Recognize to whom you owe the fact that you exist, that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise, and, above all, that you know God and hope for the kingdom of heaven. You have been made a child of God, co-heir with Christ. Where did you get all this, and from whom?…. What benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of stars,
with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain, with the art of husbandry, with different kinds of food, with the arts, with houses, with laws, with states, with a life of humanity and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of kinship? … Is it not God who asks you now in your turn to show yourself generous … Because we have received from him so many wonderful gifts, will we not be ashamed to refuse him this one thing only, our
generosity?
- Gregory Nazianzen
(In what ways are you generous with your life? How can you be more generous than you now are?)
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RV 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9A; PS 100:1B-2, 3, 4, 5
LK 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."
Reflection on the Scriptures |
The last two weeks of readings bring us face to face with the Book of Revelation. Since we celebrate All Saints and All Souls in November, the use of the Book of Revelation and the other readings which complement each other should not be a surprise. The Book of Revelation is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and debated books in scripture. In the first reading we see many references to the
destruction of Babylon and it is embodied with a general apocryphal tone.
In the Gospel reading Jesus is using a style that emphasizes the apocryphal for effect. As part of this Christ warns us of behaviors, which are mentioned right before this passage, which can lead to a bad outcome. If we stand steadfast in our faithfulness to Christ and his teaching we will be rewarded in another way that is seen clearly in today’s Psalm reading. “Blessed are we who have been called
to the supper of the lamb.” So my hope is that I have and will continue to serve the Lord. We can then rejoice in knowing “we are his people” and “we can enter His gate with thanksgiving.” So the readings are nothing to lament but to rejoice in knowing “we are called to the feast.”
"We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way."
— St. Francis of Assisi
- by Joe Zaboroski
Revelations of Divine Love
- by Julian of Norwich
Fourteenth Revelation, Chapter 53
“In every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall.” “Ere that He made us He loved us, and when we were made we loved Him”
But notwithstanding this rightful knitting and this endless oneing, yet the redemption and the again-buying of mankind is needful and speedful in everything, as it is done for the same intent and to the same end that Holy Church in our Faith us teacheth.
For I saw that God began never to love mankind: for right the same that mankind shall be in endless bliss, fulfilling the joy of God as anent His works, right so the same, mankind hath been in the foresight of God: known and loved from without beginning in his rightful intent. By the endless assent of the full accord of all the Trinity, the Mid-Person willed to be Ground and Head of this fair Kind: out of Whom we be all
come, in Whom we be all enclosed, into Whom we shall all wend, in Him finding our full Heaven in everlasting joy, by the foreseeing purpose of all the blessed Trinity from without beginning.
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