Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Thanksgiving Day) [United States] 

For the Celebration of Thanksgiving Day (United States)

 

“Angels of the Nativity Altar,” San Isadora Del Campo, Saville 
by Deacon Robert Lackney

Readings for Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time [1] 

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2] 

Readings and Commentary: [3] 

Reading 1: Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a 

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.”

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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.

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.

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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 

Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.”

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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. 

CCC: Lk 21:24 58, 674; Lk 21:27 671, 697

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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 in 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 recently celebrated, 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. 

For those of us still not able to receive Christ in the Eucharist, either out of caution or availability to attend Mass physically we offer this prayer:  

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things,  And I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment 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 

Pax

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[1] The picture is “Angels of the Nativity Altar,” San Isadora Del Campo, Saville by Deacon Robert Lackney, artist and architect, 2000, used with permission.

[2] S.S. Commemoratio

[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

[4] See NAB footnote for Revelation 18:1-19:4.

[5] History of the Church from Christ to Constantine Vol. 3,Ch 5, 3.