Daily Readings - Mon Nov 26 2018
Revelation
1And I saw, and behold, the Lamb was standing above mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads2And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of a great thunder. And the voice that I heard was like that of singers, while playing on their stringed instruments3And they were singing what seemed like a new canticle before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one was able to recite the canticle, except those one hundred and forty-four thousand, who were redeemed from the earth4These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are Virgins. These follow the Lamb wherever he will go. These were redeemed from men as the first-fruits for God and for the Lamb5And in their mouth, no lie was found, for they are without flaw before the throne of God
Luke
1And looking around, he saw the wealthy putting their donations into the offertory2Then he also saw a certain widow, a pauper, putting in two small brass coins3And he said: "Truly, I say to you, that this poor widow has put in more than all the others4For all these, out of their abundance, have added to the gifts for God. But she, out of what she needed, has put in all that she had to live on.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful visions of devotion and sacrifice. The first, from Revelation, presents a glorious scene of the Lamb on Mount Zion, accompanied by 144,000 faithful followers. These individuals are marked by their purity and unwavering commitment to God, untainted by worldly desires. They sing a new song, a hymn of praise that only they can sing, for they have been redeemed and stand without blemish before God’s throne. This passage invites us to reflect on the ultimate goal of our faith: to stand before God, pure and faithful, having given our all to Him.
In the Gospel, Luke presents a stark contrast between the wealthy and the poor widow. While the wealthy give from their abundance, the widow offers her last two coins. Jesus praises her, not for the amount she gave, but for the sacrifice it represented. She gave all she had, trusting in God’s providence. This story challenges us to examine our own giving—whether it is from our surplus or from our very need. True generosity, Jesus teaches, is not measured by quantity but by the depth of our surrender and trust in God.
Both readings call us to a life of total commitment to God. The vision in Revelation reminds us that our ultimate destiny is to stand before God, pure and faithful, having given our lives completely to Him. The story of the widow challenges us to live this commitment concretely, even in the smallest details of our daily lives. Let us ask ourselves: Am I giving God my all, or am I holding back? Am I trusting in His providence, or am I clinging to what I think I need? May we, like the widow, learn to give generously, not just from our abundance, but from the depths of our hearts, knowing that true devotion is measured by the sacrifice we make for love of Him.