Thursday.blog
The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, November 25, 2004
(Thanksgiving Day--USA)
Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin, martyr
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Revelation 18:1-2,21-23,19:1-3,9
Psalm 100:1-5
Luke 21:20-28
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
"Your redemption is at hand."
When you see these signs you will know that your redemption is at hand. What wonderful consolation. When, Lord, shall we see these times?
Despite the popularity of reading into the symbolism of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse of John, Jesus gives us brief, healthful advice regarding this question. "Do not seek to know the time or the day, for it will come upon you as a thief in the night." In other words--that isn't our concern.
So what should our concern be?
As we are in the week between Christ the King and the first week of Advent, our concern should focus on Christ the King and His kingdom. We don't need to know when He will come in splendor, we need to be ready and willing to recognize Him when He comes in poverty and rags. We need to be able to serve Him when He comes in the form of people we do not care for. We need to make His kingdom real through authentic, deeply caring love--not love that wishes well and leaves, but rather love that changes lives.
This is the love that transmutes base lead into Gold, that changes lives fundamentally, transforms the world one person at a time into the image of the kingdom of God. So, if we're interested in honoring Christ the King and claiming our redemption in the fullness of time, our time is better spent among the potential citizens of the Kingdom, making the Kingdom real and substantive to all who we meet. Jesus is coming--each and every day--in the persons of everyone we meet. Let us be ready to lay out the royal carpet and greet our Lord and King.
- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)
20041125