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| “Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and His Companions, Martyrs” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN |
Alternate readings for this memorial may be taken from the Common of Martyrs
Thanksgiving Day [United States]
Commentary:
Reading 1: Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a
Commentary on Rv 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a
This passage is 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.)”[4]
CCC: Rv 19:1-8 2642; Rv 19:1-9 677; Rv 19:9 1329, 1602, 1612
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (Rev. 19: 9a) 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 communal song of thanksgiving in which the psalmist invites the people to come to God with praise and thanksgiving for the wondrous things he has done. In this selection the psalmist gives thanks for God’s favor and his unending support in all good things. It affirms God’s saving grace given to his sons and daughters through all generations. The song recalls God the creator whose love and fidelity knows no bounds.
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Gospel: Luke 21:20-28
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 the announcement of their final redemption come to pass. The prediction itself is validated by the historical account of Eusebius of Casoria. When the Christians saw the approach of the Roman armies they recalled Christ’s prediction and fled across the Jordan.[5]
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.
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Reflection:
There is a kind of paradox associated with the peace of Christ which we are offered that bears some reflection. We have all heard stories about people who, in moments of severe 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 cited, 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 the 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 tread 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 along with their panicked victim. 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. (There is a more dramatic expression of the Peace of Christ found in the lives of many Saints, especially martyrs like St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions whose memorial we celebrate, but that is reserved for another time.)
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 throne of the Just Judge, the Lamb of God. In his consolation and mercy we find his peace.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and His Companions, Martyrs” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN
[4] See NAB footnote for Revelation 18:1-19:4
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