Nov
Thursday, 27 November – The Everlasting Kingdom
27 Nov – Thursday in the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
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Revelation 18:1-2. 21.23
I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven, with great authority given to him; the earth was lit up with his glory. At the top of his voice he shouted, ‘Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, and has become the haunt of devils and a lodging for every foul spirit and dirty, loathsome bird. Then a powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone, and as he hurled it into the sea, he said, ‘That is how the great city of Babylon is going to be hurled down, never to be seen again.
Never again in you, Babylon,
will be heard the song of harpists and minstrels,
the music of flute and trumpet;
never again will craftsmen of every skill be found
or the sound of the mill be heard;
never again will shine the light of the lamp,
never again will be heard
the voices of bridegroom and bride.
Your traders were the princes of the earth,
all the nations were under your spell.
After this I seemed to hear the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing, ‘Alleluia! Victory and glory and power to our God! He judges fairly, he punishes justly, and he has condemned the famous prostitute who corrupted the earth with her fornication; he has avenged his servants that she killed.’ They sang again, ‘Alleluia! The smoke of her will go up for ever and ever.’ The angel said, ‘Write this: Happy are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb’, and he added, ‘All the things you have written are true messages from God.’
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Luke 21:20-28
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you must realise that she will soon be laid desolate. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it. For this is the time of vengeance when all that scripture says must be fulfilled. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come!
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every pagan country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the pagans until the age of the pagans is completely over.
‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’
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And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
In the first book of the Bible you will perhaps remember the story of a people who all spoke the same language, and they wanted to build a city-tower so great that it could reach the heavens. In the story of the tower of Babel, God saw the people and their pride and threw them into confusion by making them speak different languages. This city-tower of Babel is none other than the Babylon mentioned in today’s first reading, which is found in the last book of the Bible.
Today’s gospel reading speaks of the destruction of another city – the holy city of Jerusalem. But it also mentions the coming of the Son of Man, who unites the people who have been thrown into disarray by the events that have happened. Christ restores the original unity of mankind by restoring our unity with God.
As mentioned earlier, God first threw people into confusion and disarray by making them speak different languages. Christ restores this unity by making men from different countries speak the same language – the language of love. This also makes us think of Pentecost, when the apostles spoke in tongues and men from different countries all heard them speaking in their own language.
Throughout the history of humanity, empires have risen and fallen, mostly due to human pride. Babylon and Jerusalem of old were no different from the Soviet Union and the United States of America of today. If there is anything that today’s readings teaches us, it is not to place our trust in cities or nations, but in the Son of Man whose kingdom lasts forever.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to remember that nothing lasts forever, and that when crises take place in our lives, they are reminders for us to place our trust in nothing and no one else but You. Amen.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for the crises that take place in our lives, that enable us to renew our faith in God.
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Upcoming Readings:
Fri 28 Nov – Revelation 20:1-4. 11 – 21:2; Luke 21:29-33
Sat 29 Nov – Revelation 22:1-7; Luke 21:34-36
Sun 30 Nov – Isaiah 63:16b-17; 64:2-7; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37; First Sunday of Advent
