Daily Gospel for Sunday, 24 November 2013

Daily Gospel for Sunday, 24 November 2013

John 6:68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. (Messianic World English Bible)

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King - Solemnity - Year C

Saint of the Day:

SAINTS ANDREW DUNG-LAC

Priest,

AND HIS COMPANIONS

(18th and 19th centuries)

This feast day celebrates all of the martyrs of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries (1745-1862) who shed their blood in the remote Far East, particularly in Vietnam. Many of the martyrs were priests of the Dominican order. Others belonged to the Paris Society for Foreign Missions, while still others, including Andrew Dung-Lac, were Vietnamese.

Paul Le-Bao-Tinh, a Vietnamese seminarian, wrote in a letter of 1843, shortly before his martyrdom:

"I, Paul, chained for the name of Christ, wish to tell you the tribulations in which I am immersed every day, so that you, inflamed with love for God, may also lift up your praise to God, 'for his mercy endures forever'. This prison is truly the image of the eternal Hell: to the cruelest tortures of all types, such as fetters, iron chains and bonds, are added hate, vindictiveness, calumny, indecent words, interrogations, bad acts, unjust oaths, curses and finally difficulties and sorrow. But God, who once freed the three boys from the path of the flames, is always with me and has freed me from these tribulations and converted them into sweetness, 'for his mercy endures forever....

Assist me with your prayers so that I may struggle according to the law, and indeed 'fight the good fight' and that I may be worthy to fight until the end, finishing my course happily; if we do not see each other again in this life, in the future age, nonetheless, this will be our joy, when standing before the throne of the spotless Lamb, with one voice we sing his praises, exulting in the joy of eternal victory. Amen."

Saints Flora and Mary

Feastday: November 24

Died: 856

Christian martyrs of Cordoba, Spain. Flora was raised a Christian in secret by her mother, who was married to a Muslim. Betrayed by her brother, she was beaten and given to him to abuse because of her faith. Escaping, Flora met Mary, the sister of a martyred deacon. They surrendered to Muslim authorities and were placed in a brothel. Still clinging to the faith, Flora and Mary were beheaded

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King - Solemnity - Year C

2nd book of Samuel 5: 1-2 Before long all the tribes of Israel approached David in Hebron and said, “Look at us—your own flesh and blood! In time past when Saul was our king, you were the one who really ran the country. Even then God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel and you’ll be the prince.’”

3 All the leaders of Israel met with King David at Hebron, and the king made a treaty with them in the presence of God. And so they anointed David king over Israel.(The Message)

Psalm 122: A Pilgrim Song of David

1-2 When they said, “Let’s go to the house of God,”

    my heart leaped for joy.

And now we’re here, O Jerusalem,

    inside Jerusalem’s walls!

3-5 Jerusalem, well-built city,

    built as a place for worship!

The city to which the tribes ascend,

    all God’s tribes go up to worship,

To give thanks to the name of God—

    this is what it means to be Israel.

Thrones for righteous judgment

    are set there, famous David-thrones.(The Message)

Colossians 1: We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

Christ Holds It All Together

15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.(The Message)

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 23:35   The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!”

36-37 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!”

38 Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.

39 One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”

40-41 But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”

43 He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”(The Message)

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King - Solemnity - Year C

Commentary of the Day:

Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407), priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church

Homily 1 on the cross and the brigand, for Good Friday, 2 ; PG 49, 401 ( composite trans.)

"When you come into your kingdom"

Today paradise, closed for thousands of years, is opened to us. On this day, at this very hour, God brings the brigand into it. Thus he fulfills two wonders: he opens up paradise to us and causes a thief to enter in. Today God has given us back our former homeland, today he has brought us into the city of our ancestors, today he has opened up a home to be shared by all humanity. “This day,” he says, “you will be with me in paradise”. What are you saying, Lord? You are crucified, nailed down, and do you promise paradise? Yes, he says, so that through the cross you may learn my power...

Because it isn't by raising a dead man, commanding the sea and wind, or casting out demons he is able to change the thief's wicked soul, but by being crucified, pinned down by nails, covered with insults, spitting, mockery and torture, so that you might see the two sides of his sovereign power. He shook all creation, split the rocks (Mt 27,51) and drew to himself the brigand's soul, hard as stone, to cover it with honor...

Obviously, no king would ever allow a brigand or other of his subjects to be seated at his side when making his entry into his city. Yet Christ did so when entering his holy homeland. He brings a brigand into it along with him. In so doing... he does no dishonor to it by a brigand's presence for it is a glory for paradise that it has a master able to make a brigand worthy of the joys to be tasted there. In the same way, when he brings publicans and prostitutes into the Kingdom of heaven (Mt 21,31)..., it is for the sake of the glory of that holy place. Because he shows it that the lord of the heavenly Kingdom is so great that he can restore all their dignity to prostitutes and publicans even to their being worthy of this honor and this gift. We admire a doctor all the more when we see him heal people suffering from illnesses said to be incurable. So it is only right to admire Christ... when he restores publicans and prostitutes to such a state of spiritual health that they become worthy of heaven.

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