Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 18, 2021
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 the place where it sets.2From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.3Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.4He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:5"Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."6And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah7"Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.8I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.9I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,10for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.11I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.12If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.13Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?14Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,15and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."16But to the wicked, God says: "What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?17You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.18When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.19You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.20You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother's son.21These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.22"Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:23He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God."
Gospel: Luke 19.41-44
41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it42and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes.43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on fidelity to God’s will and the consequences of failing to recognize His presence in our lives. The first reading from 1 Maccabees tells the story of Mattathias, a Jewish leader who refused to compromise his faith when faced with the oppressive decrees of King Antiochus. Despite the king’s demands to abandon the law of God and sacrifice to idols, Mattathias stood firm, even to the point of killing a Jew who was about to comply with the king’s orders. His courageous act of zeal for the law inspired others to join him in resistance, and together they fled to the mountains to preserve their faith. This passage reminds us of the importance of standing up for what is right, even in the face of overwhelming opposition.
In the Gospel, we hear Jesus weeping over Jerusalem as He prophesies the city’s destruction. Jesus laments that the people failed to recognize “the time of your visitation,” the moment when God’s peace could have been theirs. Instead, their blindness to God’s presence leads to their downfall. This passage challenges us to examine our own relationship with God, asking whether we are attentive to His presence in our lives and whether we are living in accordance with His will.
Both readings call us to fidelity and discernment. Mattathias’ courage in the face of persecution reminds us that our faith must be lived boldly, even when it is difficult. Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem, on the other hand, warns us of the consequences of failing to recognize and respond to God’s presence in our lives. As we go about our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Are we standing firm in our commitment to God’s law? Are we attentive to the ways in which God is present to us, calling us to deeper faith and conversion? May we, like Mattathias, have the courage to stand up for what is right, and may we, like Jesus, weep with compassion for those who do not see. Let us strive to live with hearts open to God’s will, that we might not miss the time of our visitation.