Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 505
Lectionary: 505
I, John, saw in
heaven another sign, great and awe-inspiring:
seven angels with the seven last plagues,
for through them God’s fury is accomplished.
Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire.
On the sea of glass were standing those
who had won the victory over the beast
and its image and the number that signified its name.
They were holding God’s harps,
and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God,
and the song of the Lamb:
“Great and wonderful are your works,
Lord God almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
O king of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
or glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
seven angels with the seven last plagues,
for through them God’s fury is accomplished.
Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire.
On the sea of glass were standing those
who had won the victory over the beast
and its image and the number that signified its name.
They were holding God’s harps,
and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God,
and the song of the Lamb:
“Great and wonderful are your works,
Lord God almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
O king of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
or glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3AB, 7-8, 9
R. (Rev. 15: 3b) Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord,
mighty God!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Gospel LK 21:12-19
Jesus said to the
crowd:
“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Meditation: "Not
a hair of your head will perish"
If the Gospel message
is good news, then why do so many people treat Christians with contempt and
hostility for their beliefs and practices? Jesus warns his followers that they
will be confronted with wickedness, false teaching, persecution, as well as the
temptation to renounce their faith when it is put to the test. The real enemy
of the Gospel is Satan, the powerful leader of the fallen angels who rebelled
against God. Satan opposes God's reign – his kingly rule of peace and justice
on the earth. Jesus calls Satan a "murderer" and the "father of
lies" (John 8:44). Satan not only opposes God's rule, he seeks to destroy
all who would obey God. Satan will use any means possible to turn people away
from God. He tempts people through envy, deception, hatred, and fear to provoke
hostility towards those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is Jesus'
response to hostility and persecution? Love, forbearance, and forgiveness. Only
love can defeat prejudice, intolerance, hatred, and envy. God's love purifies
our heart and mind of all that would divide and tear people apart. Knowing and
loving God's truth is essential for overcoming evil. Jesus tells us that we do
not need to fear those who would oppose us or treat us harshly for following
the Lord Jesus. He promises to give us supernatural strength, wisdom, and
courage as we take a stand for our faith and witness to the truth and love of
Christ. The Gospel is good news for the whole world because it is God's eternal
word of truth, love, pardon, and salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ. The
Lord Jesus has won the victory for us through his atoning death on the cross
and his rising from the grave. That is why the gospel has power to set people
free from sin and ignorance, death and destruction.
Jesus tells his
disciples that if they endure to the end they will gain their lives -
they will inherit abundant life and lasting happiness with God. Endurance is an
essential strength which God gives to those who put their trust in him.
Endurance is the patience which never gives up hope, never yields to despair or
hatred. Patience is long-suffering because it looks beyond the present
difficulties and trials and sees the reward which comes to those who persevere
with hope and trust in God. That is why godly endurance is more than human
effort. It is first and foremost a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit which
enables us to bear up under any trial or temptation.
Endurance is linked
with godly hope - the supernatural assurance that we will see God face to face
and inherit all the promises he has made. Jesus is our supreme model and hero
who endured the cross for our sake (Hebrews 12:2). "God shows his love for
us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Jesus willingly shed his blood for us - to win for us pardon and peace with
God. Our joy and privilege is to take up our cross each day to follow the Lord
Jesus.
The word
"martyr" in the New Testament Greek means "witness". The
Book of Revelations says that "Jesus was the faithful witness ...who freed
us from our sins by his blood" (Revelations 1:5). Tertullian, a second
century lawyer who converted when he saw Christians singing as they went out to
die by the hands of their persecutors, exclaimed: "The blood of the
martyrs is seed." Their blood is the seed of new Christians, the seed of
the church. The third century bishop, Cyprian said: "When persecution
comes, God's soldiers are put to the test, and heaven is open to martyrs. We
have not enlisted in an army to think of peace and to decline battle, for we
see that the Lord has taken first place in the conflict." True martyrs
live and die as witnesses of the Gospel. They overcome their enemies through
persevering hope and courage, undying love and forbearance, kindness, goodness,
and compassion.
God may call some of
us to be martyrs who shed their blood for bearing witness to Jesus Christ. But
for most of us, our call is to be 'dry' martyrs who bear testimony to the joy
and power of the gospel in the midst of daily challenges, contradictions, temptations
and adversities which come our way as we follow the Lord Jesus.
What will attract
others to the truth and power of the Gospel? When they see Christians loving
their enemies, being joyful in suffering, patient in adversity, pardoning
injuries, and showing comfort and compassion to the hopeless and the helpless.
Jesus tells us that we do not need to fear our adversaries. God will give us
sufficient grace, strength, and wisdom to face any trial and to answer any
challenge to our faith. Are you ready to lay down your life for Christ and to
bear witness to the joy and freedom of the Gospel?
"Lord Jesus
Christ, by your atoning death on the cross you have redeemed the world. Fill me
with joyful hope, courage, and boldness to witness the truth of your love for
sinners and your victory over the powers of sin, Satan, and death."
 Costly Catholicism |
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November 26,
2014. Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
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Luke 21:12-19
Jesus said to his
disciples: "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and
persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and
they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will
lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense
beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your
adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed
over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of
you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on
your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your
lives.”
Introductory
Prayer: Jesus my Savior, thank
you for another day and another chance to grow in holiness with your grace. I
love you and wish to make you the true center of my thoughts, desires and
actions.
Petition: Lord, help me face the difficulties of practicing my
faith day-to-day.
1.
Persecution: Opposition from the
world is the price we pay for following Christ. No pain, no gain. Why should
that surprise us? If living the Gospel were easy, all the world would be
saints. But the Gospel is demanding. It rubs against our fallen human nature.
It demands of us — and even makes us unpopular. Why? Because people who do
good are a thorny reminder to those who don´t. It shouldn´t surprise us that
the neighbors look down on us for having so many kids. Or that the guys in
the dorm snicker at us for living chastely. Or that the boss overlooks us for
a promotion because we wouldn´t donate to that pro-abortion group last
Christmas during the company fund drive. Do I realize that to be a Christian
is to be persecuted?
2. No
Defense: When Christ tells us not
to prepare our defense he´s not telling us to sit back and do nothing.
Rather, he wants us to use our talents for the Kingdom. Christ is inviting us
to trust that ultimately the victory of good over evil belongs to him. God
has his time and place for everything. In the meantime we are called to build
the Kingdom wherever we can—in our families, our offices, our schools, our
communities. How am I building the Kingdom in the areas around me?
3. Wisdom from
Above: "I myself shall give
you a wisdom in speaking…" When we stay close to Christ in prayer and
deed, he takes over our lives little by little. And that´s good. Our
selfishness fades. Our heart grows. We die to ourselves. "He must
increase; I must decrease" (John 3:30). But we have to ask ourselves: Do
we really believe in the Gospel? Do we believe in it enough to use Christ´s
words when we have to respond to the nonbelievers around us? How often do we
identify ourselves as Catholic in public?
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, you know it´s not
easy to be seen as your friend. People laugh at us — if they don´t feel sorry
for us. They don´t understand where we are coming from. Help me understand
some of the loneliness you must have felt when you went against the world´s
standards. Help me be faithful to you regardless of the cost.
Resolution: In conversation or in an e-mail I will use a line of
Christ’s wisdom from the Gospel.
By Father Edward
McIlmail, LC
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, LUKE 21:12-19
(Revelation 15:1-4; Psalm 98)
(Revelation 15:1-4; Psalm 98)
KEY VERSE: "I myself will give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute" (v 15).
READING: Jesus pointed out the eschatological signs (the doctrine dealing with the last things) that would precede his final coming (v 8-11). He indicated that the sign that would mark the daily life of every Christian was the "sign of the cross." Jesus' disciples must be prepared to testify to their faith in times of suffering and trial. They should not be fearful when facing their enemies, but trust in his divine presence to guide them. Though family and friends might abandon and betray them, Jesus would never leave those he loved. The martyrs who chose to suffer and die rather than deny their faith have given the supreme "witness" (Greek, martur) to the gospel.
REFLECTING: Do I pray for the persecuted Church around the world?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to rely upon your word midst the suffering of the world.
Wednesday 26 November 2014
Apocalypse 15:1-4. Great
and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God—Ps 97(98):1-3, 7-9. Luke
21:12-19.
‘You are
not to prepare your defence because I shall give you
an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist
or contradict.’
How vital it is that we
allow the Word to be living and active in our lives.
The best way to embrace
that Word is through prayer. Tenth century theologian, St Simeon, gives us good
advice about prayer:
‘There is no need to say
much to God, but people should be intelligently conscious of the little they do
say, that is, they should understand it. But to be intelligently conscious in
prayer without the participation of the Holy Spirit is by no means possible. If
a person has not become a friend of God through our Lord Jesus Christ in the
Holy Spirit, his or her soul cannot pray.’
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Misperceptions
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There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic
Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be
the Catholic Church—which is, of course, quite a different thing. –Bishop
Fulton Sheen
November
26
St. Columban
(543?-615)
St. Columban
(543?-615)
Columban was the greatest of the Irish missionaries who worked on
the European continent. As a young man who was greatly tormented by
temptations of the flesh, he sought the advice of a religious woman who
had lived a hermit’s life for years. He saw in her answer a call to leave the
world. He went first to a monk on an island in Lough Erne, then to the great
monastic seat of learning at Bangor.
After
many years of seclusion and prayer, he traveled to Gaul (modern-day France)
with 12 companion missionaries. They won wide respect for the rigor of their
discipline, their preaching, and their commitment to charity and religious life
in a time characterized by clerical laxity and civil strife. Columban
established several monasteries in Europe which became centers of religion and
culture.
Like all
saints, he met opposition. Ultimately he had to appeal to the pope against
complaints of Frankish bishops, for vindication of his orthodoxy and approval
of Irish customs. He reproved the king for his licentious life, insisting that
he marry. Since this threatened the power of the queen mother, Columban was
deported to Ireland. His ship ran aground in a storm, and he continued his work
in Europe, ultimately arriving in Italy, where he found favor with the king of
the Lombards. In his last years he established the famous monastery of Bobbio,
where he died. His writings include a treatise on penance and against Arianism,
sermons, poetry and his monastic rule.
Comment:
Now that public sexual license is becoming extreme, we need the Church's jolting memory of a young man as concerned about chastity as Columban. And now that the comfort-captured Western world stands in tragic contrast to starving millions, we need the challenge to austerity and discipline of a group of Irish monks. They were too strict, we say; they went too far. How far shall we go?
Now that public sexual license is becoming extreme, we need the Church's jolting memory of a young man as concerned about chastity as Columban. And now that the comfort-captured Western world stands in tragic contrast to starving millions, we need the challenge to austerity and discipline of a group of Irish monks. They were too strict, we say; they went too far. How far shall we go?
Quote:
Writing to the pope about a doctrinal controversy in Lombardy, Columban said: “We Irish, living in the farthest parts of the earth, are followers of St. Peter and St. Paul and of the disciples who wrote down the sacred canon under the Holy Spirit. We accept nothing outside this evangelical and apostolic teaching.... I confess I am grieved by the bad repute of the chair of St. Peter in this country.... Though Rome is great and known afar, she is great and honored with us only because of this chair.... Look after the peace of the Church, stand between your sheep and the wolves.”
Writing to the pope about a doctrinal controversy in Lombardy, Columban said: “We Irish, living in the farthest parts of the earth, are followers of St. Peter and St. Paul and of the disciples who wrote down the sacred canon under the Holy Spirit. We accept nothing outside this evangelical and apostolic teaching.... I confess I am grieved by the bad repute of the chair of St. Peter in this country.... Though Rome is great and known afar, she is great and honored with us only because of this chair.... Look after the peace of the Church, stand between your sheep and the wolves.”
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 21,12-19
Lectio:
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
increase our eagerness to do your will
and help us to know the saving power of your love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
increase our eagerness to do your will
and help us to know the saving power of your love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Luke 21,12-19
Jesus said to his disciples: 'You will be seized and persecuted;
you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought
before kings and governors for the sake of my name -and that will be your
opportunity to bear witness.
Make up your minds not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.
You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated universally on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost.
Your perseverance will win you your lives.
Make up your minds not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.
You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated universally on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost.
Your perseverance will win you your lives.
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, which is the continuation of the discourse
begun yesterday, Jesus lists the different signs to help the communities to
place themselves in the events and not to lose faith in God, nor the courage to
resist against the attacks of the Roman Empire. We will repeat the first five
signs mentioned in yesterday’s Gospel:
1st sign: the false Messiahs (Lk 21, 8);
2nd sign: war and revolutions (Lk 21, 9);
3rd sign: nations which fight against other nations, a kingdom against another kingdom (Lk 21, 10);
4th sign: earth quakes in different places (Lk 21, 11);
5th sign: hunger, plagues and signs in the sky (Lk 21, 11);
The Gospel of yesterday ends here. Now, in today’s Gospel another sign is added:
6th sign: the persecution of Christians (Lk 21, 12-19).
• Luke 21,12. The sixth sign is the persecution. Various times, in the few years which he lived among us, Jesus had warned the disciples that they would be persecuted. Here, in the last discourse, he repeats the same warning and makes them know that the persecution has to be taken into consideration in discerning the signs of the times: “You will be seized and persecuted, you will be handed over to the Synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors, for the sake of my name”. And of these, apparently very negative warnings, Jesus had said: “Do not be terrified for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once”. (Lk 21, 9). And the Gospel of Mark adds that all these signs “have only begun, this is the beginning of the birth pangs!” (Mk 13, 8). Now, the birth pangs though being very painful for the mother are not a sign of death, but rather of life! They are not a reason to fear, but rather to hope! This way of reading the events brings peace to the persecuted communities. Thus, reading or hearing these signs, prophesized by Jesus in the year 33, the readers of Luke of the years 80 could conclude: “All these things already take place according to the plan foreseen and announced by Jesus! Therefore, the history has not escaped from God’s hand! God is with us!"
• Luke 21, 13-15: The mission of the Christians during the time of persecution.Persecution is not something fatal, neither can it be a reason for discouragement or for despair, but it should be considered as a possibility offered by God, in a way that the communities may carry out the mission of witnessing to the Good News of God. God says: “That will be your opportunity to bear witness. Make up your minds not to prepare your defence because I myself shall give you eloquence and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict”.
By means of this affirmation Jesus encourages the persecuted Christians who lived anguished. He makes them know that, even if persecuted, they had a mission to carry out, that is: to give witness of the Good News of God and thus be a sign of the Kingdom (Ac 1, 8). The courageous witness would lead the people to repeat what the magi in Egypt said before the signs and to have courage like Moses and Aaron: “The finger of God is here” (Ex 8, 15). Conclusion: if the communities should not be worried, if everything is in God’s hands, if everything was already foreseen, if everything is nothing more than birth pangs, then there is no reason to worry.
• Luke 21, 16-17: Persecution even within the family. “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends, and some of you will be put to death; you will be hated universally on account of my name”. Persecution does not only come from outside, from the Empire, but also from inside, on the part of one’s own family. In one same family, some accepted the Good News, others did not. The announcement of the Good News caused divisions within families. There were even some persons, who basing themselves on the Law of God, denounced and killed their own relatives who declared themselves followers of Jesus (Dt 13, 7-12).
• Luke 21, 18-19: the source of hope and of resistance. “But not a hair of your head will be lost. Your perseverance will win you your lives!” This final observation of Jesus recalls the other word which Jesus had said: “But not a hair of your head will be lost!” (Lk 21, 18). This comparison was a strong call not to lose faith and to continue righteously in the community. And this also confirms what Jesus had said on another occasion: Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who will lose his life for my sake will save it” (Lk 9, 24).
1st sign: the false Messiahs (Lk 21, 8);
2nd sign: war and revolutions (Lk 21, 9);
3rd sign: nations which fight against other nations, a kingdom against another kingdom (Lk 21, 10);
4th sign: earth quakes in different places (Lk 21, 11);
5th sign: hunger, plagues and signs in the sky (Lk 21, 11);
The Gospel of yesterday ends here. Now, in today’s Gospel another sign is added:
6th sign: the persecution of Christians (Lk 21, 12-19).
• Luke 21,12. The sixth sign is the persecution. Various times, in the few years which he lived among us, Jesus had warned the disciples that they would be persecuted. Here, in the last discourse, he repeats the same warning and makes them know that the persecution has to be taken into consideration in discerning the signs of the times: “You will be seized and persecuted, you will be handed over to the Synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors, for the sake of my name”. And of these, apparently very negative warnings, Jesus had said: “Do not be terrified for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once”. (Lk 21, 9). And the Gospel of Mark adds that all these signs “have only begun, this is the beginning of the birth pangs!” (Mk 13, 8). Now, the birth pangs though being very painful for the mother are not a sign of death, but rather of life! They are not a reason to fear, but rather to hope! This way of reading the events brings peace to the persecuted communities. Thus, reading or hearing these signs, prophesized by Jesus in the year 33, the readers of Luke of the years 80 could conclude: “All these things already take place according to the plan foreseen and announced by Jesus! Therefore, the history has not escaped from God’s hand! God is with us!"
• Luke 21, 13-15: The mission of the Christians during the time of persecution.Persecution is not something fatal, neither can it be a reason for discouragement or for despair, but it should be considered as a possibility offered by God, in a way that the communities may carry out the mission of witnessing to the Good News of God. God says: “That will be your opportunity to bear witness. Make up your minds not to prepare your defence because I myself shall give you eloquence and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict”.
By means of this affirmation Jesus encourages the persecuted Christians who lived anguished. He makes them know that, even if persecuted, they had a mission to carry out, that is: to give witness of the Good News of God and thus be a sign of the Kingdom (Ac 1, 8). The courageous witness would lead the people to repeat what the magi in Egypt said before the signs and to have courage like Moses and Aaron: “The finger of God is here” (Ex 8, 15). Conclusion: if the communities should not be worried, if everything is in God’s hands, if everything was already foreseen, if everything is nothing more than birth pangs, then there is no reason to worry.
• Luke 21, 16-17: Persecution even within the family. “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends, and some of you will be put to death; you will be hated universally on account of my name”. Persecution does not only come from outside, from the Empire, but also from inside, on the part of one’s own family. In one same family, some accepted the Good News, others did not. The announcement of the Good News caused divisions within families. There were even some persons, who basing themselves on the Law of God, denounced and killed their own relatives who declared themselves followers of Jesus (Dt 13, 7-12).
• Luke 21, 18-19: the source of hope and of resistance. “But not a hair of your head will be lost. Your perseverance will win you your lives!” This final observation of Jesus recalls the other word which Jesus had said: “But not a hair of your head will be lost!” (Lk 21, 18). This comparison was a strong call not to lose faith and to continue righteously in the community. And this also confirms what Jesus had said on another occasion: Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who will lose his life for my sake will save it” (Lk 9, 24).
4) Personal questions
• How do you usually read the stages of the history of your life
or of your country?
• Looking at the history of humanity of the last years, has hope increased or diminished in you?
• Looking at the history of humanity of the last years, has hope increased or diminished in you?
5) Concluding prayer
Yahweh has made known his saving power,
revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
mindful of his faithful love
and his constancy to the House of Israel. (Ps 98,2-3)
revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
mindful of his faithful love
and his constancy to the House of Israel. (Ps 98,2-3)
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