Thank you for joining the St. Monica’s Live Stream Mass for Monday 11/23/2020
Readings for Monday 11/23/2020
Reading 1
I, John, looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion,
and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand
who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
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.
No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand
who had been ransomed from the earth.
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been ransomed as the first fruits
of the human race for God and the Lamb.
On their lips no deceit has been found; they are unblemished.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
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.”
Doing “Great” Things!
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. 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.” Luke 21:1-4
Did she really give more than all the rest? According to Jesus, she did! So how can that be? This Gospel passage reveals to us how God sees our giving compared to the worldly view.
What is giving and generosity all about? Is it about how much money we have? Or is it something deeper, something more interior? Certainly it is the latter.
Giving, in this case, is in reference to money. But this is simply an illustration of all forms of giving we are called to offer. For example, we are also called to give of our time and talents to God for the love of others, the upbuilding of the Church and the spreading of the Gospel.
Look at giving from this perspective. Consider the giving of some of the great saints who lived hidden lives. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, for example, gave her life to Christ in countless small ways. She lived within the walls of her convent and had little interaction with the world. Therefore, from a worldly perspective, she gave very little and made little difference. However, today she is considered one of the greatest doctors of the Church thanks to the small gift of her spiritual autobiography and the witness of her life.
The same may be able to be said of you. Perhaps you are one who is busy with what seems to be small and insignificant daily tasks. Perhaps cooking, cleaning, caring for the family and the like occupy your day. Or perhaps your employment takes up most of what you do each day and you find you have little time left for “great” things offered to Christ. The question is really this: How does God see your daily service?
Reflect, today, on your calling in life. Perhaps you are not called to go forth and do “great things” from a public and worldly perspective. Or perhaps you do not even do “great things” that are visible within the Church. But what God sees are the daily acts of love you do in the smallest of ways. Embracing your daily duty, loving your family, offering daily prayers, etc., are treasures that you can offer God every day. He sees these and, most importantly, He sees the love and devotion with which you do them. So do not give in to a false and worldly notion of greatness. Do small things with great love and you will be giving an abundance to God in service of His holy will.
Lord, I give myself to You and to Your service this day and every day. May I do all I am called to do with great love. Please continue to show me my daily duty and help me to embrace that duty in accord with Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Source of content: mycatholic.life