오늘의 복음

November 28, 2019 Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time & Thanksgiving Day

Margaret K 2019. 11. 27. 20:07

2019년 11월 28일 연중 제34주간 목요일   

 

오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp

1독서

 다니엘 예언서6,12-28
그 무렵 12 사람들이 몰려와서, 다니엘이 그의 하느님께 기도와 간청을 올리는 것을 발견하였다. 13 그래서 그들은 임금에게 다가가서 금령과 관련하여 말하였다.
“임 금님, 앞으로 서른 날 동안 임금님 말고 다른 어떤 신이나 사람에게 기도를 올리는 사람은 누구든지 사자 굴에 던진다는 금령에 서명하지 않으셨습니까?” 임금이 “그것은 철회할 수 없는 메디아와 페르시아의 법에 따라 확실하오.” 하고 대답하자, 14 그들이 다시 임금에게 말하였다.
“임금님, 유다에서 온 유배자들 가운데 하나인 다니엘이 임금님께 경의를 표하지도 않고, 임금님께서 서명하신 금령에도 경의를 표하지 않은 채, 하루에 세 번씩 기도를 올리고 있습니다.” 15 임금은 이 말을 듣고 몹시 괴로웠다. 그는 다니엘을 살려 내기로 결심하고 해가 질 때까지 그를 구하려고 노력하였다. 16 그러자 그 사람들이 임금에게 몰려가서 말하였다. “임금님, 임금이 세운 금령과 법령은 무엇이든 바꿀 수 없다는 것이 메디아와 페르시아의 법임을 알아 두시기 바랍니다.” 17 그리하여 임금이 분부를 내리자 사람들이 다니엘을 끌고 가서 사자 굴에 던졌다. 그때에 임금이 다니엘에게, “네가 성실히 섬기는 너의 하느님께서 너를 구해 내시기를 빈다.” 하고 말하였다.
18 사람들이 돌 하나를 굴려다가 굴 어귀를 막아 놓자, 임금은 자기의 인장 반지와 대신들의 인장 반지로 그곳을 봉인한 다음, 다니엘에게 내린 어떠한 조치도 바꾸지 못하게 하였다. 19 그러고 나서 임금은 궁궐로 돌아가 단식하며 밤을 지냈다. 여자들도 자기 앞으로 들이지 못하게 하였다. 그는 뜬눈으로 밤을 새웠다. 20 새벽에 날이 밝자마자 임금은 일어나 서둘러 사자 굴로 갔다.
21 다니엘이 있는 굴에 가까이 이르러, 그는 슬픈 목소리로 다니엘에게 외쳤다. “살아 계신 하느님의 종 다니엘아, 네가 성실히 섬기는 너의 하느님께서 너를 사자들에게서 구해 내실 수 있었느냐?” 22 그러자 다니엘이 임금에게 대답하였다. “임금님, 만수무강하시기를 빕니다. 23 저의 하느님께서 천사를 보내시어 사자들의 입을 막으셨으므로, 사자들이 저를 해치지 못하였습니다. 제가 그분 앞에서 무죄하다는 사실이 드러났기 때문입니다. 그리고 임금님, 저는 임금님께도 잘못을 저지르지 않았습니다.”
24 임금은 몹시 기뻐하며 다니엘을 굴에서 끌어 올리라고 분부하니, 사람들이 그를 굴에서 끌어 올렸다. 다니엘에게는 아무런 상처도 보이지 않았다. 그가 자기의 하느님을 믿었기 때문이다. 25 임금은 분부를 내려, 악의로 다니엘을 고발한 그 사람들을 끌어다가, 자식들과 아내들과 함께 사자 굴 속으로 던지게 하였다. 그들이 굴 바닥에 채 닿기도 전에 사자들이 달려들어 그들의 뼈를 모조리 부수어 버렸다.
26 그때에 다리우스 임금은 온 세상에 사는 모든 민족들과 나라들, 언어가 다른 모든 사람들에게 조서를 내렸다. “그대들이 큰 평화를 누리기 바란다. 27 나는 칙령을 내린다. 내 나라의 통치가 미치는 모든 곳에서는 누구나 다니엘의 하느님 앞에서 떨며 두려워해야 한다. 그분은 살아 계신 하느님, 영원히 존재하시는 분이시다. 그분의 나라는 불멸의 나라, 그분의 통치는 끝까지 이어진다. 28 그분은 구해 내시고 구원하시는 분, 하늘과 땅에서 표징과 기적을 일으키시는 분, 다니엘을 사자들의 손에서 구해 내셨다.” 

 

복음

 루카. 21,20-28
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다. 
20 “예루살렘이 적군에게 포위된 것을 보거든, 그곳이 황폐해질 때가 가까이 왔음을 알아라. 21 그때에 유다에 있는 이들은 산으로 달아나고, 예루살렘에 있는 이들은 거기에서 빠져나가라. 시골에 있는 이들은 예루살렘으로 들어가지 마라. 22 그때가 바로 성경에 기록된 모든 말씀이 이루어지는 징벌의 날이기 때문이다.
23 불행하여라, 그 무렵에 임신한 여자들과 젖먹이가 딸린 여자들! 이 땅에 큰 재난이, 이 백성에게 진노가 닥칠 것이기 때문이다. 24 사람들은 칼날에 쓰러지고 포로가 되어 모든 민족들에게 끌려갈 것이다. 그리고 예루살렘은 다른 민족들의 시대가 다 찰 때까지 그들에게 짓밟힐 것이다.
25 그리고 해와 달과 별들에는 표징들이 나타나고, 땅에서는 바다와 거센 파도 소리에 자지러진 민족들이 공포에 휩싸일 것이다. 26 사람들은 세상에 닥쳐오는 것들에 대한 두려운 예감으로 까무러칠 것이다. 하늘의 세력들이 흔들릴 것이기 때문이다.
27 그때에 ‘사람의 아들이’ 권능과 큰 영광을 떨치며 ‘구름을 타고 오는 것을’ 사람들이 볼 것이다. 28 이러한 일들이 일어나기 시작하거든 허리를 펴고 머리를 들어라. 너희의 속량이 가까웠기 때문이다.”
 

 November 28, 2019

Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Thanksgiving Day Mass Reading

 

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/

Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass


Reading 1 

Dn 6:12-28

Some men rushed into the upper chamber of Daniel's home
and found him praying and pleading before his God.
Then they went to remind the king about the prohibition:
"Did you not decree, O king,
that no one is to address a petition to god or man
for thirty days, except to you, O king;
otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions?"
The king answered them, "The decree is absolute,
irrevocable under the Mede and Persian law."
To this they replied, "Daniel, the Jewish exile,
has paid no attention to you, O king,
or to the decree you issued;
three times a day he offers his prayer."
The king was deeply grieved at this news
and he made up his mind to save Daniel;
he worked till sunset to rescue him.
But these men insisted.
They said, "Keep in mind, O king,
that under the Mede and Persian law
every royal prohibition or decree is irrevocable."
So the king ordered Daniel to be brought and cast into the lions' den.
To Daniel he said,
"May your God, whom you serve so constantly, save you."
To forestall any tampering,
the king sealed with his own ring and the rings of the lords
the stone that had been brought to block the opening of the den.

Then the king returned to his palace for the night;
he refused to eat and he dismissed the entertainers.
Since sleep was impossible for him,
the king rose very early the next morning
and hastened to the lions' den.
As he drew near, he cried out to Daniel sorrowfully,
"O Daniel, servant of the living God,
has the God whom you serve so constantly
been able to save you from the lions?"
Daniel answered the king: "O king, live forever!
My God has sent his angel and closed the lions' mouths
so that they have not hurt me.
For I have been found innocent before him;
neither to you have I done any harm, O king!"
This gave the king great joy.
At his order Daniel was removed from the den,
unhurt because he trusted in his God.
The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel,
along with their children and their wives,
to be cast into the lions' den.
Before they reached the bottom of the den,
the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Then King Darius wrote to the nations and peoples of every language,
wherever they dwell on the earth: "All peace to you!
I decree that throughout my royal domain
the God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared:

"For he is the living God, enduring forever;
his Kingdom shall not be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be without end.
He is a deliverer and savior,
working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth,
and he delivered Daniel from the lions' power." 

 

Responsorial Psalm 

Dn 3:68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74

R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Dew and rain, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Frost and chill, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Ice and snow, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Nights and days, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Light and darkness, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Let the earth bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

 

Gospel 

Lk 21:20-28

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand."

November 28, 2019- Thanksgiving Day

Reading 1


SIR 50:22-24

And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel
to deliver us in our days.

Responsorial PsalmPS 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11

R. (see 1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable. 
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works. 
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Reading 21 COR 1:3-9

Brothers and sisters:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Alleluia1 THES 5:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In all circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed. 
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”



http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow

 «Stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near»

Fr. Lluc TORCAL Monk of Santa Maria de Poblet
(Santa Maria de Poblet, Tarragona, Spain)


Today, when reading the saint Gospel, can we afford not to ponder over the present moments, fuller every day with threats and blood shedding? «On the earth anguish of perplexed nations when they hear the roaring of the sea and its waves. People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken» (Lk 21:25b-26a). The second coming of our Lord has quite often been depicted with the most terrifying images, as in this Gospel, and always under the sign of fear.

But, is it really this one, the message today's Gospel is addressing us today? Let us just look at the last sentence: «Now, when you see the first events, stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near» (Lk 21:28). The core of the message of these last days of our liturgical year is not fear but hopefulness of a future deliverance, that is, the Christian complete expectancy of the fulfillment of our full life with the Lord, which our body and the world around us will also share. The events narrated in such a dramatic way just symbolically indicate the participation of the whole creation in the second coming of the Lord, as it already participated on occasion of his first arrival, specially at his Passion, when the sky darkened and the earth shook. The cosmic dimension will not be forsaken at the end of time, because it is the dimension accompanying man since he entered the Paradise.

The Christian prospect is not deceiving, because when all this will happen —the same Lord tells us— «at this time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory» (Lk 21:,27). Let's not live an anguished life because of the second coming of the Lord, because of his Parusia: let us rather ponder over the profound words of St. Augustine that, already in his day, bearing witness of those Christians fearful of the Lord's coming, was wondering: «How can the Wife be afraid of her Spouse?».


http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

 Thanksgiving Day in the United States

Lectionary: 943-947

“Generation after generation, praises your works….
       The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works…” –Psalm 145*

Last month, October, I had an amazing experience of being in Rome for meetings with my sisters in community.  We had a few days free that afforded us an opportunity to get out and see Rome.  on my bucket list for this month was to get to Piazza San Pietro, to view the sculpture Pope Francis commissioned, titled, Angels Unawares. Previously, in the unveiling of this very large bronze statue Pope Francis told the world “Christians have a moral obligation to God’s care for all those who are marginalized, especially migrants and refugees.” Yes. “The Lord is good to all and compassionate…”

When I saw this incredible work of art my initial response was “Huddled masses yearning to be free.”  From another very large bronze statue.  Quoted from The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus in 1883, and inscribe on our Statue of Liberty, she also wrote “A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name, Mother of Exiles.”

Today we celebrate our national Thanksgiving Day that has been remembered generations upon generations. We are a nation of immigrant pilgrim seekers of freedoms to live and pray without oppression. As the Hebrew peoples remembered the fidelity of God throughout their stories of slavery, exiles, migrations, wars and famine, and gave praise and thanks, (Psalms) we too, recall, praise and give thanks to our God for all we have received, and primarily, our freedom as a nation, and as church, our redemption in Christ Jesus. This we do in the celebration of Eucharist.

The opening prayer askes that our “hearts have concern for every man, woman and child, so that we may share your gifts in loving service.” Listen closely to the Preface, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks…You have entrusted to us the great gift of freedom, a gift that calls forth responsibility and commitment to the truth that all have a fundamental dignity before you.”

All the readings for today emphasize God’s gracious goodness, compassion and mercy. Our gospel tells us a familiar passage of Jesus curing the ten lepers. By law, he sends them to the priests to recognize their healing, but the one “foreigner” returned to Jesus to give thanks. Jesus himself wonders where are the others? Do they not want to thank God? The leper can easily represent anyone on the margins or the healing we all need within our own lives. Do we remember to give praise and thanks for God’s mercy even when we may not understand or get our expected outcomes? God is present and walks with each of us on our own migration into God as pilgrims on the way to the fullness of the reign of God.   

Many tables will be filled with fine and traditional foods as an expression of our gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day.  Soup kitchens and shelters will provide for the many without homes to celebrate with family or friends. Many people will volunteer, supply and serve these meals as witnesses to Christs compassionate presence among us.

With the sharing of food, we also remember the bountiful our earth provides for us. But here, too, our planet cries out to us to awaken our precious relationship for its sustainability.

St. Ignatius of Loyola tells us that gratitude is the key to life. He invites us to examine our use of the many gifts and goods God has given us, and always give thanks. We pray, O Creator, “You have entrusted to us the great gift of freedom, a gift that calls forth responsibility and commitment to the truth that all (creation) has a fundamental dignity before you.”

We and all of creation are gift to each other from our creator. “Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you—generation upon generation!”*


Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 506


But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
Luke 21:28

In this final week of Ordinary Time we are experiencing sober readings, which in reality are full of hope. All the readings of this period are like a "pep rally," encouraging us - and all who might be struggling - to have hope. The outcome, the promise of our God, will turn out wonderfully.

The story of Daniel in the Lion's dean is a great children's story but it is quite good for adults, too. The King likes Daniel, and wants to protect him, even though the King's servants are out to get Daniel - because he enjoys the King's favor. The story tells how the King is forced to throw Daniel to the lions. The heart of the story is that Daniel is unharmed, and the King is overwhelmed that

The God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared:
"For he is the living God, enduring forever;
his Kingdom shall not be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be without end.
He is a deliverer and savior,
working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth,
and he delivered Daniel from the lions' power.

We who have found ourselves in a lion's dean of some sort, at one time or another, can cheer along with the King about our God's fidelity to us. We might have sought miracles and were disappointed, but our God delivers us from so much - from fear, from anxiety, from a lack of courage, from a feeling of being alone. When we experience a peace that only our God can give, we can truly feel freed from a lion's den.

Jesus is preaching in the temple and warning of the temple's distruction - just as it happened less than 40 years later in the year 70. For Jesus, the interpretation of the punishment going on with that destruction is related to the rejection of his own people to his coming. IT is as though the temple falls apart under the Roman invasion, as much from the lack of faith of the people as from the force of the invading Roman army. But, Jesus seems to address his followers with words of hope and encouragement:

And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
Luke 21:27-28

As we wrap up this year of Ordinary Time and are on the doorstep of Advent, we can feel the support of these promises. The encouraging words of Isaiah are about to greet us and console us. We can begin to pray, "Come, Lord, Jesus" and know what we are asking for. We can feel our hunger. We can taste or discouragment and fear. We can feel tired of the parts of our hearts which are inconsistent and crabby, judgement will nearly everyone. We can ask him to come to us and we can already anticipate the hope within us. We need comfort. We need to know our God is greater than all the darkness around us, or the darkness we choose. "Come and save me!" can begin to be our cry in these days ahead. And, we can trust that the God who made us is ready to help us be whole, is ready to heal and restore us, is ready to come and renew us. Confidence leads to deeper longing, and growing trust opens our hearts to receive the gifts our God longs to give us.

Let us bless the Lord. "Praise him and exhult him forever!"


 http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

EATING DISORDERS

 
"The king...refused to eat." �Daniel 6:19
 

On this Thanksgiving Day in the USA, a day of great feasting, the Church reads to us about not eating. King Darius couldn't eat out of concern for the doomed Daniel (Dn 6:19). The hungry lions couldn't eat, since God was protecting Daniel (Dn 6:23).

This physical inability to eat has its counterpart in the spiritual life. Spiritually anorexic people won't eat the spiritual food they need. They have so stuffed themselves with the things of the world (Phil 3:19) that they fail to realize that their souls are starving to death for lack of nourishment (see Prv 13:19).

To remedy our eating disorders, God gives us the Eucharist, Food from heaven (Jn 6:31-32, 35). The word Eucharist means "thanksgiving." In the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, God connects giving thanks and eating. This is why for centuries Christians have given thanks to God before meals.

Many of you are eating a big meal today. Hopefully, that meal will include heartfelt public thanks to God for all His blessings. As good as such a meal is, the ultimate Thanksgiving meal is the Mass, and the ultimate "thanksgiving" meal is the Eucharist (see Jn 6:11). Food and thanksgiving go together to such an extent that God combined them in the Eucharistic Body of Jesus. Happy are they who eat thankfully at the banquet of the Lamb (Rv 19:9).

 
Prayer: "I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with all my heart" (Ps 138:1) by frequently receiving You at Mass (Ps 116:12-13).
Promise: "When these things begin to happen, stand erect and hold your heads high, for your deliverance is near at hand." —Lk 21:28
Praise: Since her healing of cancer, Georgia gives God thanks for every new day

 http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

 "The Son of man is coming with great glory"

Do you believe that the world as we know it is going to end just as Jesus foretold? Jesus' prophetic description of the destruction of the holy city Jerusalem, the destruction of the world, and the day of final judgment, was not new to the people of Israel. The prophets had foretold these events many centuries before. Behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it (Isaiah 13:9-13; see also  Joel 2:1-2; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18).

Indifference and rejection of the Gospel lead to destruction
Jesus warns of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem as a consequence of the rejection of the Gospel. According to the historian Josephus, over a million inhabitants died when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem with its temple in 70 A.D. Jerusalem's vengeance resulted from her indifference to the visitation of God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 19:44).

Jesus also speaks about the judgment at the end of the world. only spiritual blindness can keep us from recognizing the obvious signs of approaching disaster which awaits the day of judgment for those who refuse to heed God's word of grace and salvation. Jesus was completely honest. He told his disciples what it would cost to follow him. And he promised that he would never leave them alone, even in their time of tribulation. The saints and martyrs who underwent torment and death made their prisons a temple of praise and their scaffolds a throne to the glory of God. They knew the saving presence of Jesus Christ with them in all circumstances. Jesus offers us safety in the face of earth's threats. Not a hair of your head will perish (Luke 21:18). The disciple who walks with Christ may lose their body but not their soul.

We hope for what is to come - full redemption of our bodies and a new heavens and earth
The greatest gift which no one can take from us and which we can be most thankful for is our redemption through the precious blood of Jesus, which was shed on the cross for our sins, and our adoption through Christ as children of God our heavenly Father. Jesus Christ has redeemed us from slavery to sin, from fear of death, and from final destruction. We can be eternally thankful because our hope is anchored in heaven and in the promise that Jesus will return to fully establish his reign of peace and righteousness. The Lord Jesus will raise our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body which is no longer subject to illness, death and corruption.

Jesus speaks of his second coming as a known fact, a for certain event which we can confidently expect to take place in the Lord's time of choosing. This coming will be marked by signs that all will recognize - signs which will strike terror and grief in those who are unprepared and wonder and joy in those who are ready to meet the Lord. When the Lord Jesus returns he will fully establish his kingdom of justice and righteousness and he will vindicate all who have been faithful to him. His judgment is a sign of hope for those who have placed their trust in him. Do you hope in God and in the promise of Christ to return again to create new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17 and Revelation 21:1)?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with gratitude for the gift of redemption and increase my hope and longing for your return again in glory. May that day bring joy to my heart rather than sorrow. Help me to serve you faithfully and to make the best use of my time now in the light of your coming again."

Psalm 100:1-5

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his;  we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!  Give thanks to him, bless his name!
5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The signs have been accomplished, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The signs given in the Gospel and in prophecy and fulfilled in us show the coming of the Lord... We know that the coming is near by the fact that we see the fulfillment of certain signs of that coming that have been accomplished... The signs that Christ told them to look for are listed in the Gospel of Saint Luke: 'Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the nations are fulfilled.' This has happened and no one doubts that it has happened... It is plain that there is no country or place in our time that is not harassed or humbled according to the words 'for fear and expectation of what will come on the whole world.' All the signs that the gospel describes in the earlier verses have mostly been accomplished." (excerpt from Letter 198)

  

More Homilies

 November 26, 2015 Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

November 28, 2013 Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time