DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Thursday, November 20, 2014 33rd week in Ordinary Time - Psalter Week 1 (Green) Readings: Rev 5:1-10; Ps 149:1-9; Lk 19:41-44 Response: The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God. Rosary: Luminous Mysteries Verse: The Son of man is going to be delivered into the power of men. SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint Edmund Rich Patron of Abingdon, Oxfordshire; Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth; St Edmunds College, Cambridge Birth: 1175 - Death: 1240 Archbishop of Canterbury England, who battled for discipline and justice, also called Edmund of Abingdon. Born in Abingdon, on November 30, 1180. he studied at Oxford, England, and in Paris, France. He taught art and mathematics at Oxford and was ordained. He spent eight years teaching theology and became Canon and treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral. An eloquent speaker, Edmund preached a crusade for Pope Gregory IX and was named archbishop of Canterbury. He became an advisor to King Henry III and presided in 1237 at Henry?s ratification of the Great Charter. When Cardinal Olt became a papal legate with the patronage of King Henry, Edmund protested. A long-lasting feud between Edmund, the king, and his legate led him to resigning his see in 1240. He went to Pontigny, France, where he became a Cistercian. He died at Soissons, on November 16. Edmund was canonized in 1246 or 1247. A hall in Oxford bears his name. FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Revelation 5:1-10 1 I saw that in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne there was a scroll that was written on back and front and was sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a powerful angel who called with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? 3 But there was no one, in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, who was able to open the scroll and read it. 4 I wept bitterly because nobody could be found to open the scroll and read it, 5 but one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and so he will open the scroll and its seven seals. 6 Then I saw, in the middle of the throne with its four living creatures and the circle of the elders, a Lamb standing that seemed to have been sacrificed; it had seven horns, and it had seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits that God has sent out over the whole world. 7 The Lamb came forward to take the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne, 8 and when he took it, the four living creatures prostrated themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They sang a new hymn: You are worthy to take the scroll and to break its seals, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought people for God of every race, language, people and nation 10 and made them a line of kings and priests for God, to rule the world. RESPONSORIAL PSALM, Psalms 149:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 9 1 Alleluia! Sing a new song to Yahweh: his praise in the assembly of the faithful! 2 Israel shall rejoice in its Maker, the children of Zion delight in their king; 3 they shall dance in praise of his name, play to him on tambourines and harp! 4 For Yahweh loves his people, he will crown the humble with salvation. 5 The faithful exult in glory, shout for joy as they worship him, 6 praising God to the heights with their voices, a two-edged sword in their hands, 9 to execute on them the judgement passed -- to the honour of all his faithful. GOSPEL, Luke 9:41-44 41 In reply Jesus said, Faithless and perverse generation! How much longer must I be among you and put up with you? Bring your son here. 42 Even while the boy was coming, the devil threw him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and cured the boy and gave him back to his father, 43 and everyone was awestruck by the greatness of God. But while everyone was full of admiration for all he did, he said to his disciples, 44 For your part, you must have these words constantly in mind: The Son of man is going to be delivered into the power of men. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) 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. ON READING 1: Revelation 5:1-10 (The Sealed Scroll and the Lamb) Rev 5, 1-5. The sealed scroll contains Gods mysterious plans for the salvation of mankind; no one on earth can disclose them (v. 3). Only the risen Christ can take the scroll and make its contents known (vv. 6-7). On this account he is praised by the four living creatures, by the elders (vv. 8-10), by a whole host of angels (vv. 11-12) and by all creation (vv. 13-14). The image of a scroll (or book) containing Gods hidden plans for mankind was used before, particularly by the prophet Daniel (cf. Dan 12:4-9; also Is 29:11), who refers to a prophecy remaining sealed until the end of time. St John uses this image to make the point that the End Time, the Last Days, have already begun with Christ, so now he can reveal Gods plans. The fact that there are seven seals stresses the hidden nature of the scrolls contents; and its being written on both sides shows its richness. The author of the Book of Revelation, and everyone in fact, really does need to know what is written on the scroll; for, if he knows Gods plans he will be able to discover the meaning of life and cease to be anxious about events past, present and future. Yet no one is able to open the scroll: that is why the author weeps so bitterly. The scroll is sealed: the Revelation of the salvation of mankind and the consolation of the Church is being delayed. Soon, however, the seer ceases to weep, for he learns that Christ (here called the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root or descendant of David: cf. Gen 49:9; Is 11:1, 10) has conquered and therefore is able, to break the seven seals. The Church contemplates Christs victory when it believes that Christ, who died and was raised for the sake of all, can show man the way and strengthen him through the Spirit in order to be worthy of his destiny. The Church likewise believes that the key, the center and the purpose of the whole of mans history is to be found in its Lord and Master (Vatican II, Gaudium Et Spes, 10). In fact, the Council adds, it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear. For Adam, the first man, was a type of him who was to come (cf. Rom 5:14). Christ the Lord, Christ the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most high calling (ibid., 22). Rev 5, 6-7. Christ is able to open the scroll on account of his death and resurrection, an event symbolized by the Lamb standing upright and victorious and at the same time looking as though it had been immolated. In the Fourth Gospel, John the Baptist calls Christ the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29, 36); in the Apocalypse this expression is the one most often used to refer to him: he is the Lamb raised to the very height of Gods throne and has dominion over the entire cosmos (cf. 5:8, 12-13; 6:1, 16; 7:9-10; 13:8 ; 15:3; etc.). This Christological title, which is a feature of St Johns writings, has great theological depth; the Church reverses it, using it frequently in the liturgy -- particularly in the Mass, after the kiss of peace when the Lamb of God is invoked three times; also, just before Holy Communion is distributed the host is shown to the faithful as him who takes away the sin of the world and those who are called to his marriage supper are described as happy (cf. Rev 19:9). The image of the Lamb reminds us of the passover lamb, whose blood was smeared on the door frames of houses as a sign to the avenging angel not to inflict on Israelites the divine punishment being dealt out to the Egyptians (cf. Ex 12:7, 13). St Paul refers to the Lamb in one of his letters: Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Cor 5: 7). At a high point in Old Testament prophecy Isaiah portrays the Messiah as the suffering Servant of Yahweh, a lamb that is led to the slaughter (Is 53:7). St Peter, on the basis of that text, states that our Lord bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet 2:24). The Lamb is a sacrifice for sin, but the Apocalypse also focuses attention on the victorious power of the risen Lamb by showing him standing on the throne, in the center of the vision; the horns symbolize his power and the eyes his knowledge, both of which he has to the fullest degree as indicated by the number seven. The seven spirits of Christ also indicate the fullness of the Spirit with which Christ is endowed and which he passes on to his Church (cf. notes on Rev 1:4 and 4:5). This completes the description of the risen Christ, who through his victory reveals the mystery of God. Rev 5, 8-10. The greatness of Christ the Lamb is duly acknowledged and proclaimed through the worship rendered him, firstly, from the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, then from all the angels and finally from the whole of creation (vv. 11-13). St. John selects these three points to highlight on the praise rendered by the heavenly Church, with which the pilgrim Church on earth joins through its own prayer (symbolized by the image of the golden bowls). Later on (15:7ff), seven bowls appear again, this time filled with Gods wrath, which is caused by he complaint of the righteous who are being cruelly tormented by the agents of evil. All this shows the value of the prayers of those who stay loyal to God: the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects (Jas 5: 16), for the prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord (Sir 35:17). The new song proclaims that Christ alone decides the destinies of the world and of mankind; this is a consequence of himself being offered in sacrifice as the atoning victim par excellence. By shedding his blood Christ has won for himself an immense people, from every nation under heaven; in them, a holy people, his chosen ones that people which was originally assembled in the Sinai desert (cf. Ex 19:6; 1 Pet 2:9f) has come to full maturity. When it says that they have been ransomed from every tribe and nation, it is pointing out that Gods salvific plans extend to the whole human race: he desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). This does not exempt us from making an effort to merit salvation, for, as St Augustine teaches, God who created you without your cooperation will not save you without your cooperation (Sermon 169, 11). Here is how another early writer puts it: we know that God will give to each individual the opportunity to be saved -- to some in one way, to others in another. But whether we respond eagerly or listlessly depends on ourselves (Cassian, Collationes, 3, 12). Didst ransom men for God: in many important Greek manuscripts this reads, you ransomed us for God, and some even change the reading of the following verse: you made us a kingdom...and we will reign. The earlier Latin translation, the Vulgate, chose that reading, which emphasizes that those who are intoning the chant are men, that is, members of the Church triumphant in heaven. The new official Latin version, the New Vulgate, follows what it considers to be the most reliable Greek text. But the meaning does not really change ON THE GOSPEL: Luke 19:41-44 (Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem) The Gospel today tells us that Jesus when arriving close to Jerusalem, in seeing the city he began to shed tears and to pronounce words which made one foresee a very dark future for the city, the capital city of his people. Luke 19, 41-44. When the procession reaches a place where there is a good view of the city, they are disconcerted by Jesus unexpected weeping. Our Lord explains why He is weeping, by prophesying the destruction of the city which He loved so much: not one stone will remain on another, and its inhabitants will be massacred--a prophecy which was fulfilled in the year 70, when Titus razed the city and the temple was destroyed. These historical events will be a punishment for Jerusalem failing to recognize the time of its visitation, that is, for closing its gates to the salvific coming of the Redeemer. Jesus loved the Jews with a very special love: they were the first to whom the Gospel was preached (cf. Matthew 10:5-6); to them He directed His ministry (cf. Matthew 15:24); He showed by His word and by His miracles that He was the Son of God and the Messiah foretold in the Scriptures. But the Jews for the most part failed to appreciate the grace the Lord was offering them; their leaders led them to the extreme of calling for Jesus to be crucified. Jesus visits every one of us; He comes as our Savior; He teaches us through the preaching of the Church; He gives us forgiveness and grace through the sacraments. We should not reject our Lord, we should not remain indifferent to His visit. Luke 19, 41-42 Jesus sheds tears over Jerusalem. “At that time, when Jesus was near Jerusalem, when he saw the city he shed tears over it and said: ‘If you too had only recognized on this day the way to peace! But in fact it is hidden from your eyes!” Jesus sheds tears because he loves his homeland, his people, the capital city of his land, the Temple. He sheds tears, because he knows that everything will be destroyed because of the fault of his people who were not aware of the call made by God through the facts of life. People were not aware of the way that could lead them to Peace, Shalom. But, in fact, it is hidden from your eyes! This affirmation recalls the criticism of Isaiah to the person who adored the idols: “He hankers after ashes, his deluded heart has led him astray; he will not save himself, he will not think. What I have in my hand is nothing but a lie!” (Is 44, 20). The lie was in their look and, because of this; they became incapable to perceive the truth. As Saint Paul says: “But for those who out of jealousy have taken for their guide not truth but injustice, there will be a fury of retribution” (Rm 2, 8). It is the truth that remains the prisoner of injustice. On another occasion, Jesus complains that Jerusalem did not know how to become aware of God’s visit, nor of accepting it: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! Look, your house will be left to you, it will be deserted” (Lk 13, 34-35). Luke 19, 43-44 Announcement of the destruction of Jerusalem. “Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and your children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you, because you did not recognise the moment of your visitation” Jesus describes what will happen to Jerusalem. He uses the images of war which were common at that time when an army attacked a city: trenches, killing of people and total destruction of the walls and of the houses. Thus, in the past this is the way Jerusalem was destroyed by Nabuchadnezzar. In this way, the Roman legions used to do with the rebellious cities and this is what will be done again, forty years later, to the city of Jerusalem. In fact, in the year 70, Jerusalem was surrounded and invaded by the Roman army. Everything was destroyed. Before this historical background, the gesture of Jesus becomes a very serious warning for all those who pervert the sense of the Good News of Jesus. They should have listened to the final warning: “Because you did not recognize the moment of your visitation” In this warning, everything which Jesus does is defined as a “visitation from God”. FINAL PRAYERS: Sing a new song to Yahweh: his praise in the assembly of the faithful! Israel shall rejoice in its Maker, the children of Zion delight in their king. (Ps 149,1-2) O our Father, the Sky, hear us and make us strong. O our Mother, the Earth, hear us and give us support. O Spirit of the East, send us your wisdom. O Spirit of the South, may we tread your path of life. O Spirit of the West, may we always be ready for the long journey. O Spirit of the North, purify our hearts with your cleansing winds. -- Sioux Prayer It is by God’s mercy that we are saved. May we never tire of spreading this joyful message to the world. -- Pope Francis Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. -- St. Jerome The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it. -- St. John of the Cross
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 21:15:01 +0000