Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 503
Lectionary: 503
I, John, looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion,
and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand
who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
I heard a sound from heaven
like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder.
The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
They were singing what seemed to be a new hymn before the throne,
before the four living creatures and the elders.
No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand
who had been ransomed from the earth.
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been ransomed as the first fruits
of the human race for God and the Lamb.
On their lips no deceit has been found; they are unblemished.
and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand
who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
I heard a sound from heaven
like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder.
The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
They were singing what seemed to be a new hymn before the throne,
before the four living creatures and the elders.
No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand
who had been ransomed from the earth.
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been ransomed as the first fruits
of the human race for God and the Lamb.
On their lips no deceit has been found; they are unblemished.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6
R. (see 6) Lord,
this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
AlleluiaMT 24:42A, 44
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 21:1-4
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”
Meditation: "She put in all that she
had"
Do you know the joy of
selfless giving and generous love for others? True love doesn't calculate - it
spends lavishly! Jesus drove this point home to his disciples while sitting in
the temple and observing people offering their tithes. Jesus praised a poor
widow who gave the smallest of coins in contrast with the rich who gave greater
sums. How can someone in poverty give more than someone who has ample means?
Jesus' answer is very simple - love is more precious than gold or wealth!
Love grows with
gratitude and generous giving
Jesus taught that real giving must come from the heart. A gift that is given with a grudge or for display loses its value. But a gift given out of love, with a spirit of generosity and sacrifice, is precious. The amount or size of the gift doesn't matter as much as the cost to the giver. The poor widow could have kept one of her coins, but instead she recklessly gave away all she had! Jesus praised someone who gave barely a penny - how insignificant a sum - because it was everything she had, her whole living.
Jesus taught that real giving must come from the heart. A gift that is given with a grudge or for display loses its value. But a gift given out of love, with a spirit of generosity and sacrifice, is precious. The amount or size of the gift doesn't matter as much as the cost to the giver. The poor widow could have kept one of her coins, but instead she recklessly gave away all she had! Jesus praised someone who gave barely a penny - how insignificant a sum - because it was everything she had, her whole living.
Nothing given in
love is worthless
What we have to offer may look very small and not worth much, but if we put all we have at the Lord's disposal, no matter how insignificant it may seem, then God can do with it and with us what is beyond our reckoning. Do you give out of love and gratitude for what God has already given to you?
What we have to offer may look very small and not worth much, but if we put all we have at the Lord's disposal, no matter how insignificant it may seem, then God can do with it and with us what is beyond our reckoning. Do you give out of love and gratitude for what God has already given to you?
"Lord Jesus, your
love knows no bounds and you give without measure. All that I have comes from
you. May I give freely and generously in gratitude for all that you have given
to me. Take my life and all that I possess - my gifts, talents, time and
resources - and use them as you see fit for your glory."
Daily Quote from
the early church fathers: Mercy and compassion are never worthless,
by Leo the Great, 400-461 A.D.
"Although the spite
of some people does not grow gentle with any kindness, nevertheless the works
of mercy are not fruitless, and kindness never loses what is offered to the
ungrateful. May no one, dearly beloved, make themselves strangers to good works.
Let no one claim that his poverty scarcely sufficed for himself and could not
help another. What is offered from a little is great, and in the scale of
divine justice, the quantity of gifts is not measured but the steadfastness of
souls. The "widow" in the Gospel put two coins into the
"treasury," and this surpassed the gifts of all the rich. No mercy is
worthless before God. No compassion is fruitless. He has given different
resources to human beings, but he does not ask different affections." (excerpt from Sermon
20.3.1)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER
21, LUKE 21:1-4
(Revelation 14:1-3, 4b-5; Psalm 24)
(Revelation 14:1-3, 4b-5; Psalm 24)
KEY VERSE: "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest" (v 3).
TO KNOW: As Jesus was teaching in the Women's Court of the temple, he observed a poor widow putting two mites (lepta, the smallest coins in circulation) into the treasury box. The widow gave every penny she had to live on, and placed her hope and trust in God. The charity of this lowly woman stood in sharp contrast to the prideful religious leaders who loved to be honored and respected for their generosity, yet failed to carry out the law that required them to care for God's poor (Lk 20:45-47). Jesus said that the woman's gift was worth more than the large offerings of those who gave from their surplus wealth. The woman represents the poor, the "anawim," who humbly depended upon God to supply their needs.
TO LOVE: How does my parish serve the widowed and bereaved?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to be generous with my earthly goods.
Memorial of the
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Scriptures tell us nothing of Mary's hidden life or about her presentation in the temple. That which is known is found in the seventh chapter of the Apocryphal gospel of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. This book gives us a detailed account in which Mary's father Joachim told Anna his wife that he wished to bring their daughter Mary to the Temple of the Lord. Anna responded that they should wait until the child was three years old. When the day arrived, the priest received her, blessed her and kissed her in welcome. He proclaimed, "The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel." Mary was placed on the third step of the Temple and there danced with joy and all the house of Israel loved her. It was there in the Temple that she was nurtured and her parents returned glorifying the Almighty. This story has no foundation in history; however, it is from this very account that there arose the feast of Mary's Presentation.
The Scriptures tell us nothing of Mary's hidden life or about her presentation in the temple. That which is known is found in the seventh chapter of the Apocryphal gospel of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. This book gives us a detailed account in which Mary's father Joachim told Anna his wife that he wished to bring their daughter Mary to the Temple of the Lord. Anna responded that they should wait until the child was three years old. When the day arrived, the priest received her, blessed her and kissed her in welcome. He proclaimed, "The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel." Mary was placed on the third step of the Temple and there danced with joy and all the house of Israel loved her. It was there in the Temple that she was nurtured and her parents returned glorifying the Almighty. This story has no foundation in history; however, it is from this very account that there arose the feast of Mary's Presentation.
Monday 21 November 2016
Mon 21. Presentation of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Apocalypse 14:1-5. Lord, this is the people that longs
to see your face—Ps 23(24):1-6. Luke 21:1-4.
'She in her poverty has put in all she had
to live on.'
We can sometimes take pride in our generosity,
but do we give from what we would rather keep, or do we give from our surplus
only? Do we calculate our reward before we give, or do we give abundantly
without regard for recompense? Giving of ourselves in such a way seems
unreasonable and not prudent. Yet this is what love asks of us: to love with
our whole heart, with our whole self. No matter how small and insignificant our
offering may feel, when we put it before God, God is able to do infinitely more
with it. May we be lavishly generous in our loving, like God is with us.
FEAST OF THE
PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
The feast of today, November 21, commemorates the presentation of the
Blessed Virgin as a child in the Temple. Tradition holds that all young Jewish
girls were left in the care of the temple for a period of time, during which
they were educated.
The feast originated
in the Orient probably about the 7th century, and is found in the constitution
of Manuel Comnenus (1166) as a recognized festival. It was introduced into the
Western Church in the 14th century. Pope Pius V then struck it from the
calendar. Pope Sixtus V later reestablished the feast in 1585.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 21,1-4
Lectio Divina:
Monday, November 21, 2016
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 21,1-4
Looking up, Jesus saw rich people putting their offerings into the
treasury; and he noticed a poverty-stricken widow putting in two small coins,
and he said, 'I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of
them; for these have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty
has put in all she had to live on.'
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel Jesus weaves the praise of a poor widow who knows how
to share more than the rich. Many poor people today do the same. People say:
“The poor do not let the poor starve to death”. But, some times, even this is
not possible. A woman who went to live out in the country in the periphery of a
city in Brazil, in Paraiba, said: “In the country the people are poor, but they
always have something to share with the poor who knock at their door. Now that
I am here in the city, when I see a poor person who knocks on the door, I hide
because I feel ashamed, because I have nothing in the house to share with him!”
On one side, there are rich people who have everything but do not know how to
share; on the other side, there are poor people who have hardly anything, but
who want to share the little they have.
• At the beginning, in the Church, the great majority the first Christian communities, were formed by poor people. (1 Co 1, 26). After a short time, well- to-do people also entered these communities, and this caused several problems. The social tensions which were present in the Roman Empire began to appear also in the life of the communities. That manifested itself, for example, when they met together to celebrate the supper (1Co 11, 20-22), or when they held the meeting (Jm 2, 1-4). This is why, the teaching of the act of the widow was very actual, both for them as well as for us today.
• Luke 21, 1-2: The widow’s mite. Jesus was before the treasure in the Temple and observed people who put their offering into the treasury. The poor put in a few pennies, the rich offerings of great value. The Treasury of the Temple received much money. All gave something for the maintenance of the worship, to support the clergy and for the preservation of the building. Part of this money was used to help the poor, because at that time there was no social security. The poor lived at the mercy of public charity. The persons who had the greatest needs were the orphans and the widows. They depended for everything on the charity of others, but even in this way, they tried to share with others the little that they had. Thus, a very poor widow put her offering into the treasury of the Temple; just two pennies!
• Luke 21, 3-4: The comment of Jesus. Which is worth more: the few pennies of the widow or the great amount of the rich? According to the majority, the money of the rich was more useful for charity, than the few pennies of the widow. For example, the disciples thought that the problem of the people could be resolved only with much money. On the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves, they had suggested to buy bread to feed the people (Lk 9, 13; Mk 6, 37). Philip succeeded in saying: “Two-hundred denarii of bread are not sufficient even for everyone to have a piece of bread” (Jn 6, 7). In fact, for anyone who thinks like that, the two pennies of the widow do not serve for anything. But Jesus says: “I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of them.” Jesus has diverse criteria. Calling the attention of the disciples on the act of the widow, he teaches them and us where we have to look for the manifestation of God’s will: in the poor and in sharing. This is a very important criterion: “In fact all these have put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in all she had to live on”.
• Alms, sharing, riches. The practice of giving alms was very important for the Jews. It was considered to be a “good work”, because the law of the Old Testament said: “Of course, there will never cease to be poor people in the country, and that is why I am giving you this command: Always be open handed with your brother, and with anyone in your country who is in need and poor” (Dt 15, 11). The alms put into the treasury of the Temple, whether for the worship or for the needy, orphans or widows, were considered a pleasing act to God (Eccl 35, 2; cf. Eccl 17, 17; 29, 12; 40, 24). To give alms was a way to recognize that all goods of the earth belong to God and that we are only the administrators of these gifts. But the tendency to accumulate continues to exist and is very strong; it always arises anew in the human heart. Conversion is always necessary. This is why Jesus said to the rich young man: “Go, sell all you possess, give it to the poor!” (Mk 10, 21). In the other Gospels the same requirement is repeated: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it” (Lk 12, 33-34; Mt 6, 9-20). The practice of sharing and of solidarity is one of the characteristics which the Spirit of Jesus wants to realize in the community. The result of the effusion of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was that: “None of the members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them, to present it to the apostles” (Ac 4,34-35ª; 2,44-45). This money deposited at the feet of the Apostles was not accumulated but “it was then distributed to any who might be in need” (Ac 4, 35 b; 2, 45). The entry of the rich into the Christian communities on the one side rendered possible the expansion of Christianity, providing better conditions for the missionary voyages. But on the other side, the tendency to accumulate blocked the movement of solidarity and of sharing. James helped people to become aware if they were following a mistaken path: “Well now you rich! Lament, weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is rotting; your clothes are all moth-eaten.” (Jm 5,1-3). To undertake the way to the Kingdom, all need to become pupils of that poor widow, who shared with others that which was necessary for her living (Lk 21, 4).
• At the beginning, in the Church, the great majority the first Christian communities, were formed by poor people. (1 Co 1, 26). After a short time, well- to-do people also entered these communities, and this caused several problems. The social tensions which were present in the Roman Empire began to appear also in the life of the communities. That manifested itself, for example, when they met together to celebrate the supper (1Co 11, 20-22), or when they held the meeting (Jm 2, 1-4). This is why, the teaching of the act of the widow was very actual, both for them as well as for us today.
• Luke 21, 1-2: The widow’s mite. Jesus was before the treasure in the Temple and observed people who put their offering into the treasury. The poor put in a few pennies, the rich offerings of great value. The Treasury of the Temple received much money. All gave something for the maintenance of the worship, to support the clergy and for the preservation of the building. Part of this money was used to help the poor, because at that time there was no social security. The poor lived at the mercy of public charity. The persons who had the greatest needs were the orphans and the widows. They depended for everything on the charity of others, but even in this way, they tried to share with others the little that they had. Thus, a very poor widow put her offering into the treasury of the Temple; just two pennies!
• Luke 21, 3-4: The comment of Jesus. Which is worth more: the few pennies of the widow or the great amount of the rich? According to the majority, the money of the rich was more useful for charity, than the few pennies of the widow. For example, the disciples thought that the problem of the people could be resolved only with much money. On the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves, they had suggested to buy bread to feed the people (Lk 9, 13; Mk 6, 37). Philip succeeded in saying: “Two-hundred denarii of bread are not sufficient even for everyone to have a piece of bread” (Jn 6, 7). In fact, for anyone who thinks like that, the two pennies of the widow do not serve for anything. But Jesus says: “I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of them.” Jesus has diverse criteria. Calling the attention of the disciples on the act of the widow, he teaches them and us where we have to look for the manifestation of God’s will: in the poor and in sharing. This is a very important criterion: “In fact all these have put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in all she had to live on”.
• Alms, sharing, riches. The practice of giving alms was very important for the Jews. It was considered to be a “good work”, because the law of the Old Testament said: “Of course, there will never cease to be poor people in the country, and that is why I am giving you this command: Always be open handed with your brother, and with anyone in your country who is in need and poor” (Dt 15, 11). The alms put into the treasury of the Temple, whether for the worship or for the needy, orphans or widows, were considered a pleasing act to God (Eccl 35, 2; cf. Eccl 17, 17; 29, 12; 40, 24). To give alms was a way to recognize that all goods of the earth belong to God and that we are only the administrators of these gifts. But the tendency to accumulate continues to exist and is very strong; it always arises anew in the human heart. Conversion is always necessary. This is why Jesus said to the rich young man: “Go, sell all you possess, give it to the poor!” (Mk 10, 21). In the other Gospels the same requirement is repeated: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it” (Lk 12, 33-34; Mt 6, 9-20). The practice of sharing and of solidarity is one of the characteristics which the Spirit of Jesus wants to realize in the community. The result of the effusion of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was that: “None of the members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them, to present it to the apostles” (Ac 4,34-35ª; 2,44-45). This money deposited at the feet of the Apostles was not accumulated but “it was then distributed to any who might be in need” (Ac 4, 35 b; 2, 45). The entry of the rich into the Christian communities on the one side rendered possible the expansion of Christianity, providing better conditions for the missionary voyages. But on the other side, the tendency to accumulate blocked the movement of solidarity and of sharing. James helped people to become aware if they were following a mistaken path: “Well now you rich! Lament, weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is rotting; your clothes are all moth-eaten.” (Jm 5,1-3). To undertake the way to the Kingdom, all need to become pupils of that poor widow, who shared with others that which was necessary for her living (Lk 21, 4).
4) Personal questions
• Which are the difficulties and the joys that you find in your life in
practicing solidarity and sharing with others?
• How is it that the two pennies of the widow can be worth more than the large amounts of the rich? Which is the message of this text for us today?
• How is it that the two pennies of the widow can be worth more than the large amounts of the rich? Which is the message of this text for us today?
5) Concluding prayer
Be sure that Yahweh is God, he made us,
we belong to him, his people,
the flock of his sheepfold. (Ps 100,3)
we belong to him, his people,
the flock of his sheepfold. (Ps 100,3)
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