Thanksgiving Day[1]
Optional Readings for Thanksgiving (to God) [2][3]
(Lectionary Vol. 4 943-947) Note – Readings, commentary and reflection for Thursday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time follow this optional section)
Reading 1: Sirach 50:22-24
And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel
to deliver us in our days.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Sir 50:22-24
“Praise and thanksgiving are given to God for his wondrous works, and a blessing is invoked on man that he may enjoy peace and gladness of heart and the abiding goodness of the Most High.”[4]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[7] Psalm 138:1-2a, 2bc-3, 4-5
R. (2bc) Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all of my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
I will give thanks to your name,
Because of your kindness and your truth.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth;
And they shall sing of the ways of the LORD:
“Great is the glory of the LORD.”
R. Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 138:1-2a, 2bc-3, 4-5
This is a song of thanksgiving to God for having answered our prayers. We, who sing these words, pray also that the Lord will continue to shower his blessings upon us.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus (Christ).
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Cor 1:3-9
This is the salutation portion of Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. In typical letter format, he gives thanks to God for the gift of faith given to this community and continues his fervent wish that they (and we) be steadfast in the faith; “He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus (Christ).“
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
As he (Jesus) continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 17:11-19
The Gospel is an indictment of the Hebrews who did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus’ comment; “Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” is a clear indication that this lack of faith will have consequences. Especially when he follows this statement with; “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” This would seem to imply that those who refuse to accept Jesus’ status as the Christ would not receive that salvation.
“This incident recounting the thankfulness of the cleansed Samaritan leper is narrated only in Luke's gospel and provides an instance of Jesus holding up a non-Jew as an example to his Jewish contemporaries (cf Luke 10:33 where a similar purpose is achieved in the story of the good Samaritan). Moreover, it is the faith in Jesus manifested by the foreigner that has brought him salvation (Luke 17:19; cf the similar relationship between faith and salvation in Luke 7:50; 8:48, 50).”[5]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today is the secular holiday of Thanksgiving. It was officially sanctioned as a holiday, first by the State of New Hampshire in 1782 and as a National Holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War.
Thanksgiving is one of the few secular holidays the Church has fully embraced, for very obvious reasons. While the tradition began as a harvest celebration by a predominantly agrarian community, the fact that its focus is on thankfulness to God is a very Christian ideal. As we see in the scripture above, it is at the very heart of our faith and has been promoted for as long as we have had our Judeo-Christian roots.
Today as our nation goes to parades, watches football games and waits with bated breath for the launching of the giant commercial orgy that precedes the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, we as a people of faith once more turn to God in prayer. We all have special prayers that we can utter on this occasion. We all have special things that we can give thanks for. I give you this prayer, paraphrased from the reading in Sirach;
And now, bless the God of all, (and His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ)
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel (and the whole world),
to deliver us in our days.
Pax and Happy Thanksgiving
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Readings for Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time1
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[2]
Reading 1: Revelations 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a
After this I (John) saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority,
and the earth became illumined by his splendor.
He cried out in a mighty voice:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast.”
A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone
and threw it into the sea and said:
“With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
No melodies of harpists and musicians,
flutists and trumpeters,
will ever be heard in you again.
No craftsmen in any trade
will ever be found in you again.
No sound of the millstone
will ever be heard in you again.
No light from a lamp
will ever be seen in you again.
No voices of bride and groom
will ever be heard in you again.
Because your merchants were the great ones of the world,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion.”
After this I heard what sounded like
the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying:
“Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
They said a second time:
“Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever.”
Then the angel said to me, “Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called
to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rev 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a
“A stirring dirge over the fall of Babylon-Rome. The perspective is prophetic, as if the fall of Rome had already taken place. The imagery here, as elsewhere in this book, is not to be taken literally. The vindictiveness of some of the language, borrowed from the scathing Old Testament prophecies against Babylon, Tyre, and Nineveh (Isaiah 23; 24; 27; Jeremiah 50-51; Ezekiel 26-27), is meant to portray symbolically the inexorable demands of God's holiness and justice; cf Introduction. The section concludes with a joyous canticle on the future glory of heaven.)”[6]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[7] Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (Rev. 19: 9a) Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
For he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
Psalm 100 is a song of praise sung by the assembly. It affirms God’s saving grace given to His sons and daughters through all generations
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 21:20-28
“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 21:20-28
The apocalyptic discourse continues in St. Luke’s Gospel. The first part of this section deals with the destruction of Jerusalem (which actually took place in 70 AD). Since this event took place before the Gospel was published, Luke and his community look back upon the event. This provides the assurance that, just as Jesus' prediction of Jerusalem's destruction was fulfilled, so too will be his announcement of their final redemption. The prediction itself is validated by the historical account of Eusebius of Casoria. When the Christians saw the approach of the Roman armies recalled Christ’s prediction and fled across the Jordan.[8]
The second part of the reading provides a description of the actual events of the end times. The Lord assures his disciples that he will return and those who follow him should not be afraid, even as the terrible signs manifest themselves upon the earth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
There is a kind of paradox associated with the peace of Christ we are offered that bears some reflection. We have all heard stories about people who, in moments of sever stress are able to accomplish physical feats that are seemingly impossible (a mother lifting a car off of her pinned child; a father standing on two broken legs catching his children as they leap from the second story window of their burning home). These documented events are the result of a physiological rush of adrenaline – a fear reflex. In the cases sited, this reflex was able to stimulate incredible physical strength and deaden pain reflexes. We must ask – would the peace of Christ interrupt this process, putting the devout Christian at a disadvantage?
The consideration of this question is, to be sure, fanciful. The examples used and the abilities exhibited during times of peril happen completely without conscious will or thought. The brain circuits used are not the same consciousness centers over which the peace of Christ descends. We submit that one whose faith is strong enough; whose spiritual growth is so advanced that this state of calm assurance, would actually allow the physical reaction to be channeled in such a way as to have an even more effective outcome. We take for example the expression found in St. Luke’s Gospel – “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world”.
People die of fright because that same fear reflex that directs some people to heroic actions causes others to go into cardiac arrest and die. In most cases, panic, the most common expression of the fear reflex, causes devastating outcomes. Take, for example, the swimmer who has a cramp and can no longer treed water. When an unwary life guard or some well meaning swimmer comes to help the person, they are likely to be fiercely grasped (using that same adrenaline enhanced strength) and pulled down, frequently to be drowned themselves. How often have we heard about panic driven crowds trampling others to death as they try to escape a threat?
The peace of Christ can stave off fear and allow us to see more clearly in difficult times. When we know and are convinced that God is there to help us; to buoy us up, in times of strife, we can take actions with calm assurance that avoid the disaster panic can bring. That peace is what we are offered by the one who defeated death and sin for our salvation. That peace is what we accept when we crown Christ the king in our lives.
Today we accept the life in the world to come. We know and understand that, in God’s time, the end of this world will come and we will stand before the thrown of the Just Judge, the Lamb of God. In His consolation and mercy we find his peace.
Pax
Optional Readings for Thanksgiving (to God) [2][3]
(Lectionary Vol. 4 943-947) Note – Readings, commentary and reflection for Thursday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time follow this optional section)
Reading 1: Sirach 50:22-24
And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel
to deliver us in our days.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Sir 50:22-24
“Praise and thanksgiving are given to God for his wondrous works, and a blessing is invoked on man that he may enjoy peace and gladness of heart and the abiding goodness of the Most High.”[4]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[7] Psalm 138:1-2a, 2bc-3, 4-5
R. (2bc) Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all of my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
I will give thanks to your name,
Because of your kindness and your truth.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth;
And they shall sing of the ways of the LORD:
“Great is the glory of the LORD.”
R. Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 138:1-2a, 2bc-3, 4-5
This is a song of thanksgiving to God for having answered our prayers. We, who sing these words, pray also that the Lord will continue to shower his blessings upon us.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus (Christ).
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Cor 1:3-9
This is the salutation portion of Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. In typical letter format, he gives thanks to God for the gift of faith given to this community and continues his fervent wish that they (and we) be steadfast in the faith; “He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus (Christ).“
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
As he (Jesus) continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 17:11-19
The Gospel is an indictment of the Hebrews who did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus’ comment; “Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” is a clear indication that this lack of faith will have consequences. Especially when he follows this statement with; “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” This would seem to imply that those who refuse to accept Jesus’ status as the Christ would not receive that salvation.
“This incident recounting the thankfulness of the cleansed Samaritan leper is narrated only in Luke's gospel and provides an instance of Jesus holding up a non-Jew as an example to his Jewish contemporaries (cf Luke 10:33 where a similar purpose is achieved in the story of the good Samaritan). Moreover, it is the faith in Jesus manifested by the foreigner that has brought him salvation (Luke 17:19; cf the similar relationship between faith and salvation in Luke 7:50; 8:48, 50).”[5]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today is the secular holiday of Thanksgiving. It was officially sanctioned as a holiday, first by the State of New Hampshire in 1782 and as a National Holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War.
Thanksgiving is one of the few secular holidays the Church has fully embraced, for very obvious reasons. While the tradition began as a harvest celebration by a predominantly agrarian community, the fact that its focus is on thankfulness to God is a very Christian ideal. As we see in the scripture above, it is at the very heart of our faith and has been promoted for as long as we have had our Judeo-Christian roots.
Today as our nation goes to parades, watches football games and waits with bated breath for the launching of the giant commercial orgy that precedes the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, we as a people of faith once more turn to God in prayer. We all have special prayers that we can utter on this occasion. We all have special things that we can give thanks for. I give you this prayer, paraphrased from the reading in Sirach;
And now, bless the God of all, (and His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ)
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel (and the whole world),
to deliver us in our days.
Pax and Happy Thanksgiving
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Readings for Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time1
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[2]
Reading 1: Revelations 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a
After this I (John) saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority,
and the earth became illumined by his splendor.
He cried out in a mighty voice:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast.”
A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone
and threw it into the sea and said:
“With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
No melodies of harpists and musicians,
flutists and trumpeters,
will ever be heard in you again.
No craftsmen in any trade
will ever be found in you again.
No sound of the millstone
will ever be heard in you again.
No light from a lamp
will ever be seen in you again.
No voices of bride and groom
will ever be heard in you again.
Because your merchants were the great ones of the world,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion.”
After this I heard what sounded like
the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying:
“Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
They said a second time:
“Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever.”
Then the angel said to me, “Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called
to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rev 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a
“A stirring dirge over the fall of Babylon-Rome. The perspective is prophetic, as if the fall of Rome had already taken place. The imagery here, as elsewhere in this book, is not to be taken literally. The vindictiveness of some of the language, borrowed from the scathing Old Testament prophecies against Babylon, Tyre, and Nineveh (Isaiah 23; 24; 27; Jeremiah 50-51; Ezekiel 26-27), is meant to portray symbolically the inexorable demands of God's holiness and justice; cf Introduction. The section concludes with a joyous canticle on the future glory of heaven.)”[6]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[7] Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (Rev. 19: 9a) Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
For he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
Psalm 100 is a song of praise sung by the assembly. It affirms God’s saving grace given to His sons and daughters through all generations
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 21:20-28
“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 21:20-28
The apocalyptic discourse continues in St. Luke’s Gospel. The first part of this section deals with the destruction of Jerusalem (which actually took place in 70 AD). Since this event took place before the Gospel was published, Luke and his community look back upon the event. This provides the assurance that, just as Jesus' prediction of Jerusalem's destruction was fulfilled, so too will be his announcement of their final redemption. The prediction itself is validated by the historical account of Eusebius of Casoria. When the Christians saw the approach of the Roman armies recalled Christ’s prediction and fled across the Jordan.[8]
The second part of the reading provides a description of the actual events of the end times. The Lord assures his disciples that he will return and those who follow him should not be afraid, even as the terrible signs manifest themselves upon the earth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
There is a kind of paradox associated with the peace of Christ we are offered that bears some reflection. We have all heard stories about people who, in moments of sever stress are able to accomplish physical feats that are seemingly impossible (a mother lifting a car off of her pinned child; a father standing on two broken legs catching his children as they leap from the second story window of their burning home). These documented events are the result of a physiological rush of adrenaline – a fear reflex. In the cases sited, this reflex was able to stimulate incredible physical strength and deaden pain reflexes. We must ask – would the peace of Christ interrupt this process, putting the devout Christian at a disadvantage?
The consideration of this question is, to be sure, fanciful. The examples used and the abilities exhibited during times of peril happen completely without conscious will or thought. The brain circuits used are not the same consciousness centers over which the peace of Christ descends. We submit that one whose faith is strong enough; whose spiritual growth is so advanced that this state of calm assurance, would actually allow the physical reaction to be channeled in such a way as to have an even more effective outcome. We take for example the expression found in St. Luke’s Gospel – “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world”.
People die of fright because that same fear reflex that directs some people to heroic actions causes others to go into cardiac arrest and die. In most cases, panic, the most common expression of the fear reflex, causes devastating outcomes. Take, for example, the swimmer who has a cramp and can no longer treed water. When an unwary life guard or some well meaning swimmer comes to help the person, they are likely to be fiercely grasped (using that same adrenaline enhanced strength) and pulled down, frequently to be drowned themselves. How often have we heard about panic driven crowds trampling others to death as they try to escape a threat?
The peace of Christ can stave off fear and allow us to see more clearly in difficult times. When we know and are convinced that God is there to help us; to buoy us up, in times of strife, we can take actions with calm assurance that avoid the disaster panic can bring. That peace is what we are offered by the one who defeated death and sin for our salvation. That peace is what we accept when we crown Christ the king in our lives.
Today we accept the life in the world to come. We know and understand that, in God’s time, the end of this world will come and we will stand before the thrown of the Just Judge, the Lamb of God. In His consolation and mercy we find his peace.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “The Virgin in Prayer” by Sassoferrato, 1640-50
[2] ALTRE
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] See NAB footnote for Sir 50:22ff
[5] See NAB footnote for Lk 17: 11-19
[6] See NAB footnote for Rev 18:1-19:4
[7] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved
[8] History of the Church from Christ to Constantine Vol. 3,Ch 5, 3
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