MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Thursday - November 24, 2022

 

Thursday - November 24, 2022

What does it profit you to give God one thing if he asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it. You will satisfy your heart better than with something toward which you are inclined.

~~St. John of the Cross

November 24, 2022

Thanksgiving Day

Lectionary: 943-947

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Sir 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.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11

 

R.    (see 1)  I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

 

Every day will I bless you,

    and I will praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;

    his greatness is unsearchable.

R.    I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Generation after generation praises your works

    and proclaims your might.

They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty

    and tell of your wondrous works.

R.    I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds

    and declare your greatness.

They publish the fame of your abundant goodness

    and joyfully sing of your justice.

R.    I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

    slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is good to all

    and compassionate toward all his works.

R.    I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

    and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom

    and speak of your might.

R.       I will praise your name for ever, Lord

 

Reading II                                                     1 Cor 1:3-9

 

Brothers and sisters:

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.

 

Alleluia                                                         1 Thes 5:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

In all circumstances, give thanks,

for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Lk 17:11-19

 

As 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.”

 

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Enjoy the Wedding Feast!

What is your Babylon? Read today’s first scripture selection and think of Babylon as something in yourself that needs to be thrown into the sea. Selfishness is one example, or any sin that you have not yet overcome. Imagine it as a huge millstone. This is a haunt for demons, a cage for every unclean spirit, a prison that has locked up a part of your life and is barring God from touching you and healing you.

 

If you desire to overcome it, an angel with great authority picks it up and tosses it like a pebble into the sea. It quickly sinks into the murky depths where you can see it no longer. Not even God can see it, because the only thing he’s looking at is the Jesus in you. You’re glowing with the goodness you received from Jesus in your baptism. God is absolutely, totally in love with you.

 

This is what happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

“Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” In the symbolic language of the Book of Revelation, the Lamb is Christ and the wedding day is the beginning of God’s reign. Every time we seek forgiveness for our sins with a sincere desire to change, we renew the vows of our wedding day. God’s reign begins anew in our lives, but now more fully than ever!

 

This is also what happens in the Sacrament of the Eucharist if we sincerely examine our consciences before Mass and desire to become holy in Christ. The entire Liturgy is a wedding feast. At the beginning of the celebration, we put on the white wedding gown during the Penitential Rite. Then as the bride of Christ, we walk down the aisle to become one with our Lord in Holy Communion. At the final blessing, we leave the church to show our spouse to the world.

 

This is also what happens in the Sacrament of Marriage.

 

When couples live together unmarried or they wed without the sacrament, they really don’t understand the Holy Communion they’re denying to their relationship. Weddings are meant to be reflections of the Great Wedding Feast of the Lamb, and marriages are meant to be reflections of the union between Christ and his beloved Church.

 

When sacramentally united couples attend Mass together, their commitment is re-energized, the banquet of the Eucharist heals disunity and empowers them to love each other even in the most difficult of circumstances, and they are sent forth with a final blessing to show the world what Christ’s undying love is like.

 

Regardless of whether you are married or single, divorced or widowed, priest or religious, Jesus is absolutely, totally in love with you. He wants to enjoy total communion with you! Do whatever it takes to enter fully into that union.

 

Today's Prayer

 

I thank You, Lord, because You talk to my heart and You reveal Your word to me. Give me the grace of persevering in my faith and in my charity to others till Your triumphal coming. Amen.

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”