Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest,
and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 501
Lectionary: 501
Judas and his brothers said,
"Now that our enemies have been crushed,
let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it."
So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion.
Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month,
that is, the month of Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-eight,
they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law
on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made.
On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it,
on that very day it was reconsecrated
with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals.
All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven,
who had given them success.
For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar
and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices
of deliverance and praise.
They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields;
they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers
and furnished them with doors.
There was great joy among the people
now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.
Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel
decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar
should be observed with joy and gladness
on the anniversary every year for eight days,
from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.
"Now that our enemies have been crushed,
let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it."
So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion.
Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month,
that is, the month of Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-eight,
they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law
on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made.
On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it,
on that very day it was reconsecrated
with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals.
All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven,
who had given them success.
For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar
and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices
of deliverance and praise.
They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields;
they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers
and furnished them with doors.
There was great joy among the people
now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.
Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel
decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar
should be observed with joy and gladness
on the anniversary every year for eight days,
from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.
Responsorial
Psalm1 CHR 29:10BCD, 11ABC,
11D-12A, 12BCD
R. (13b) We
praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory.
For all in heaven and on earth is yours."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"You have dominion over all,
In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory.
For all in heaven and on earth is yours."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"You have dominion over all,
In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
AlleluiaJN 10:27
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 19:45-48
Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
"It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves."
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
those who were selling things, saying to them,
"It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves."
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
Meditation: "All the people hung upon
his words "
Why did Jesus drive out the money changers in the
temple at Jerusalem? Was he upset with their greediness? This is the only
incident in the Gospels where we see Jesus using physical force. Jesus went to
Jerusalem, knowing he would meet certain death on the cross, but victory as
well for our sake. His act of judgment in the temple is meant to be a prophetic
sign and warning to the people that God takes our worship very seriously.
Jesus honors the Father's house of prayer by cleansing
it of unholy practices
In this incident we see Jesus' startling and swift action in cleansing the temple of those who were using it to exploit the worshipers of God. The money changers took advantage of the poor and forced them to pay many times more than was right - in the house of God no less! Their robbery of the poor was not only dishonoring to God but unjust toward their neighbor.
In this incident we see Jesus' startling and swift action in cleansing the temple of those who were using it to exploit the worshipers of God. The money changers took advantage of the poor and forced them to pay many times more than was right - in the house of God no less! Their robbery of the poor was not only dishonoring to God but unjust toward their neighbor.
The people were hungry for the word of God
In justification for his audacious action Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah (Isaiah 56:7) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:11). His act of judgment aims to purify the worship of God's people and to discipline their erring ways. Despite the objections of the religious leaders, no doubt because Jesus was usurping their authority in the house of God, the people who listened to Jesus teaching daily in the temple regarded him with great awe and respect. Luke tells us that "they hung upon Jesus' words" (Luke 19:48). How hungry are you for God's word?
In justification for his audacious action Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah (Isaiah 56:7) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:11). His act of judgment aims to purify the worship of God's people and to discipline their erring ways. Despite the objections of the religious leaders, no doubt because Jesus was usurping their authority in the house of God, the people who listened to Jesus teaching daily in the temple regarded him with great awe and respect. Luke tells us that "they hung upon Jesus' words" (Luke 19:48). How hungry are you for God's word?
The Lord wants to share his holiness with us
If we approach God's word with a humble attentive heart and with a willingness to be taught by the Lord, then we are in a good place to allow God's word to change and transform us in the likeness of Christ. The Lord wants to teach us his ways so that we may grow in holiness. The Lord both instructs and disciplines us in love to lead us from the error of our sinful ways to his truth and justice. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10). The Lord calls us to be a holy people who worship him with reverence and gratitude for his great mercy and kindness towards us. Do you allow God's word to transform you in his way of love and holiness?
If we approach God's word with a humble attentive heart and with a willingness to be taught by the Lord, then we are in a good place to allow God's word to change and transform us in the likeness of Christ. The Lord wants to teach us his ways so that we may grow in holiness. The Lord both instructs and disciplines us in love to lead us from the error of our sinful ways to his truth and justice. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10). The Lord calls us to be a holy people who worship him with reverence and gratitude for his great mercy and kindness towards us. Do you allow God's word to transform you in his way of love and holiness?
"Lord Jesus, you open wide the door of your house
and you bid us to enter confidently that we may worship you in spirit and
truth. Help me to draw near to you with gratitude and joy for your great mercy.
May I always revere your word and give you acceptable praise and worship."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The home of sanctity, by Augustine of
Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God does not want his temple to be a trader's
lodge but the home of sanctity. He does not preserve the practice of the
priestly ministry by the dishonest duty of religion but by voluntary obedience.
Consider what the Lord’s actions impose on you as an example of living... He
taught in general that worldly transactions must be absent from the temple, but
he drove out the money changers in particular. Who are the money changers, if
not those who seek profit from the Lord's money and cannot distinguish between
good and evil? Holy Scripture is the Lord's money." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
9.17–18)
FRIDAY,
NOVEMBER 24. LUKE 20:27-40
(1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59; Psalm: 1 Chronicles 29)
(1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59; Psalm: 1 Chronicles 29)
KEY VERSE: "My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves" (v 46).
TO KNOW: When Jesus entered the precincts of the Jerusalem Temple and saw all the money changers there, he was filled with righteous indignation. God intended that the Temple would be a "house of prayer" (Is.56:7), but it had become a "den of thieves" (Jer 7:11). Jesus swiftly acted to cleanse the Temple of the abusive practices. His actions represented divine judgment against the religious leaders who failed to instruct the people as to the meaning of true worship. The leaders were outraged and wanted to do away with Jesus, but because of his popularity, they could not find a way. By Jesus' actions, he took possession of the Temple as its legitimate and authoritative teacher. From that time until his arrest, the Temple would be the center of his ministry.
TO LOVE: What do I do to help make my parish a true place of worship?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to respect your holy dwelling place.
Memorial of Saint Andrew
Dung-Lac, priest and martyr, and his companions, martyrs
Christian missionaries first brought the Catholic faith to Vietnam during the sixteenth century. During the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, Vietnamese Christians were tortured and martyred for their beliefs. Andrew Dung-Lac was a Vietnamese diocesan priest, one of 117 people who were martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862. The last of the martyrs were 17 laypersons, one of them a 9-year-old, who was executed in 1862. During the six decades after 1820, between 100,000 and 300,000 Catholics were killed or subjected to great hardship. By 1954, there were over a million Catholics—about seven percent of the population—in the north. Persistent persecution forced some 670,000 Catholics to flee to the south where Catholics were enjoying the first decade of religious freedom in centuries. During the Vietnamese war, Catholics again suffered in the north, and again moved to the south in great numbers. Now reunited, the entire country is under Communist rule. Andrew Dung-Lac represents this group of heroes who were proclaimed saints by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988. The martyrs of Vietnam suffered to bring the people the greatest treasure that they possessed: their Catholic faith.
Christian missionaries first brought the Catholic faith to Vietnam during the sixteenth century. During the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, Vietnamese Christians were tortured and martyred for their beliefs. Andrew Dung-Lac was a Vietnamese diocesan priest, one of 117 people who were martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862. The last of the martyrs were 17 laypersons, one of them a 9-year-old, who was executed in 1862. During the six decades after 1820, between 100,000 and 300,000 Catholics were killed or subjected to great hardship. By 1954, there were over a million Catholics—about seven percent of the population—in the north. Persistent persecution forced some 670,000 Catholics to flee to the south where Catholics were enjoying the first decade of religious freedom in centuries. During the Vietnamese war, Catholics again suffered in the north, and again moved to the south in great numbers. Now reunited, the entire country is under Communist rule. Andrew Dung-Lac represents this group of heroes who were proclaimed saints by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988. The martyrs of Vietnam suffered to bring the people the greatest treasure that they possessed: their Catholic faith.
Friday 24 November 2017
Ss Andrew Dung-Lac & Cc. Day
of penance.
1
Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59. 1 Chronicles 29:10-12. Luke 19:45-48.
We praise
your glorious name, O mighty God — 1 Chronicles 29:10-12.
‘It is
written, “My house shall be a house of prayer.”’
It is important to have holy
places, sacred places – those set aside for a special purpose. We treat them
with respect and honour, because they represent our capacity to draw close to
God, to experience what it is to enter God’s presence in a profound way. In
sacred places, we can sing, dance, rejoice, to give thanks, to seek
forgiveness, to experience healing and teaching. These are places we must
protect.
Similarly, this may be said of our
bodies. God seeks to indwell us.
God invites us to experience the
immanence of the Spirit within us, and in return, we rejoice, give thanks, seek
forgiveness, experience healing and we never cease to learn.
Do we treat our bodies as a holy
place?
ST. ANDREW DUNG-LAC AND COMPANIONS
On June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized a
group of 117 martyrs who died for the Roman Catholic Faith in Vietnam during
the nineteenth century. The group was made up of ninety-six Vietnamese, eleven
Spaniards, and ten French. Eight of the group were bishops, fifty were priests
and fifty-nine were lay Catholics. Some of the priests were Dominicans, others
were diocesan priests who belonged to the Paris Mission Society. One such
diocesan priest was St. Theophane Venard. (His feast day is November 6.)
St. Andrew Dung-Lac, who represents this group of heroes, was a Vietnamese diocesan priest. He came from a poor, non-Christian family and was taught by a Christian lay catechist. He worked in the missions with the priests of the Foreign Mission Society of Paris. He was imprisoned and repeatedly tortured during the persecutions of Minh-Meng, the emperor of Vietnam between 1820 and 1840 who was famed for his persecutions of the Christians. Among the many Vietnamese and international martyrs who died alongside St. Andrew Dung-Lac was Saint Peter Thi.
This feast day, and the witnesses of the lives of the martyrs, give testament to the sufferings inflicted on the Vietnamese Church, which are among the most terrible in the long history of Christian martyrdom
St. Andrew Dung-Lac, who represents this group of heroes, was a Vietnamese diocesan priest. He came from a poor, non-Christian family and was taught by a Christian lay catechist. He worked in the missions with the priests of the Foreign Mission Society of Paris. He was imprisoned and repeatedly tortured during the persecutions of Minh-Meng, the emperor of Vietnam between 1820 and 1840 who was famed for his persecutions of the Christians. Among the many Vietnamese and international martyrs who died alongside St. Andrew Dung-Lac was Saint Peter Thi.
This feast day, and the witnesses of the lives of the martyrs, give testament to the sufferings inflicted on the Vietnamese Church, which are among the most terrible in the long history of Christian martyrdom
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 19,45-48
Lectio Divina:
Friday, November 24, 2017
Ordinary
Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of all that is good,
keep us faithful in serving you,
for to serve you is our lasting joy.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
keep us faithful in serving you,
for to serve you is our lasting joy.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 19:45-48
Jesus went into the temple and began
driving out those who were busy trading, saying to them, “According to
scripture, my house shall be a house of prayer but you have turned it into a
den of robbers.”
He taught in the temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, along with the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they could not find a way to carry this out because the whole people hung on His words.
He taught in the temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, along with the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they could not find a way to carry this out because the whole people hung on His words.
3) Reflection
• Context. Luke, having described
Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (11-19, 28), now presents carrying out His mission
in the temple. (vv. 45-48).
• The gesture of Jesus. His action does not have political value but rather prophetic significance. tThe great purpose of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is to enter the temple. The prophecy of Malachi is fulfilled with Jesus entrance. For Malachi says “and suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to His Temple...” (3, 1).Jesus’ gesture of driving out the sellers f t recalls Is 56, 7 which says “My house will be a house of prayer”. Jesus returns the temple to the Father. The commercial and business activity has made the temple a den of robbers and has deprived it of its only function: encountering to provide a dwelling for the presence of God. The second reference from scripture is taken from Jeremiah 7, 11: “Do you look on this temple that bears my name as a den of robbers?” The image of a den of robbers serves Jesus to condemn the material traffic on the one side and the dishonest traffic of trade or business that was carried out in the temple. Jesus demands a complete change in order to to purify the temple from all of these negative human things and to make it a place for authentic service to God. In driving out those merchants of trade and business, the prophecy of Zechariah is fulfilled: "There will be no more traders in the temple of Yahweh Sabaoth, when that day comes” (14, 21). These words of Jesus regarding the temple are not directed at a restoration of the purity of the cult or worship, as was the intention of the Zelots. The intention of Jesus goes beyond the purity of the cult. It is more radical and timeless. The temple is not a work done by human efforts, and the presence of God is not bound to its material aspect. The authentic service of God is carried out by Jesus through His teaching. Because of this preaching, “the high priests and the scribes together with the leading citizens tried to do away with him” (v. 47). Within this temporary place of the temple, Jesus carries out a highly significant teaching. It is precisely because this place is so fundamental to the Jews that His teaching reaches its summit and it will be from here that the words of the Apostles will also begin (Act 5, 12.20.25.42). The diffusion of the Word of grace which Jesus bears extends like an arch. It begins with His opposition when He was still only twelve years old in the temple among the doctorsd of the Law. It is continued with His teaching across Galilee and during His journey to Jerusalem. untilIt reaches a climax when He enters the temple and takes possession of the house of God. The basis for the future mission of the Church, the diffusion of the Word of God, begins in this place. The leaders of the people do not intend to suppress Jesus for having ruined the progress of the economic affairs of that time. Rather, the reasons go back to His previous teaching activities. These play a part in His discourse against the temple. Jesus claims something and this causes a reaction from the high priests and the scribes. In contrast with this hostile behavior, one can see a positive one from the people who “are hanging from His words”. Jesus is the Messiah who gathers around Him with His Word of grace the people of God.
• The gesture of Jesus. His action does not have political value but rather prophetic significance. tThe great purpose of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is to enter the temple. The prophecy of Malachi is fulfilled with Jesus entrance. For Malachi says “and suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to His Temple...” (3, 1).Jesus’ gesture of driving out the sellers f t recalls Is 56, 7 which says “My house will be a house of prayer”. Jesus returns the temple to the Father. The commercial and business activity has made the temple a den of robbers and has deprived it of its only function: encountering to provide a dwelling for the presence of God. The second reference from scripture is taken from Jeremiah 7, 11: “Do you look on this temple that bears my name as a den of robbers?” The image of a den of robbers serves Jesus to condemn the material traffic on the one side and the dishonest traffic of trade or business that was carried out in the temple. Jesus demands a complete change in order to to purify the temple from all of these negative human things and to make it a place for authentic service to God. In driving out those merchants of trade and business, the prophecy of Zechariah is fulfilled: "There will be no more traders in the temple of Yahweh Sabaoth, when that day comes” (14, 21). These words of Jesus regarding the temple are not directed at a restoration of the purity of the cult or worship, as was the intention of the Zelots. The intention of Jesus goes beyond the purity of the cult. It is more radical and timeless. The temple is not a work done by human efforts, and the presence of God is not bound to its material aspect. The authentic service of God is carried out by Jesus through His teaching. Because of this preaching, “the high priests and the scribes together with the leading citizens tried to do away with him” (v. 47). Within this temporary place of the temple, Jesus carries out a highly significant teaching. It is precisely because this place is so fundamental to the Jews that His teaching reaches its summit and it will be from here that the words of the Apostles will also begin (Act 5, 12.20.25.42). The diffusion of the Word of grace which Jesus bears extends like an arch. It begins with His opposition when He was still only twelve years old in the temple among the doctorsd of the Law. It is continued with His teaching across Galilee and during His journey to Jerusalem. untilIt reaches a climax when He enters the temple and takes possession of the house of God. The basis for the future mission of the Church, the diffusion of the Word of God, begins in this place. The leaders of the people do not intend to suppress Jesus for having ruined the progress of the economic affairs of that time. Rather, the reasons go back to His previous teaching activities. These play a part in His discourse against the temple. Jesus claims something and this causes a reaction from the high priests and the scribes. In contrast with this hostile behavior, one can see a positive one from the people who “are hanging from His words”. Jesus is the Messiah who gathers around Him with His Word of grace the people of God.
4) Personal questions
• Does your prayer to the Lord consist
in a simple relationship of father to son in which you find all that is needed
to communicate with God, or is it accompanied by usage and practices to gain
His goodness?
• When you listen to the Word of Jesus do you feel seized by His teaching like the crowds who hung from His words? Are you sufficiently attentive to listen to the Gospel and do you adhere to Christ?
• When you listen to the Word of Jesus do you feel seized by His teaching like the crowds who hung from His words? Are you sufficiently attentive to listen to the Gospel and do you adhere to Christ?
5) Concluding Prayer
The Law you have uttered is more
precious to me
than all the wealth in the world.
How pleasant your promise to my palate,
sweeter than honey in my mouth! (Ps 119,72.103)
than all the wealth in the world.
How pleasant your promise to my palate,
sweeter than honey in my mouth! (Ps 119,72.103)
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