The Time to Reap November 28, 2006

Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“Use your sickle and reap the harvest,for the time to reap has come,because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.” Revelation 14:15

“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!” Luke 21:8

Piety

Let us pray. God, you are the Light of the world. You tell us that “to everything there is a season.” Jesus, you are the Word that gives us the reason for the season. Holy Spirit, help us spend at least one hour quietly sitting with you for every hour we spend in the crowded stores and shopping malls over the next 27 days, 2 hours and 54 minutes until Christmas and our Emmanuel comes. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/112806.shtml

The end of the liturgical year is a time when we contemplate the end of the ages. Just like our newspapers, magazines and television programs have started to sum up the year and will continue to analyze it through the end of December, the readings we have been getting from Luke, Mark and John (through Revelation) provide food for thought.

How have we lived our life this year? What if the harvest happens tomorrow? We have had friends and parishioners and Cursillistas who were with us for the last New Year but who are no longer with us. Steven Kulinginski. Tony Weeda. We have friends who are sick and wait for healing physically and spiritually.

How will we fare when the sickle of the harvest is swung? Will our grapes be trampled on outside the city gates? What false leaders have come before us?

If we stood in the courtyard with Peter, would we be convicted of saying Jesus was our king? On Sunday, in the Gospel, Pilate confronted Jesus with the allegation that he (Jesus) was a King? What if that was our trial in the courtroom? Would we be convicted in the praetorium of making Jesus our King? Or have we “Hailed to the Redskins,” or fought for the Fighting Irish or the Screaming Eagles of BC once too often. Maybe sports are not what we have set up as our false king.

In this time of Black Friday and Cyber-Monday, maybe it is the shopping mall or the Internet sales site…Fair Oaks. Tysons Corner. Pentagon City. Amazon.com. Or maybe it is restaurants. Or cars. Or music. Or television. Or movies. Or elections. Or hobbies.

Or have we falsely elevated something or someone else to that level? Has something else deceived us into misplacing our beliefs?

Action

New Liturgical Years Day is coming. Sunday we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent. Have you made your resolutions yet? Why wait until January 1, when you can get an early start on December 3?