Key:
What these passages tell us about God
What these passages tell us to do
What these passages tell us not to do
Commentary/observations
Judas and his brothers said, "Now
that our enemies have been crushed, let us go up to purify the
sanctuary and rededicate it." So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount
Zion.
Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, that is, the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made. On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it, on that very day it was reconsecrated with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals. All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven, who had given them success.
For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields; they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers and furnished them with doors. There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed. Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary every year for eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.
Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, that is, the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made. On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it, on that very day it was reconsecrated with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals. All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven, who had given them success.
For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields; they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers and furnished them with doors. There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed. Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary every year for eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.
Responsorial Psalm 1 CHR 29:10BCD, 11ABC, 11D-12A, 12BCD
R. (13b) We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Blessed may you be, O LORD, God of Israel our father, from eternity to eternity."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor, and glory. For all in heaven and on earth is yours."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty; you are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor are from you."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"You have dominion over all, In your hand are power and might; it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Blessed may you be, O LORD, God of Israel our father, from eternity to eternity."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor, and glory. For all in heaven and on earth is yours."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty; you are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor are from you."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"You have dominion over all, In your hand are power and might; it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
Alleluia JN 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 19:45-48
Jesus
entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, "It
is written, My house shall be a house
of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." And every day he was teaching in
the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the
people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to
accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.
1. God wants unimpeded
fellowship with His people (first reading, the alleluia verse, and the gospel).
2. That fellowship can
be restored even if it has been impeded/interfered with by grievous sin (first
reading, gospel).
3. God calls us to
clean away, remove, those things that impede/interfere with that fellowship
(first reading, gospel).
4. We can do that
through confession/reconciliation, avoiding secular things that distract us
from God, and refusing to engage in intra-church politics/controversies that
distract our focus from God.
5. It can be hard to
do these things. The Maccabees had to overcome foreign interference and, once
the foreign foes were vanquished, do a lot of work to do to get things back in
order. Jesus had to take on corrupt powers within what was then the church,
powers that were willing to go to extremes to keep things the way they were. We
have to overcome pervasive secular distractions and forces who would corrupt
the Church by seeking to use it to further their earthly purposes if we are to
have the pure, unimpeded, fellowship with God that He wants.
6. It is worth the
effort though. God gives us great joy (first reading) and causes us to be thoroughly
engaged (gospel) when that occurs.
7. Further, God has
the power to accomplish those things. That is described in the psalm and demonstrated
by the events recounted in the first reading and gospel. We must trust Him,
seek His help in prayer, and seek Him. The result will be good; as Jesus
tells us that “In the world you will have hardship, but be courageous: I have
conquered the world.” John 16:33.
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