Monday - November 25, 2019
A man who governs his passions
is master of the world.
We must either command them,
or be enslaved by them.
It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.
-- St Dominic
A man who governs his passions
is master of the world.
We must either command them,
or be enslaved by them.
It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.
-- St Dominic
November 25 2019
Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 503
Reading 1DN 1:1-6, 8-20
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came
and laid siege to Jerusalem.
The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
and some of the vessels of the temple of God;
he carried them off to the land of Shinar,
and placed the vessels in the temple treasury of his god.
The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain,
to bring in some of the children of Israel of royal blood
and of the nobility, young men without any defect,
handsome, intelligent and wise,
quick to learn, and prudent in judgment,
such as could take their place in the king's palace;
they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans;
after three years' training they were to enter the king's service.
The king allotted them a daily portion of food and wine
from the royal table.
Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah.
But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself
with the king's food or wine;
so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement.
Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathy
of the chief chamberlain, he nevertheless said to Daniel,
"I am afraid of my lord the king;
it is he who allotted your food and drink.
If he sees that you look wretched
by comparison with the other young men of your age,
you will endanger my life with the king."
Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain
had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah,
"Please test your servants for ten days.
Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men
who eat from the royal table,
and treat your servants according to what you see."
He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days;
after ten days they looked healthier and better fed
than any of the young men who ate from the royal table.
So the steward continued to take away
the food and wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency
in all literature and science,
and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.
At the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation,
the chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.
When the king had spoken with all of them,
none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah;
and so they entered the king's service.
In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them,
he found them ten times better
than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came
and laid siege to Jerusalem.
The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
and some of the vessels of the temple of God;
he carried them off to the land of Shinar,
and placed the vessels in the temple treasury of his god.
The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain,
to bring in some of the children of Israel of royal blood
and of the nobility, young men without any defect,
handsome, intelligent and wise,
quick to learn, and prudent in judgment,
such as could take their place in the king's palace;
they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans;
after three years' training they were to enter the king's service.
The king allotted them a daily portion of food and wine
from the royal table.
Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah.
But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself
with the king's food or wine;
so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement.
Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathy
of the chief chamberlain, he nevertheless said to Daniel,
"I am afraid of my lord the king;
it is he who allotted your food and drink.
If he sees that you look wretched
by comparison with the other young men of your age,
you will endanger my life with the king."
Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain
had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah,
"Please test your servants for ten days.
Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men
who eat from the royal table,
and treat your servants according to what you see."
He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days;
after ten days they looked healthier and better fed
than any of the young men who ate from the royal table.
So the steward continued to take away
the food and wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency
in all literature and science,
and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.
At the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation,
the chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.
When the king had spoken with all of them,
none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah;
and so they entered the king's service.
In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them,
he found them ten times better
than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.
Responsorial PsalmDANIEL 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R.(52b) Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
AlleluiaMT 24:42A, 44
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 21:1-4
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, "I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, "I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."
******************************
The Widow's Mighty Sacrifice
Today's Gospel reading challenges us to examine how generously we help the ministries of the Church by contributing financially to the treasury of the Church. When our income isn't enough to pay for everything that we wish we could buy for ourselves, the widow's mighty sacrifice is not pleasing to look at. We can appreciate why Jesus praised the widow, but it's hard to feel safe and secure with the idea of "offering our whole livelihood".
God's not really saying that you and I should turn over our entire paychecks to the church. Elsewhere in scripture he makes it clear that he asks for just ten percent of it. "Just" ten percent? Even that seems like way too much, doesn't it!
And thus we cause others to suffer. Our parishes and Good News Ministries and other charities don't have enough financial resources to do all the ministering could be done and needs to be done.
Perhaps the widow whom Jesus praised felt free to share the little she had because, in her poverty, her eyes were not set on making big purchases. Economic problems in our world are rooted not just in corporate greed but also in the accumulation of a lot of individual debts that never should have been considered. Many families depend on two incomes for the sake of buying more, more, more.
This lifestyle of overspending is part of a culture that sinfully neglects the needs of the poor. As Catholics, we take seriously the Church's teachings on social justice. We know we need to become more like Christ, oriented toward making sacrifices for the sake of others.
We can adopt the same attitude as the widow whom Jesus praised. She made an offering that wasn't easy. In so doing, she sacrificed not only coins but her very self. If a gift we give or a good deed we do is easy and comfortable, it's not a sacrifice. Most of us donate from our surplus and think that's a sacrifice! This is why your parish and other charitable organizations (including Good News Ministries) cannot help all those who would benefit from their services.
And (some readers will find this unbelievable until they honestly look into the facts) it's the reason why climate change is occurring -- our personal comforts are indeed interfering with the Earth's natural processes, and this is already devastating the lives of many who are poor and vulnerable. Pope Francis wrote about this in Laudate Si (here's a link to it: vatican.va/content/francesco/.
Let's put our faith into action. What happened to the widow after she went home? Did she starve? Wait a minute. Do we believe that God would praise her for making such a huge act of love and then crush her as if her good deed had been foolish? I know from personal experience how scary this level of trust can be and how faith-building it can be. Join me in the spiritual growth that comes from placing sacrificial trust in God's goodness!
Today's Prayer:
Beloved Father: Give me a helpful and generous heart, able to give away whatever I need most, because of love for You and my brothers and sisters. Amen.
God's not really saying that you and I should turn over our entire paychecks to the church. Elsewhere in scripture he makes it clear that he asks for just ten percent of it. "Just" ten percent? Even that seems like way too much, doesn't it!
And thus we cause others to suffer. Our parishes and Good News Ministries and other charities don't have enough financial resources to do all the ministering could be done and needs to be done.
Perhaps the widow whom Jesus praised felt free to share the little she had because, in her poverty, her eyes were not set on making big purchases. Economic problems in our world are rooted not just in corporate greed but also in the accumulation of a lot of individual debts that never should have been considered. Many families depend on two incomes for the sake of buying more, more, more.
This lifestyle of overspending is part of a culture that sinfully neglects the needs of the poor. As Catholics, we take seriously the Church's teachings on social justice. We know we need to become more like Christ, oriented toward making sacrifices for the sake of others.
We can adopt the same attitude as the widow whom Jesus praised. She made an offering that wasn't easy. In so doing, she sacrificed not only coins but her very self. If a gift we give or a good deed we do is easy and comfortable, it's not a sacrifice. Most of us donate from our surplus and think that's a sacrifice! This is why your parish and other charitable organizations (including Good News Ministries) cannot help all those who would benefit from their services.
And (some readers will find this unbelievable until they honestly look into the facts) it's the reason why climate change is occurring -- our personal comforts are indeed interfering with the Earth's natural processes, and this is already devastating the lives of many who are poor and vulnerable. Pope Francis wrote about this in Laudate Si (here's a link to it: vatican.va/content/francesco/.
Let's put our faith into action. What happened to the widow after she went home? Did she starve? Wait a minute. Do we believe that God would praise her for making such a huge act of love and then crush her as if her good deed had been foolish? I know from personal experience how scary this level of trust can be and how faith-building it can be. Join me in the spiritual growth that comes from placing sacrificial trust in God's goodness!
Today's Prayer:
Beloved Father: Give me a helpful and generous heart, able to give away whatever I need most, because of love for You and my brothers and sisters. Amen.
------------------------------
God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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