The widow gives everything she has to live off of that day.

Contrast this with the others who simply give out of their surplus.

We should not measure the gifts we give by size or amount, but by the sacrifice they entail.

Jesus is teaching us everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;

and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48)

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20*

(...) As Daniel was resolved

 St. Cecilia, she was a noble Roman who,

one of the most famous virgin martyrs of the early church and historically one of the most discussed.

She is a patron saint of music and of musicians.

Cecelia was born into a wealthy and noble family in the city of Rome during a time

when Roman emperors and local prefects often persecuted Christians.

Cecilia was arrested.

The Prefect tried to convince her to save her life by offering sacrifice to the Roman gods, but she refused.

Outraged, Almachius ordered her beheading.

 

St. Cecilia, virgin & martyr

 1st Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31

 

Ps 17:1bcd, 5-6, 8b & 15

Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊     

Luke 19:11-28

Jesus was now near

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory,

and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

To bear witness to Christ as King.

In God’s kingdom, no one is hungry, naked, sick, or alone.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17

Indeed Yahweh says this:

 
Today, we celebrate that dedication of herself which Mary made to God from her very childhood under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who filled her with grace.

In the 1974 encyclical, Pope Paul VI wrote that "despite its apocryphal content,

it presents lofty and exemplary values and carries on the venerable traditions having their origins in the Eastern churches.

  

 Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

2 Maccabees 6:18-31*

Eleazar, one of the prominent

The Sadducees hope to catch Jesus in their carefully crafted question,

and thus to demonstrate how “foolish” ideas of a resurrection from the dead are.

For this group believes that there is no resurrection of the dead.

The resurrection is the firm assurance of our hope in the life to come.

The God of life, Jesus, consistently points to our “passing on “ from this life to the next.

 

Blessed Virgin Mary/ St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin & martyr

 1st Reading: 1 Maccabees 6:1-13

 Ps 9:2-3, 4 & 6, 16 & 19 I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

 

Gospel: Luke 20:27-40

Then some Sadducees arrived.

The gospel today assures us that the end time will come.

Although no one knows the time or the hour, still it will come, it is more about salvation.

These occurrences should be welcomed with joy because they signal

that the deliverance of the just is right around the corner.

  

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, religious

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Wisdom of Solomon 13:1-91

The natural

The house of God is house of prayer. Turning it into a trading house desecrates the place.

In the same way as he commanded the demons so they could not stay,

so one can hear Jesus’ voice of authority echoing within the temple courtyard.

 

St. Andrew Dung-Lac, priest & Companions, martyrs

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59*

Then Judas and his brothers said:

 The Parousia seems long overdue, and disciples are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their faith. 

It calls us to maintain hope through the darkest of days,

reminds us that God will vindicate faithful disciples, and reassures the disciples that God hears their prayers.

 

Blessed Virgin Mary/ Dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul/

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, virgin

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-16; 19:6-9

While all was in quiet silence

 In our gospel today, Jesus weeps over the fate of Jerusalem in the years to come.

This is the human side of our Lord.

Jesus calls the Pharisees “blind guides" they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.

Jesus wept over his city. He felt deep sorrow at its resistance to God’s word as he foresaw the disaster it would soon face.

Here, he looks at the city of Jerusalem and prays for its populace, wishing that it might receive what God is offering.

 

 St. Clement 1, pope & martyr/ St. Columban, abbot

 1st Reading: 1 Maccabees 2:15-29

In the meantime,

  ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 

The woman of character,