Who is this King of Glory?:
The Thirty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024
November 24, 2024
Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 91; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33-37
Standing before the earthly powers who are deciding his fate, Jesus of Nazareth debates the nature and essence of truth. We may hear people speaking about the real truth and we never know what they mean. In this Gospel passage, human reason, human truth stands in contrast with God’s truth. Jesus tells us that he was born to testify to God’s truth. The author of Revelation says this about Jesus: He is the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and who was and who is to come. All glory and honor belong to him for he is the one who outlasts human truth. An encounter with Jesus puts us in touch with the first moments of creation and the final goal of our faith. That we belong to God makes us realize that we have comfort in God’s truth.
I cringe whenever I hear people speak of truth because we misuse it and weaponize it, which has nothing to do with the truth. I hear people tell their version of the truth in violent or attacking ways, and this causes great harm. How many times have we heard something blurt out in exasperation, “I’m only speaking the truth”? In other examples, people claim that they possess the truth, which translates into a statement like, “I’m right and you are wrong.” Such speech causes insecurity, anger, and separation.
Telling the truth is an art that requires much practice. If you need to speak with greater clarity, you must do so in a way that the other person does not feel threatened or so they can listen to your words. You must speak your experience in a loving and protective way. Please remember that you do not ever own the truth. You may have a particular insight or experience, and it is most likely that you have a biased perception, so it is important to speak gingerly. Even the most skillful words cause pain. The other person has to see your concern and care. Building a relationship is based on trust, upon using the truth as a solid base, and it is important that the relationship endure. If the words we use cause another pain, the words we choose can heal a fractured relationship.
To soften our truth-telling, we find creative ways to suit our advantage. We do not like to think we lie because we are showing concern, but lying is a dangerous trap, and our words need integrity. We must speak the language of the world, but we have to be consistent, without using double-talk, or using exaggeration, which takes you away from the truth, and you risk losing the person’s trust. We may speak differently to different people, but we are to do so in a way that reflects how they think and respects their ability to receive your words. We speak in order to reflect God’s truth. Whenever we need to say something that will be difficult for other to hear, we must be humble and discover more deeply how we can talk about sensitive matters. Of course, our language must be peaceful.
Jesus is our contemplation of the profound truth as the one who preceded and is the end of cosmic creation and our own. As we stand at the end of our year, we remember that Jesus is the one who seeks people out, approaches them, and invites them into friendship. He takes away our fears, brings light to our life, and raises us up to new heights. He watches over us and cherishes us. He is God’s closeness, compassion, and tender love, and as we grow, we will see him in new ways, and he will always be present in our lives. He refreshes our soul and enlivens our beliefs. Our truth is: He lives and chooses us as friends. He is the one to whom we give glory and honor.
Scripture for Daily Mass
Monday: (Revelation 14) I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. They were singing what seemed to be a new hymn before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders.
Tuesday: (Revelation 14) “Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.” So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Wednesday: (Revelation 15) Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God almighty. Just and true are your ways, O king of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, or glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.
Thursday: (Sirach 50) And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth. Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel to deliver us in our days.
Friday (Revelation 20) Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Saturday (Romans 10) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
Gospel:
Monday: (Luke 21) He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”
Tuesday: (Luke 21) “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.”
Wednesday (Luke 21) They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony.
Thursday (Luke 17) As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
Friday (Luke 21) Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Saturday (Matthew 4) Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
Saints of the Week
November 24: Andrew Dung-Lac and companion martyrs (1785-1839) were missionaries to Vietnam during the 17th through 19th centuries. Over 130,000 Christians were killed, including priests, sisters, brothers, and lay people. Many of these were Vietnamese citizens.
November 25: Catherine of Alexandria, martyr, (d. 310) is said to have been born in Egypt to a noble family. She was educated and converted to Christianity because of a vision. She refused to marry a man arranged to be her husband by the emperor, and she denounced him for persecuting Christians. She was arrested, tortured, and killed.
November 26: John Berchmans, S.J., religious (1599-1621), was a Jesuit scholastic who is the patron saint of altar servers. He was known for his pious adherence to the rules and for his obedience. He did well in studies but was seized with a fever during his third year of philosophy and died at the age of 22.
Fourth Thursday: Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. is derived from a mix of European and Native American traditions. Joyous festivals were held in Europe to give thanks for a good harvest and to rejoice with others for their hard work. It is a day to give thanks for the many blessings we have received through God's generosity throughout the year.
November 29: Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos, S.J., religious (1711-1735) was the first and main apostle to the devotion of the Sacred Heart. He entered the novitiate in Spain at age 14 and took vows at 17. He had mystical visions of the Sacred Heart. He was ordained in January 1735 with a special dispensation because he was not old enough. A few weeks after celebrating his first mass, he contracted typhus and died on November 29th.
November 30: Andrew, apostle (first century) was a disciple of John the Baptist and the brother of Simon Peter. Both were fishermen from Bethsaida. He became one of the first disciples of Jesus. Little is known of Andrew's preaching after the resurrection. Tradition places him in Greece while Scotland has incredible devotion to the apostle.
This Week in Jesuit History
- November 24, 1963: The death of John LaFarge, pioneer advocate of racial justice in the United States.
- November 25, 1584: The Church of the Gesu, built in Rome for the Society by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, was solemnly consecrated.
- November 26, 1678: In London the arrest and imprisonment of St Claude la Colombiere. He was released after five weeks and banished.
- November 27, 1680: In Rome the death of Fr. Athanasius Kircher, considered a universal genius, but especially knowledgeable in science and archeology.
- November 28, 1759: Twenty Fathers and 192 Scholastics set sail from the Tagus for exile. Two were to die on the voyage to Genoa and Civita Vecchia.
- November 29, 1773: The Jesuits of White Russia requested the Empress Catherine to allow the Letter of Suppression to be published, as it had been all over Europe. "She bade them lay aside their scruples, promising to obtain the Papal sanction for their remaining in status quo.
- November 30, 1642: The birth of Br Andrea Pozzo at Trent, who was called to Rome in 1681 to paint the flat ceiling of the church of San Ignacio so that it would look as though there were a dome above. There had been a plan for a dome but there was not money to build it. His work is still on view.
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