For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
24 November 2013 – Christ the King Year C
25 November 2013 – Monday of Week 34 Year 1
26 November 2013 – Tuesday of Week 34 Year 1
27 November 2013 – Wednesday of Week 34 Year 1
28 November 2013 – Thursday of Week 34 Year 1
29 November 2013 – Friday of Week 34 Year 1
The Liturgical Year for 2013 ends on 30 Nov 2013 tomorrow evening, where 1st Sunday of Advent Year A is celebrated.
There are times in life where we are placed in a difficult or dangerous situation. Some of us may feel as if we have no way out and we may be tempted to give up or despair. However, today’s reading reminds us that with God, there is no problem too big, no situation too difficult or dangerous which He cannot help us out. Daniel in today’s reading had full confidence and trust in God’s help and God saved him from the lions. This caused King Darius to joyfully exclaim: “He is the living God, he endures for ever, his sovereignty will never be destroyed and his kingship never end. He saves, sets free, and works signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth; he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”
If God is on our side and watching over us, there is no reason for us to fear. Let us therefore continue to build our relationship with Him and trust Him just as Daniel did.
Looking back at our lives, some of us may begin to realise that many things that we hold dear is not permanent. The people that we love, the things that we own, the feelings of joy or hurt; all these may matter for some time, but after a while, they are no longer around and may only be a memory. Even our memory too may some day fail us.
However, there is One who will always be around. The reading reminds us that God’s “sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.” Seeing that God was, is and will always be there, we should make effort to get close to Him. Thus, let us strive to shed away the sin that clings on us, and make our peace with God and neighbour. He is beckoning us to come home and dwell in His presence. Are we still hesitant or reluctant to do so?
“The writing is on the wall” is an idiom or expression which we sometimes hear and which originates from today’s reading. It basically means “imminent danger has become apparent” or “there are clear signs that something will fail or no longer exist.”
In today’s reading, King Belshazzar had “defied the Lord of heaven, you have had the vessels from his Temple brought to you, and you, your noblemen, your wives and your singing women have drunk your wine out of them. You have praised gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone, which cannot either see, hear or understand; but you have given no glory to the God who holds your breath and all your fortunes in his hands.” As a consequence to what he had done, the reading tells us that “Mene: God has measured your sovereignty and put an end to it; Tekel: you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; Parsin: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.’”
What about us? Are we too in a similar situation and about to see “the writing on our wall?” Have we focused only on fame and fortune here on earth, and neglected to give glory to God? Let us take heed and do what is necessary to right ourselves before God while we are able to do so, before it becomes too late for us.
Some of us seem to be focusing a lot on life here on earth. While there is nothing wrong with doing so, since we also need to survive as we live our lives as best we can, but one should also prepare oneself for life hereafter. Things, events and situations come and go but God’s Kingdom will be forever, as today’s reading reminds us: “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever.”
Are we doing our part fervently and consistently so that we can be with God in His everlasting Kingdom? Life on earth may seem to offer a lot, but life with God in heaven offers us more than we could ever dream or hope for. Let us not waste the many opportunities given to us while here on earth to strive towards our eternal happiness.
How much of our wealth are we willing to offer to God for the proclamation of the Gospel? For some, a few ringgit (or dollars) a week is sufficient, though they are actually able to offer much more. Some may offer what they can afford, after carefully considering their needs and the needs of their family. Others may not be so well off, but they are willing to contribute generously.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that “this poor widow has put in more than any of them; for these have all contributed money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in all she had to live on.” Have some of us become so calculative and stingy in supporting the church financially, while more than willing to spend lavishly in material things, some of which are luxurious? Or have we learnt to be generous like that poverty-stricken widow, who gave all that she had, knowing that she could trust and depend on God’s providence?
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
17 November 2013 – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
18 November 2013 – Monday of Week 33 Year 1
19 November 2013 – Tuesday of Week 33 Year 1
20 November 2013 – Wednesday of Week 33 Year 1
21 November 2013 – Thursday of Week 33 Year 1
22 November 2013 – Friday of Week 33 Year 1
If you happen to visit different churches in your travels, one question may pop up: is the church a house of prayer or a robber’s den? While having activity around the church may be a good thing, sometimes the activity itself may cause distraction to those who want to have some peace and pray. Also, at times, certain activities such as buying and selling religious items, food stuff, etc. may tempt some to sin (cheating others when charging prices, gossiping, squabbling over price, etc.) When these things happen, we may be turning the church into a robber’s den.
Thus, we need to re-examine ourselves: why are we in church? Are we genuinely seeking God in prayer and reflection? Are we aware of the presence of the Most High in the Blessed Sacrament? Do we have respect for the sacredness of the church, within and it’s surrounding? Or have we allowed worldly activities to take precedence?
Most of us are given opportunities to be a leader in some way. Perhaps we are leaders in our home, perhaps in the office or workplace, perhaps in society, or perhaps in church. But wherever we are called to be leaders, we become aware of the great responsibility and expectation placed upon us. Are we firm and fair leaders, dedicated towards humble service? Or have we allowed power and prestige to get into our heads?
In today’s reading, we see how Mattathias and his sons chose to do what is right and just and obey God’s orders. The reading tells us that, “In his zeal for the Law, Mattathias went through the town, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘Let everyone who has a fervour for the Law and takes his stand on the covenant come out and follow me.’ Then he fled with his sons into the hills, leaving all their possessions behind in the town. At this, many who were concerned for virtue and justice went down to the desert and stayed there.”
Such leadership by Mattathias and his sons inspired many others to follow their example and remain faithful to God. As church leaders, are we showing fervour and good example, encouraging others to do the same? Or have we misused our leadership for our own gain, and caused others to go astray?
Most of us would be very protective towards our family and kids, and often we would do our best to provide a secure and happy home. Some would send their kids for lots of classes: music class, ballet, tuition (one after another), taekwondo, etc., hoping that their kids would benefit greatly from such classes and gain an edge in the world.
But if we are faced in a dangerous situation where our faith is being challenged and the entire family could be wiped out, how would we advice or teach our kids? Would we tell them to save themselves, reasoning that they are young and have got lots of life ahead of them? Or would we be like that mother in today’s reading, who “was especially admirable and worthy of honourable remembrance, for she watched the death of seven sons in the course of a single day, and endured it resolutely because of her hopes in the Lord. Indeed she encouraged each of them in the language of their ancestors; filled with noble conviction, she reinforced her womanly argument with manly courage, saying to them, ‘I do not know how you appeared in my womb; it was not I who endowed you with breath and life, I had not the shaping of your every part. It is the creator of the world, ordaining the process of man’s birth and presiding over the origin of all things, who in his mercy will most surely give you back both breath and life, seeing that you now despise your own existence for the sake of his laws.’”
The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Is faith in God so precious, so valuable, so important, that we are willing to let our children and ourselves lose our lives so that we may gain eternal life? Or have we become so attached to the ways of the world that we are willing to compromise or abandon our faith, and in doing so lose our soul?
