[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: November 18, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

• Brandy Apple Cake with Grand-Marnier Sauce
• 'Braveheart' Cock-A-Leekie Soup
• Fall or Winter Sunday Dinner Menu

ACTIVITIES

• Bible Stories for Children
• Scripture in the Home
• Thanksgiving Placemat

PRAYERS

• Ordinary Time, After Pentecost: Table Blessing 1

LIBRARY

• The Belief of Catholics | Ronald Knox
• The Church and the Catholic | Romano Guardini
• What the 'Grain of Wheat' Teaches Us Today | Pope Benedict XVI

Ordinary Time: November 18th

Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

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 (Mk 13:24-27)."

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

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Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of Daniel 12:1-3. Today's reading puts before our eyes the fact that this world will have an end marked by great upheavals and disasters. However, these will be followed immediately by a new and everlasting existence.

The second reading is from the Letter of St. Paul the Hebrews 10:11-4; 18. St. Paul continues to compare the priesthood of Christ with the Jewish priesthood.

The Gospel is from the Gospel of Mark 13:24-32. There are some obscurities in this extract from St. Mark. Firstly, because Christ was discussing and answering questions on two distinct topics : the destruction of the temple and the end of the world. Secondly, because we may not have the ipsissima verba of Christ here, as many exegetes suggest. The message we must learn from today's gospel comes across without any ambiguity or doubt : we must always be ready to face our judgement for we know not the day nor the hour when we will be called from this life. When or how this world will end is of no great importance to us; what is important is that we shall leave this world very soon and our eternity will depend on the state of our consciences at the moment of our departure.

This is the steadying thought the Church, in her wisdom, wishes to put before our minds today. We all know that we must die someday. We are strangers and pilgrims on this earth; we have not here a lasting city, as St. Augustine says. No sane person among us will try to deny this and yet, many of us are so immersed in the things of this world that we forget or try to forget that we must leave this world soon. This is very natural : life is a precious gift and as our earthly life is the only one of which we have experience our every inclination is to hold on to it at all costs. Even when our intelligence tells us that it can, in spite of all our endeavors, end very soon we try to convince our¬selves that that "very soon" is really in the distant future.

We have God's word for it and the example of Christ's resurrection to a life of glory. Let us appreciate the truth that our death on earth is not the end of life but rather the beginning of the true life that will never end. As the liturgy says in the Mass for the Dead : "Life is changed (by death) not taken away." Our death is the doorway through which we pass into the unending life. The years on earth are a gift of God to enable us to earn the infinitely greater gift which in his loving mercy he has prepared for us from all eternity.

God in his mercy is calling on each one of us to be ready when our call comes. We can do nothing about the when or the where of that call, but we can do much about the state of our relationship with God when death comes; in fact, aided by God's grace we can ensure that all will be well with us. We cannot avoid a sudden death, but we can avoid an unprepared death by striving always to live in peace with God. This does not mean that we must be always on our knees praying to God and that we must take no interest in the things and the joys of this world. Far from it. God wants us to use the things of this world, but to use them so that they will not hinder us on our journey.

A very practical way to see how we stand in relation to God and to the things of this world, is for each one of us to ask himself today : "How would I fare if I were called to render an account of stewardship tonight?" This is the practical question that God, through today's readings, is asking us to put to ourselves. If, to our dismay, we find there are several things which have to be put right before facing our judge we will start right away to put them right. We may get another chance, another warning, and we may not. If we value our eternal happiness we will take this warning; we will put our books in order; we will make peace with God and our neighbors—and with God's grace we will do all in our power to persevere in this good resolution.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 13:24-32

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Of that day or hour, no one knows.” (Mark 13:32)

Let’s take a short quiz. The first question is a general one: what goals do you have for your life? The second is a bit more specific: what are your goals for the next five years? And the third is even more specific: what are your goals for the next year? Take a few minutes to write down your answers.

Now one final question: imag­ine that you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow. How would your responses to the previous three ques­tions differ? When a friar asked St. Francis what he would do in this sit­uation, Francis, who was gardening at the time, said: “I would keep hoe­ing my garden.”

What about you? Would you keep going about your business? Most of us would make some last-minute changes. The lines at the confes­sional booth would probably reach out the church door and down the street for a few miles. Local parishes would run out of hosts because of the many people coming in for their last Mass. The phone lines would prob­ably be jammed with people calling family and friends trying to make eleventh-hour reparations. What about that last call to the poor? With no need to keep food stocked up, we can hope that people would be will­ing to give more to those who are hungry—sort of a last meal for the poor.

But this is all fanciful specula­tion. Jesus told us that no one knows when the end will come—even he doesn’t know! So our best strategy is to live each day as if it were our last. We should try our best always to be at peace with the Lord and with the people around us. We should also make sure we are taking care of the needy in our midst. Then, whenever Jesus returns, we’ll pass the quiz with no problem at all.

“Lord, help me to keep my eyes open for your presence and my heart fixed on you. Lord, I want to be ready to greet you when you come again in glory!”

Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16:5, 8-11; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18

 

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

1. As the Church approaches the end of the liturgical year we are asked to focus on the very difficult subjects of death and judgment and sin. This week is a good time to pause and reflect on the reality of sin’s inroads within us. What particular steps can you take this week to let God’s light shine on any areas of darkness in your mind and heart and to reveal more deeply the sad reality of sin?

2. In the first reading. we are reminded that at the resurrection of the dead, “some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace” (Daniel 12:2). What is your reaction to the words the author of Daniel uses to describe Hell? In what way is it or isn’t it in line with your own image? In the light of God’s holiness and judgment on sin, and the graphic description of Hell used in the reading, what new steps can you take to grow in your relationship with the Lord and to grow in holiness?

3. In the Responsorial Psalm, we are told of the confidence we should have in God who blesses his “faithful one.” How does the Psalmist describe those blessings? How would you describe the ways the Lord has blessed your life?

4. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we are again reminded that we don’t face judgment in fear and trepidation, but in confidence, knowing that Christ has already paid the price for our sins: “one sacrifice for sins.” What impact does this truth have on how you live out your life? What are some areas of your life where the Lord may be asking you to be more trusting and confident in his love and in the work of the Cross?

5. The Gospel reading exhorts us to be watchful regarding “signs” of Jesus’ second coming. What are some of the differences between Jesus first coming and his second coming? What do you think are some of the signs of his second coming? In what ways does reflecting on Jesus’ second coming give us joy and hope? How can you as a Catholic better prepare for his second coming?

6. The meditation asks us to consider how we would respond, and what would we do, if we “knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow.” How would you respond? Why?

7. Take some time now to pray and ask for the grace to be ready for his return, no matter when Jesus Second Coming occurs. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.