“Behold, I am coming soon”

NOVEMBER 26, 2022, SATURDAY
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
LAST DAY OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR 2022: CYCLE C - YEAR II
Lectionary: 508

Reading 1
RV 22:1-7

John said:

An angel showed me the river of life-giving water,

sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God

and of the Lamb down the middle of the street,

On either side of the river grew the tree of life

that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month;

the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.

Nothing accursed will be found anymore.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,

and his servants will worship him.

They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun,

for the Lord God shall give them light,

and they shall reign forever and ever.

And he said to me,

“These words are trustworthy and true, 

and the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits,

sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.”

“Behold, I am coming soon.”

Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 95:1-2, 3-5, 6-7AB

R. (1 Cor 16: 22b, see Rev. 22: 20c) Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

R. Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

For the LORD is a great God,

and a great king above all gods;

In his hands are the depths of the earth,

and the tops of the mountains are his.

His is the sea, for he has made it,

and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

R. Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, let us bow down in worship;

let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

For he is our God,

and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R. Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

 

Alleluia
LK 21:36

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Be vigilant at all times and pray

that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
LK 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy

from carousing and drunkenness

and the anxieties of daily life,

and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.

For that day will assault everyone

who lives on the face of the earth.

Be vigilant at all times

and pray that you have the strength

to escape the tribulations that are imminent

and to stand before the Son of Man.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Today is the last day of the liturgical year – tomorrow being the first Sunday of Advent. And the cycle of the liturgical year begins again. In this text Jesus reminds us of the passing aspect of life. In this way he urges us not to be caught unawares and to pay attention to fulfilling our desires for good.

Supervision is important when we have responsibilities to meet. A good supervisor helps to keep us up to the mark. God is the ultimate supervisor who wants only what is best for us. Let us stay awake to welcome him when He comes.

Amid the worries of my daily life, 'eternal truths' can seem irrelevant or unreal. But Jesus reminds me here not to be weighed down and completely preoccupied by the immediate, concrete, here-and-now part of reality. A good question to focus my mind on is: "What do I want to be remembered for when I die?"

PRAYER:

Dearest Lord, let me not be distracted by the things of this Earth. Enable me to always be prepared to meet You face to face. We're ready for Your second coming.

Be Vigilant At All Times (LAST DAY OF THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR YEAR: CYCLE -B - YEAR I)

NOVEMBER 27, 2021, SATURDAY
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
LAST DAY OF THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR YEAR:
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 508

Reading I
Dn 7:15-27

I, Daniel, found my spirit anguished within its covering of flesh,
and I was terrified by the visions of my mind.
I approached one of those present
and asked him what all this meant in truth;
in answer, he made known to me the meaning of the things:
“These four great beasts stand for four kingdoms
which shall arise on the earth.
But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingship,
to possess it forever and ever.”
But I wished to make certain about the fourth beast,
so very terrible and different from the others,
devouring and crushing with its iron teeth and bronze claws,
and trampling with its feet what was left;
about the ten horns on its head, and the other one that sprang up,
before which three horns fell;
about the horn with the eyes and the mouth that spoke arrogantly,
which appeared greater than its fellows.
For, as I watched, that horn made war against the holy ones
and was victorious until the Ancient One arrived;
judgment was pronounced in favor of the holy ones of the Most High,
and the time came when the holy ones possessed the kingdom.
He answered me thus:
“The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth
different from all the others;
It shall devour the whole earth,
beat it down, and crush it.
The ten horns shall be ten kings
rising out of that kingdom;
another shall rise up after them,
Different from those before him,
who shall lay low three kings.
He shall speak against the Most High
and oppress the holy ones of the Most High,
thinking to change the feast days and the law.
They shall be handed over to him
for a year, two years, and a half-year.
But when the court is convened,
and his power is taken away
by final and absolute destruction,
Then the kingship and dominion and majesty
of all the kingdoms under the heavens
shall be given to the holy people of the Most High,
Whose Kingdom shall be everlasting:
all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

Responsorial Psalm
Daniel 3:82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87

R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“You sons of men, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“O Israel, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

Alleluia
Lk 21:36

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Be vigilant at all times and pray
That you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Lk 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.”

REFLECTION:

Today is the last day of the liturgical year – tomorrow being the first Sunday of Advent. And the cycle of the liturgical year begins again. In this text Jesus reminds us of the passing aspect of life. In this way he urges us not to be caught unawares and to pay attention to fulfilling our desires for good.

Supervision is important when we have responsibilities to meet. A good supervisor helps to keep us up to the mark. God is the ultimate supervisor who wants only what is best for us. Let us stay awake to welcome him when He comes.

Amid the worries of my daily life, 'eternal truths' can seem irrelevant or unreal. But Jesus reminds me here not to be weighed down and completely preoccupied by the immediate, concrete, here-and-now part of reality. A good question to focus my mind on is: "What do I want to be remembered for when I die?"

PRAYER:

Dearest Lord, let me not be distracted by the things of this Earth. Enable me to always be prepared to meet You face to face. We're ready for Your second coming.

I AM Coming SOON

NOVEMBER 14, 2021, SUNDAY
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 158

Reading I
Dn 12:1-3

In those days, I Daniel, 
    heard this word of the Lord:
"At that time there shall arise
    Michael, the great prince,
    guardian of your people;
it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
    since nations began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
    everyone who is found written in the book.
“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;
    some shall live forever,
    others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.
“But the wise shall shine brightly
    like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
    shall be like the stars forever."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
    you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
    with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
    my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
    nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

You will show me the path to life,
    fullness of joys in your presence,
    the delights at your right hand forever.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Reading II
Heb 10:11-14, 18

Brothers and sisters:
Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins. 
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. 
For by one offering
he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.
Where there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer offering for sin.

Alleluia
Lk 21:36

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mk 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In those days after that tribulation
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'
with great power and glory,
and then he will send out the angels
and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates. 
Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place. 
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.
"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

REFLECTION:

As we approach the end of the liturgical year the readings remind of us this aspect of Jesus’ teaching: his insistence on the urgency of our situation and the need to decide in the light of the impending judgement. He will be the judge who will come in all his power and glory, when his teachings and his followers will be proved right.

Jesus does not say these things to frighten us but to convince us of the need to be vigilant, to be prepared. The day of his coming heralds the salvation and vindication of the righteous, a day of joy rather than fear. Yet we need to watch out so as not to be caught unawares when that mysterious day comes. I thank Jesus for these comforting words, and ask for the grace to lead a watchful rather than a superficial life.

PRAYER:

Lord, sometimes our minds wonder what it will be like for us at the end of this life. How will it happen, is there something after this world! But you have told us that you go to prepare a place for us where you are… Lord I believe, help my unbelief.