Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 23, 2017
First Reading: 1 Maccabees 2.15-29
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Psalm 50
1The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.3Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.4He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:5"Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"6The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah7"Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.8Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.9I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds.10For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.11I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.12"If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.13Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?14Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,15and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."16But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?17For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.18If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers.19"You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit.20You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.21These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.22"Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!23The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"
Gospel: Luke 19.41-44
41And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,42saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.43For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side44and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
Sermon
The first reading from 1 Maccabees tells the story of Mattathias, a Jewish priest who refused to comply with King Antiochus' decree to sacrifice to idols and abandon the law of God. When a Jew in his city attempted to obey the king's command, Mattathias, filled with righteous anger and fidelity to God, killed both the man and the king's emissary, then destroyed the altar. He called upon all who were faithful to the law to follow him, and they fled to the mountains to continue their resistance. This passage highlights the courage and conviction required to stand firm in one’s faith, even in the face of persecution and societal pressure.
The Gospel reading from Luke presents a very different scene. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, lamenting that its people did not recognize "the time of your visitation." He foresees the destruction that will come upon the city because its inhabitants failed to discern the significance of his presence among them. This passage emphasizes the importance of spiritual awareness and the tragic consequences of missing God’s offer of peace and salvation.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God and our commitment to living according to His will. Mattathias’ boldness reminds us that faith requires sacrifice and the courage to stand against worldly influences that contradict God’s law. Jesus’ lament, on the other hand, challenges us to remain spiritually alert and open to God’s presence in our lives. In a world filled with distractions and temptations, we must strive to discern God’s voice and remain faithful, even when it is difficult. Let us pray for the grace to be both courageous and attentive, that we may live as true witnesses of God’s love and truth.