Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
November 12, 2021
Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
Lectionary: 495
Reading I
All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God,
and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is,
and from studying the works did not discern the artisan;
But either fire, or wind, or the swift air,
or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water,
or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods.
Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods,
let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these;
for the original source of beauty fashioned them.
Or if they were struck by their might and energy,
let them from these things realize how much more powerful is he who made them.
For from the greatness and the beauty of created things
their original author, by analogy, is seen.
But yet, for these the blame is less;
For they indeed have gone astray perhaps,
though they seek God and wish to find him.
For they search busily among his works,
but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.
But again, not even these are pardonable.
For if they so far succeeded in knowledge
that they could speculate about the world,
how did they not more quickly find its Lord?
Responsorial Psalm
- (2a) The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage up to the day
that Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating, drinking, buying,
selling, planting, building;
on the day when Lot left Sodom,
fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.
So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, someone who is on the housetop
and whose belongings are in the house
must not go down to get them,
and likewise one in the field
must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;
one will be taken, the other left.
And there will be two women grinding meal together;
one will be taken, the other left.”
They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?”
He said to them, “Where the body is,
there also the vultures will gather.”
Reflection: BE PREPARED
The Gospel passage of today is not something we would like to hear to start the day with hope and courage. It is rather disturbing. Jesus makes a very uncompromising statement when he addresses his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man.” We know what happened in the days of Noah. We certainly would not like that to happen to anyone of us today! Yet, Jesus' words are clear and categorical. What was Jesus telling his disciples by those unnerving words? Even as we listen today they are frightening! It would appear that we have to be ready for the last day when the Son of Man comes in all his glory for we do not know when and how this day would show forth. Reflecting on this passage, I would rather ask ourselves to think more of what we can do now than to think of what would happen in the future. No one knows the day and the hour! We shall leave that in the hands of the Lord! Why should we get worried about the future that is not under our control? What is indeed under our control is the present. How do we go about with our present? Every day is a gift that we receive from the Lord. The choices we make for the good determine our happiness now and prepare in a subtle manner our future which is not known to us. We are living in a world that has 'globalized indifference' as Pope Francis said in 2013 at Lampedusa, a small Italian island that received hundreds of immigrants who were left to their plight. A similar type of situation prevails in all parts of the world. Conscious choices to choose good over evil is a powerful and hope-giving way of ushering in the future world! We can partly determine this future. That is pretty much in our hands. We may not know the day and the hour but we can determine how it can be!