Tuesday, 28th NOVEMBER
Luke 21:5-11
We want God
Jesus said, "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?" And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them".
In recent times we have seen an attempt to build a Godless society. But for centuries people have tried to replace God's law with their own. There has been no shortage either of people (and whole societies) that have tried to hide God from public life, attempting to replace the worship of God with the worship of dictators or governments. This shouldn't surprise us – Jesus warned us about it.
Many authoritarian regimes have made it a priority to root out God and religion from people's hearts. But they have never succeeded because God is anchored in the human heart as a necessity for our happiness. In places where Christians have been slain, religion forbidden and believers persecuted, God has always remained the same.
For over 34 years communists had attempted to abolish religion and build an atheistic society in Poland. From 1945 the regime started circulating anti-religious propaganda, persecuting practising Christians. But in 1979 St John Paul II visited his country for the first time as Pope. Two months before the Pope's arrival, Polish communists took steps to restrain the enthusiasm of the people. They also issued instructions to the Polish media to censor and limit the Pope's comments and appearances. But when the Holy Father got up on the stage and started preaching, millions of people started singing at the tops of their voices: "We want God! We want God! We want God!" The Pope tried to continue but the shouting went on, "We want God!" and it didn't stop for fifteen minutes! What a moment in modern history! Don't you hear the hearts of today's men and women shouting the same: 'We want God! We want God! We want God!'?
Mary, Mother of God, I also hear the Voice of your Son shouting too, 'I want women! I want men! I want you!'
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Commentary of the day :
Saint John-Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005
Message to the Catholics of Austria 1982 (DC 1835, 15/8/82 , p. 753)
"Nation will rise against nation"
In view of the numerous dangers and threats against human existence, Christians battle with all the strength of their hope, in union with all people of good will, for a more stable future that is worth living. Furthermore, what motivates us is not just a purely earthly hope but also and above all that hope which comes from faith, whose foundation and goal are ultimately God himself: the God who, in Jesus Christ, has spoken his definitive "yes" to humankind. In his cross and resurrection Christ has overcome all the world's suffering and disaster, thus becoming for all of us the sign of hope.
Hope is indeed a divine virtue. It is fundamentally a gift that you already obtain… whenever you pray together with others and for others… We Christians equally have the duty of manifesting our hope publicly and sharing it with others. By words and actions rich in hope we shall help others to overcome their fear of life, their resignation and indifference, and have confidence in God and in other people. As disciples of Christ… you are to give people of today, surrounded as they are by a thousand threats and so full of confusion, the words and the hope that set us free.
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Tuesday, 28 November 2017 of week 34 in Ordinary Time
*First reading:-* Daniel 2:31-45
*Responsorial Psalm:-* Daniel 3:57-61
*Gospel:-* Luke 21:5-11
A few things struck me as I reviewed the readings:
1) no one knows when the end will come;
2) the experiences, which we have, should make us reflect on the Truth and apply it what is presently happening;
3) No matter when I meet my end, I must be prepared.
I firmly believe that some people, like Daniel, can be given special gifts by GOD which enables them to interpret signs and visions of GOD. The true role of a prophet of GOD is not necessarily "seeing" the future, but being able to proclaim the message which GOD wants announced. The literal meaning of the word "prophet" is "spokesperson" or "one who speaks for another." Daniel's message was given to inspire hope in the oppressed people of GOD. Daniel spoke GOD's Word – that GOD would establish a time and place where the Anointed One ("Messiah," "Christ") would usher in GOD's reign.
The actually details were not known by Daniel. Daniel was not given the precise vision of the birth of the GOD-man, Jesus. The Book of Daniel was a means for GOD to prepare the people of GOD for the further manifestation of GOD's glory.
The experiences of those who put their pen to paper in order to write down the Word of GOD influenced what they wrote. GOD used the life happenings of the individual to reveal the Truth. Some biblical scholars believe that the Book of Daniel took a written form during the time of the Greek invasion of the Holy Land two centuries before the birth of Jesus. If so, the final scribes would have known about the successive world powers: the Babylonians, the Medians, the Persians, and the Greeks (with the Greeks having a divided kingdom).
What is important is not how or what the scribes knew who put the words into writing, but that the Truth of GOD be proclaimed: GOD will establish an everlasting kingdom for those who were the Chosen People.
Similarly, the audience to whom Luke addressed his Gospel had experienced the destruction of Jerusalem and knew of preachers who "announced" the immediate end of the world, yet obvious to us, the world did not end during the first century after the death of Jesus.
That leads me to my third topic of reflection: the need to be ready. That we all will meet our own end is a fact that cannot be denied. Mortal death is part of existence here on earth. The Truth is that we must be prepared not just for the end of time, but also for the fact of our own death. We must live lives which reflect that there is something after death – something which is even better than what we can experience and envision now.
The question is how do we prepare? Or to put it into other words, what should our lifestyle be if we want to reflect our belief that we will meet the end of our earthly existence and transition into the fullness of the Reign of GOD? I believe if we are conscious that we are GOD's Chosen People, inheritors of the Reign of GOD, sons and daughters of GOD, and brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus, then we are going to live in a way which proclaims who we are and to Whom we are "related." Our lives should reflect to Whose family we belong.
People should be able to see us and say, "I know the family of which you are member because you are just like your Brother and His Abba-Father. You act just like Your Brother. I can see Your Abba in you and what you do." If we can live that way, then we will be blessing, and praising, and exalting the Lord Jesus and the Abba not just now, but forever.
(Bro Martin.JM)
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