NOVEMBER 18, 2021, THURSDAY
Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
(Opt. Mem) Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 500
Reading I
1 Mc 2:15-29
came to the city of Modein to organize the sacrifices.
Many of Israel joined them,
but Mattathias and his sons gathered in a group apart.
Then the officers of the king addressed Mattathias:
“You are a leader, an honorable and great man in this city,
supported by sons and kin.
Come now, be the first to obey the king’s command,
as all the Gentiles and the men of Judah
and those who are left in Jerusalem have done.
Then you and your sons shall be numbered among the King’s Friends,
and shall be enriched with silver and gold and many gifts.”
But Mattathias answered in a loud voice:
“Although all the Gentiles in the king’s realm obey him,
so that each forsakes the religion of his fathers
and consents to the king’s orders,
yet I and my sons and my kin
will keep to the covenant of our fathers.
God forbid that we should forsake the law and the commandments.
We will not obey the words of the king
nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree.”
As he finished saying these words,
a certain Jew came forward in the sight of all
to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein
according to the king’s order.
When Mattathias saw him, he was filled with zeal;
his heart was moved and his just fury was aroused;
he sprang forward and killed him upon the altar.
At the same time, he also killed the messenger of the king
who was forcing them to sacrifice,
and he tore down the altar.
Thus he showed his zeal for the law,
just as Phinehas did with Zimri, son of Salu.
Then Mattathias went through the city shouting,
“Let everyone who is zealous for the law
and who stands by the covenant follow after me!”
Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons,
leaving behind in the city all their possessions.
Many who sought to live according to righteousness and religious custom
went out into the desert to settle there.
Responsorial Psalm
50:1b-2, 5-6, 14-15
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
and fulfill your vows to the Most High;
Then call upon me in time of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Alleluia
Ps 95:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Lk 19:41-44
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
REFLECTION:
Jesus wept over his city. He felt deep sorrow at its resistance to God’s word, as he foresaw the disaster it would soon face. I too can look around me, at my country, at the world, and feel sorrow at so much disregard for truth and for what is right, at so much corruption and all the suffering it brings in its wake.
Peace and contentment are two blessings that we desire in life and when we lack them we are greatly disturbed. Jesus, too, was disturbed and wept at the future destruction of his beloved Jerusalem. He offers us a peace that the world cannot give and can only be found in friendship with Him.
PRAYER:
‘Blessed are those who mourn, they shall be comforted’. Lord help me never to get used to the evil around me, keep my heart sensitive to the selfishness and abuse of power that is the cause of so much suffering. I pray especially never to close my heart to migrants in their struggles.
No comments:
Post a Comment