Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 23, 2017
First Reading: 1 Maccabees 2.15-29
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Psalm 50
1The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.3Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.4He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.5Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.6And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.7Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.8I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.9I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.10For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.11I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.12If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.13Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?14Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:15And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.16But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?17Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.18When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.19Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.20Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.21These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.22Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.23Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.
Gospel: Luke 19.41-44
41And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,42Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.43For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,44And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy 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.