The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, November 16, 2003
The Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture from Today's Liturgy of the Word:
Daniel 12:1-3
Psalm 16:5,8,9-10,11
Hebrews 10:11-14,18
Mark 13:24-32

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

The month of November can be pretty somber when we reflect on the death of so many of our loved ones. Many are facing a change from warm, sunny days to cold dark dreariness. For the aged and infirm it can be a particularly troublesome time. Perhaps that's why scripture so full of hope has been chosen for this particular Sunday.

In the Book of Daniel we hear of the frightening times at the end of the world, but are given the reassurance that those who have tried to lead others to justice will reap their reward. The psalm holds the key on how we are to do this in the phrase that refers to God showing us the path to life. It also mentions that our reward is not some fancy gold-lined street as we so often hear heaven described, but rather that God Himself is our inheritance. We've already begun to reap that reward here on earth, in that as baptized Christians we're the adopted sons and daughters of God.

The second reading reassures us that Christ has made the sacrifice for our sins once and for all. That has been done. We no longer have to worry about that, although obviously we need to strive toward holiness and repent for our sins. Today's Gospel is like the final climax, depicting Christ coming at the end of the world and the angels being sent out to collect the just for the kingdom of God.

So what does all of this mean for us on a day to day basis? It's quite simple, as following Christ usually is. We are to ask Christ to show us the way every day. We prayerfully discern what He is asking of us and we do it. That's it! And to make things even more reassuring, we're often told in scripture, and in particular today's psalm, that Christ is with us through all of this and therefore we shouldn't be disturbed.

O Jesus, Gentle Shepherd,
guide us along the path to You.
Amen.

- Joan of Jesus, ocds (jmurphy at utica dot edu)

____________________

These meditations are also available by email subscription
©1986-2003 The Way, The Truth, The Life

posted by joachim at 3:55 AM