November 25
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
First Reading
Revelation 15:1-4
I, John, saw in heaven another sign, great and awe-inspiring: seven angels with the seven last plagues, for through them God’s fury is accomplished.
Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire. On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and the number that signified its name. They were holding God’s harps, and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
“Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God almighty. Just and true are your ways, O king of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, or glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 98:1, 2-3AB, 7-8, 9
R. (Rev. 15: 3b) Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Alleluia
Revelation 2:10C
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain faithful until death,
and I will give you the crown of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 21:12-19
Jesus said to the crowd: “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Give a Mass Offering
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
“Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!”
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Readings & Reflection
In yesterday’s reflection, I mentioned that we have to love those who may want to persecute us, even while we defend our beliefs in Christ and his Church. Today, Jesus warns the crowd, “They will seize and persecute you.” The point in today’s Gospel of Luke is to remind us that when this happens, when they call us to defend our faith, we should not worry about how we may accomplish that task.
Of course, Christ is telling us that he himself will give us the words of wisdom that will speak to our beliefs and our understanding of faith. The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, will be given to us to guide us, with all of its seven gifts. If we are faithful, we can use the gifts of the Spirit to not only defend our faith but assure ourselves that God is always with us. There is no reason that we should shy away from defending what Christ has taught us, of course, unless we lack faith ourselves. We must be true to ourselves and if we find we do lack faith, we must pray that our faith is increased. We must ask the faithful around us to help increase our faith so that when we are put to the test, we too will know that “not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” By our perseverance and God’s help, we will secure our lives.
Peace,
Fr. John Kurgan
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