Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Thursday 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
November 23, 2006
Thursday 33rd Week in Ordinary Time - Year II
REVELATION 5:1-10
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with
writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty
angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals
and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the
earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept
because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look
inside. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion
of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to
open the scroll and its seven seals." Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if
it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by
the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the
throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and
they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers
of the saints. And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the
scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your
blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to
serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
LUKE 19:41-44
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, 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
The focus of today's Gospel reading is on the gift of free will,
which God has given us. It allows us to choose how we spend our life on
earth and in eternity. We see Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. He knows
the destruction that will come to the city because its people will
choose their own greed and pride over the message of salvation which he
has come to deliver. Their lack of faith will mean devastation, but
Jesus cannot stop it. He must allow them to make the choice and then,
live with the consequences.
These are harsh lessons. Yet they relate to many of the choices we must
make every day in our own lives. We may not be asked to defy the
government, but we may be challenged to defy popular culture or our
friends or our boss in order to follow what God has commanded. How
closely do we count the loss when we need to make such a choice? How
well do we identify the consequences, in terms of our eternal life,
when deciding what is important to us?
Some people turn against God when God does not intervene to solve their
problems or grant their desires or when the correct choice carries with
it a serious consequence which is not to their liking. We may read the
story of the persecution and death of Jesus and say that we would have
been loyal to him to the end. Look back at the choices you have made in
the past and see if any of them compromised God's mission for the
sake of social acceptance or to keep peace in your family or to satisfy
a personal hunger of yours. God is a loving God, but he is not an easy
God. He requires obedience and loyalty and gives us free will to obey
or not to obey. The consequence then becomes our own doing.
Thanks be to God that our God is not a vengeful God. In Jesus Christ we
have a Savior who weeps over our misfortunes and whose blood, given on
the cross, purchases each and every one of us for God on the condition
that we acknowledge our sinfulness and return to his loving embrace.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the speedy recovery and healing of Myra.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Joseph Whang, Sr. Eternal
rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he
and all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- for the personal intentions of Mandy and Lawrence.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Felimon D. Tiu
- Prayer Intention: Nañagas Family
- Wedding Anniversary: Judith & Geraldo L. Yu
- Wedding Anniversary: Kwong-Fai & Teresita Tung
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!!!
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