Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress": November 27

November 27, 2013: Wednesday, 34th week, Ordinary Time

Readings

Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 At King Belshazzar's banquet, fingers appear and write on the wall. Terrified, king asks Daniel to interpret: “You rebelled against the Lord. God sent the hand to write mene, tekel, peres: God has put an end to your kingdom; you've been found wanting; and your kingdom has been given to the Medes and Persians.

Dn 3:62-67 "Give glory and eternal praise to him." Sun, moon, stars, showers winds, fire, heat, cold, and chill, bless the Lord!

Lk 21:12-19 Jesus: “They'll persecute you and hand you over because of me, leading to your giving testimony. I'll give you wisdom nobody can refute. All will hate you, but by perseverance you'll be safe.”

Reflections

Pope Francis homily: Prayer and discernment help us decipher our lives and guide us to God. Hope illuminates our path and final moment. Time is God's, not ours! Walk with God-given wisdom and hope to live within God's design.

Pope Francis audience re creed's “resurrection of the body”: Christ’s resurrection shows us the meaning of death. We're made for, and we yearn for, the eternal. We die as we live; life now prepares us for life to come. Remain close to God, especially through charity to the poor and solidarity with those in need, and welcome death and eternal life.

"Gospel Joy 0.I" (Evangelii Gaudium drill-down): Yesterday I wrote a 230-word teaser for the pope's new exhortation, saying it didn't do it justice. Today, as an encouragement to dig deeper, I begin an occasional feature teasing individual sections starting with the first part of his intro:

Embark upon new evangelization marked by the Gospel joy that fills all who encounter Jesus and so are set free from sin and emptiness. Resist anguish from complacency, covetousness, pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and blunted conscience. When we're caught up in our own concerns, there's no room for others, the poor, or God’s voice, joy, or love; the desire to do good fades; and we become resentful, angry, and listless—no way to live a fulfilled life in the Spirit.

Let Christ encounter you daily; he's waiting and never tires of forgiving: "Save me, embrace me, again." No one can strip us of the dignity his love gives; his tenderness can restore our joy, and we can start anew. Don't give up; may he impel us onward!

Isaiah, Zechariah, and Zephaniah predicted joy of salvation, and the Gospel invites us to rejoice (Gabriel, Mary, the Baptist, Jesus, first Christians, Paul's jailer…). Why shouldn't we too enter into this joy? But some live like Lent without Easter. Joy may not be expressed the same in hard times, but it endures as a flicker, born of certainty that we're loved. Suffering people grieve, but faith can revive.

The most beautiful joy I've seen has been in poor people. Joy flows from God's love. Encountering God’s love liberates us from self-absorption. We become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves. How can we then fail to evangelize, to share that love? (0.I, 1-8; pp. 1-8)

Creighton: Heed the writing on the wall, the cry for justice, despite impediments. Draw strength from what's more real than the surrounding fraud.

RC.net: Jesus counters hostility with love, forbearance, and forgiveness. God's love purifies. He'll give grace, endurance, strength, wisdom, and courage as we witness to Christ's truth and love in trials and temptations. Gospel is good news of love and salvation in Christ with power to set us free from sin and destruction; testify to its joy and power: love enemies, forgive, be patient, and show compassion.

Universalis: St. Ferga (Vergilius), nobleman turned abbot and bishop

Marian retreat, day 23: Vatican II's Lumen Gentium on Mary's maternal mediation: The mother in order of grace, through her singular cooperation in the Savior's work, continues to love, care for, pray for us. Christ the sole Mediator shares his role with her and others. [How do I act as mediator or avoid it? Do I show mercy?]