Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 25, 2017
First Reading: 1 Maccabees 6.1-13
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Psalm 9
1I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.2I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.3My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.4For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.5You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.6Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.7The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.8He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.10Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.11Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.12For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.13O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,14that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.15The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.16The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah17The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.18But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.19Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.20Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. Selah
Gospel: Luke 20.27-40
27Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question.28"Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother.29Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless.30The second31and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children.32Finally, the woman died too.33Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"34Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.35But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage,36and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.37But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'38He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."39Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!"40And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two distinct narratives that invite us to reflect on the consequences of our actions and the promise of eternal life. The first reading from 1 Maccabees describes the downfall of King Antiochus, who, after attempting to desecrate the Temple in Jerusalem, is overcome with grief and regret. His suffering is a direct result of his own sinful actions, and he comes to realize the gravity of his mistakes. This passage reminds us that sin has consequences, but it also hints at the possibility of repentance and the hope for forgiveness.
In the Gospel, Jesus engages with the Sadducees, who question Him about the resurrection. Using the example of a woman who marries seven brothers, they seek to undermine the concept of an afterlife. Jesus responds by explaining that life in the resurrection is fundamentally different from earthly life. He emphasizes that those who are raised will live as children of God, free from death and sin. This teaching challenges us to reorient our priorities, recognizing that our ultimate destiny is not in this world but in the eternal life promised by God.
Together, these readings call us to examine our lives and our faith. Like King Antiochus, we must acknowledge our sins and turn to God with contrite hearts. And like the Sadducees, we are invited to deepen our understanding of the resurrection, not as a mere philosophical concept, but as the fulfillment of God’s promise to us. May we strive to live in a way that reflects our belief in eternal life, trusting that God’s love and mercy will guide us through the trials of this world to the joy of the next.