Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 20, 2021
First Reading: 1 Maccabees 6.1-13
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Psalm 9
1I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.2I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.3When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.4For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.5Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.6O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.7But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.8And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.9The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.10And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.11Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.12When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.13Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:14That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.15The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.16The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.17The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.18For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.19Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.20Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
Gospel: Luke 20.27-40
27Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,28Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.29There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.30And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.31And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.32Last of all the woman died also.33Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.34And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:35But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:36Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.37Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.38For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.39Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.40And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.
Sermon
The first reading from 1 Maccabees presents us with a dramatic turn of events for King Antiochus, who had once been so confident in his power and wealth. His failed attempt to plunder the temple in Elymais and his subsequent defeat by the Jews led to a profound crisis. Antiochus, once a man of strength and authority, is now overwhelmed by grief, physical weakness, and a deep sense of regret. He realizes too late the gravity of his injustices, particularly his oppression of the Jewish people and his desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem. This reading reminds us that sin and injustice, though they may seem to bring temporary gain, ultimately lead to ruin and sorrow. Antiochus’s story is a cautionary tale about the consequences of pride and the importance of humility.
In the Gospel, Jesus engages with the Sadducees, who question him about the resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees, who did not believe in the afterlife, present a complex scenario involving a woman who marries seven brothers in succession, all of whom die childless. They ask whose wife she would be in the resurrection. Jesus responds by explaining that the way we understand marriage and relationships in this life does not apply to the next. In the age to come, we will not be bound by the same limitations of death and sin. Jesus emphasizes that the resurrection is not a continuation of this life but a transformation into something entirely new. He also reminds us that God is the God of the living, not the dead, and that all are alive in his presence.
Both readings invite us to reflect on the nature of life, death, and our ultimate destiny. Antiochus’s story teaches us that true strength comes not from power or wealth but from living justly and humbly. Jesus’s teaching on the resurrection challenges us to think beyond the limits of this world and to trust in God’s promise of eternal life. As we navigate the challenges of our daily lives, we are called to live with integrity, to seek forgiveness for our sins, and to hope in the promise of eternal life with God. Let us strive to live in such a way that we may one day experience the fullness of life that God has prepared for us.