Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 23, 2024
First Reading: Revelation 11.4-12
4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.5If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.6These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.7Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.8Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.9For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.10The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
Psalm 144
1Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.2He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.3O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?4Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.5Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.6Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies; shoot your arrows and rout them.7Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners8whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.9I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,10to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword.11Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.12Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.13Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;14our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.15Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
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 powerful imagery and profound teachings about the ultimate triumph of God and the nature of eternal life. The first reading from Revelation presents the two witnesses, symbolic figures who prophesy in the face of opposition and persecution. Despite their eventual martyrdom, they are resurrected in a dramatic display of God’s power, ascending to heaven while their enemies watch in awe. This passage reminds us that even in the darkest moments, God’s victory is assured, and His truth will ultimately prevail. The second reading from Luke’s Gospel finds Jesus engaging with the Sadducees, who question Him about the resurrection. Using a clever and complex scenario involving seven brothers and their widow, they seek to challenge the concept of an afterlife. Jesus responds by revealing that life after the resurrection is fundamentally different from life on earth. Marriage, as we know it, will no longer exist, for we will live in a state akin to the angels, free from death and united with God.
These readings are connected by their focus on the resurrection and God’s ultimate triumph over death. In Revelation, the two witnesses embody the enduring power of God’s Word, even in the face of opposition. In Luke, Jesus emphasizes that the resurrection is not merely a continuation of this life but a radical transformation. Together, they invite us to reflect on our understanding of eternal life and our place within God’s plan. Both readings challenge us to live with hope and trust in God’s promises, even when faced with suffering or uncertainty.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, we are reminded to persevere in faith, knowing that our struggles are temporary and that God’s victory is eternal. Let us strive to live in a way that reflects our ultimate citizenship in heaven, where death and suffering will no longer have power over us. May we embrace the hope of the resurrection, trusting that God will bring us through every trial into the fullness of life with Him.