Thursday November 22
Introduction
Usually in apocalyptic literature the opening of seals announces the coming of calamities. Here it is the key to the victory and peace that will come to God’s people through the Lamb, who died and rose again and in this way overcame death.
Luke wrote his gospel when the Temple had already been destroyed. How come that the Jewish people, God’s own, who had been so zealous to fight for loyalty to the God of the covenant, did not recognize Christ, the expected one? It is not up to us to condemn, as Christians have often done in the past. With Jesus we weep over the city and its people and pray and work that Jews too may find their Messiah. And in the meantime, let us too know the paths of peace of God’s people, and recognize the time the Lord visits us.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we seek the road to peace
of Jesus Christ your Son.
Let us be your chosen people
recognizing day after day
the time of your visitation.
Let this very day be the time
when we are open to your coming
in the words you speak to us,
in the people we meet,
in those who cry out for compassion
and a bit of warmth.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Reading 1 RV 5:1-10
I, John, saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne.
It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.
Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice,
"Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
was able to open the scroll or to examine it.
I shed many tears because no one was found worthy
to open the scroll or to examine it.
One of the elders said to me, "Do not weep.
The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed,
enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals."
Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne
and the four living creatures and the elders
a Lamb that seemed to have been slain.
He had seven horns and seven eyes;
these are the seven spirits of God sent out into the whole world.
He came and received the scroll from the right hand
of the one who sat on the throne.
When he took it,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb.
Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense,
which are the prayers of the holy ones.
They sang a new hymn:
"Worthy are you to receive the scroll
and break open its seals,
for you were slain and with your Blood you purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.
You made them a kingdom and priests for our God,
and they will reign on earth."
Responsorial PsalmPS 149:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6A AND 9B
R. (Rev. 5:10) The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaPS 95:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 19:41-44
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
"If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."
Intercessions
– Lord, we regret and ask pardon that at times we have been negligent and cold to your love; forgive us, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that those who have heard your call to follow you and refused to respond may again be ready to journey with you, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that our communities may again heed your call to be one of heart and mind, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
as a pledge of our faithfulness
to the bonds of the covenant
we bring bread and wine before you.
Accept us with your Son,
and keep us united in him
as the people you love.
This we ask in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
your Son wept over the people
from which he was born
and which he loved with all his heart.
Let him not weep over us
but by the strength of this eucharist
make us seek what brings us your peace:
you and your kingdom
of integrity and goodness.
Grant us this through your faithful servant,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We are asked to recognize the coming of the Lord not in a long ago past but now, today, in our lives and our communities. May God give you this grace and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
The meaning of the name Jerusalem has been variously suggested as “dwelling of peace,” “foundation of peace,” “possession of peace,” et cetera. Whatever the exact phrase is, the word “peace” is integral to the meaning of the city. Thus, it is an irony that Jesus weeps over this city of peace for its lack of familiarity with the ways of peace! Destruction awaits her because of her failure to recognize the time and the visitation of the Prince of Peace. Even today, the city of Jerusalem remains a prisoner of violence, division, and mutual distrust among people. Peace is a stranger in its own dwelling.
The same danger can happen to our inner cities as well. We Christians carry the name of Christ in our baptismal labels. Would it be possible that, given our way of life, Christ could be missing from our title as Christians? Would Jesus weep over the lack of Christian-ness in us? If it is true, then the salt has lost its saltiness (Matt 5:13).
Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Let us pray for Christ to be at the center of our Christian living.
