vows her father yanked her out of the convent because of oncoming French Revolution.  Lots of priests and nuns were killed.
 
At 23 she left the convent – and for 12 years she took care of people – priests, nuns and kids.
 
When the revolution slowed down, she tried to buy the old convent and start it up again. It didn’t work.
 
So, at 35 she joined the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus founded Sophie Barat. 
 
She still had the dream of going to America.
 
A bishop from Louisiana came and asked for volunteers and  at 49 she got the dream – Mother Barat appointing her as superior of 4 other nuns. It was an 11-week trip across the Atlantic.
 
It was a struggle – but in 12 years they opened 6 schools in Missouri and Louisiana – and had 64 sisters – 14 from Europe and 50 from the Mississippi Valley.
 
But instead of work with the Indians, they wee to fun a school for girls of settlers.
 
She still had her dream of work with the Indians and finally at the age of 71 – with poor health she got it.  They started a school  - and churches with the Jesuits.
 
All the time in America she had trouble with English.  Now it was trouble with the language of the  Potawatomi.
 
She worked and she prayed and got called by the Indians Quah-Kah-Ka-num- ad—‘Woman-who-prays-always.’”
 
She got called back to Missouri in 1842 – and spent 10 years in St. Charles - where she started a first school there.
 
She died this day Nov. 18, 1842
 
In 1988 Rose Philippine Duchesne was canonized by Pope John Paul II. She is listed in Missouri as a first  women in their Pioneer Roll of Fame. The inscription on the plaque reads, “Some names must not wither.”  Then it states that Quah-Kah-Ka-num-ad is one of those names - not to be forgotten - but to be  remembered and revered.