Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 500
Reading 1
Revelation 5:1-10
I, John, saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne.
It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.
Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice,
“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
was able to open the scroll or to examine it.
I shed many tears because no one was found worthy
to open the scroll or to examine it.
One of the elders said to me, “Do not weep.
The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed,
enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals.”
Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne
and the four living creatures and the elders
a Lamb that seemed to have been slain.
He had seven horns and seven eyes;
these are the seven spirits of God sent out into the whole world.
He came and received the scroll from the right hand
of the one who sat on the throne.
When he took it,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb.
Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense,
which are the prayers of the holy ones.
They sang a new hymn:
“Worthy are you to receive the scroll
and break open its seals,
for you were slain and with your Blood you purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.
You made them a kingdom and priests for our God,
and they will reign on earth.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 149:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6A AND 9B
R. (Rev. 5:10) The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
Psalm 95:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 19:41-44
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Holy Sorrow
“For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:43–44
Jesus spoke these words as He looked at Jerusalem from a distance, preparing to enter that holy city for the last time in preparation for His passion and death. As He spoke these words, the Gospel says that Jesus wept over the city. Of course, it wasn’t primarily tears over the future physical destruction of the Temple and invasion by Roman forces. It was first and foremost tears over the lack of faith of so many which was the true destruction He mourned.
As mentioned above, the city of Jerusalem was indeed sieged by the military commander Titus in the year 70 A.D. Titus was acting under the authority of his father, the emperor, and destroyed not only the Temple but also much of the city itself, as well as the Jewish inhabitants.
As Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem, so as to enter the Temple one last time to offer His life as the definitive Sacrificial Lamb for the salvation of the world, Jesus knew that many within this holy city would not accept His saving sacrifice. He knew that many within that city would become the instruments of His pending death and would have no remorse for killing the Savior of the World. And though this one point can easily be missed, it should be emphasized that Jesus’ reaction was not fear, it was not anger, it was not disgust. Rather, His reaction was holy sorrow. He wept over the city and its inhabitants despite what many of them would soon do to Him.
When you suffer injustice, how do you react? Do you lash out? Condemn? Get defensive? Or do you imitate our Lord and allow your soul to be filled with holy sorrow? Holy sorrow is an act of love and is the appropriate Christian response to persecution and injustice. Too often, however, our response is not holy sorrow but anger. The problem with this is that reacting in unholy anger does not accomplish anything good. It does not help us to imitate Jesus, and it doesn’t help those with whom we are angry. Though the passion of anger can be used for good at times, it becomes a sin when it is selfish and a reaction to some injustice done to us. Instead of this unholy anger, seek to foster holy sorrow in imitation of Jesus. This virtue will not only help your soul grow in love of those who have hurt you, it will also help them to see more clearly what they have done so that they can repent.
Reflect, today, upon your own approach to the evil you face in your life. Consider carefully your interior and exterior reaction. Do you mourn with love over sins you witness and experience? Do you mourn, with a holy sorrow, over your own sins and the sins of others? Work to foster this form of love within you and you will find that it can become a motivation for you to help transform the sins you commit and the sins of others you endure.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
A GOOD CRY
“I wept bitterly…” —Revelation 5:4
St. John shed many tears because no one had been found worthy to open the heavenly scroll (Rv 5:3-4). That scroll represented the revelation of God’s will, which was the only way to resolve the world’s problems. John wept because the world would be left mired in its problems without hope. Jesus also shed many tears in today’s Gospel passage (Lk 19:41). He wept over Jerusalem because the path to peace was shown to the city, but it refused to follow that path (Lk 19:42) and its rebellion would be deadly (Lk 19:43-44).
It is good to weep for people when their obstinacy blocks the will of God. This is a godly sorrow, and “sorrow for God’s sake produces a repentance without regrets, whereas worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor 7:10). Godly mourning and sorrow can even bring divine protection; those who mourned for Jerusalem’s sins were spared during its destruction (Ez 9:4-6). Jesus calls this godly mourning “blessed” (see Mt 5:4). We weep as God’s will is blocked, even as we pray and work for His will to be done on this earth (Ps 126:5-6).
Today is the patronal feast of Presentation Ministries: the Presentation of Mary in the Temple. Mary grew up to become the Sorrowful Mother, weeping many tears in godly sorrow. Her life of mourning, sorrow, and victory is proof that our godly tears are not in vain. Jesus spoke to the weeping women of Jerusalem (Lk 23:27ff). He also speaks words of comfort to those who weep for God’s will to be done. One day, Jesus will wipe every tear from the eyes of those who mourn, and there shall be no further mourning (Rv 21:4). God sees and cherishes your every tear (Ps 56:9).
Prayer: Father, I choose to offer my sorrows to You rather than drown them in worldly distractions.
Promise: “The Lord loves His people, and He adorns the lowly with victory.” —Ps 149:4
Praise: “His mercy is from age to age on those who fear Him” (Lk 1:50).
Reflection 3
By Fr. Martin Hogan
Luke presents Jesus in a very emotional state in today’s gospel reading, weeping because the city of Jerusalem did not receive him, and did not recognize that in Jesus God was visiting them. The city will now have to live with the consequences of rejecting Jesus. The tears of Jesus are the tears of a love that has been rejected. Jesus came to reveal and make present God’s hospitable love for all, but many rejected God’s messenger of good news. There is a sense in which Jesus, and God who sent him, was helpless before such rejection. All Jesus can do is weep at human intransigence. Jesus cannot force himself on people; when rejected, he can only move on. He has come to seek and to save the lost, but the lost, and that includes us all, have to be open and responsive to his searching love. He walks with us and wants to enter into communion with us, but, every so often, he needs us to say to him, in the words of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over’.
Prayers
My sorrowful Lord, You endured the sins of many. You were treated with cruelty and injustice. To all of these sins, including those that you foresaw, You reacted with the love of holy sorrow. And that sorrow led you to true compassion and concern for all. Please give me the grace to imitate this same love of Yours so that I, too, may share in the holiness of Your sorrowful heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, you have visited and redeemed your people. May I not miss the grace of your visitation today as you move to bring your people into greater righteousness and holiness of life. Purify my heart and mind that I may I understand your ways and conform my life more fully to your will.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 325: Relying on the Saints
Imagine the soul who has lived a life filled with complete abandonment to God. They achieved the heights of holiness and were not deterred by earthly distractions. Throughout their life they sought to serve our Lord and to be a continual instrument of Mercy for others. Many people were saved on account of their sanctity and their total devotion to the Will of God. Now imagine that holy soul entering into the glories of Heaven. What a profound experience of absolute joy! Nothing could be more glorious than that moment. But once in Heaven, is it conceivable that this holy soul will forget about those on Earth? Is it possible that the people who were loved and served so deeply would disappear from their minds as a result of being in Heaven? Most certainly not. In fact, once in Heaven, the holy souls who lived on Earth are even more consumed with a desire to spread the Mercy of God. Seek out these saints. Seek their intercession, ask for their inspiration, follow their example and know that you have a myriad of holy men and women seeking to serve you from the glories of Heaven (See Diary #1582).
Ponder the saints this day. Especially ponder their burning love for you and their desire that all people receive the Mercy of God. God uses them from Heaven and continually sends them to distribute His grace. Open your heart to these holy men and women and they will pour forth the Mercy of God into your life.
Oh, holy saints of God! How glorious you are in your Heavenly splendor! I thank you for your love and service on Earth and now I call upon your intercession from Heaven. Please pray for me and for all people that we may imitate your holiness while on Earth and obtain the glory in which you now share. Saints of God, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.
No comments:
Post a Comment