November 27, 2010
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. Revelation 22:1-3a
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36
Piety
May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries,
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.
(Apache Blessing)
Study
Are you ready for some Advent? Today’s readings close out the liturgical year with important messages about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
These readings recall the beginning of time when the Lord placed the tree of life in the center of the Garden (Genesis 2:9). However, now there is no warning to avoid this tree and the fruit it bears. Now, the tree will become the center of life. The tree of life is not something that tempts us with evil but that beckons us with goodness for our physical and spiritual health.
We welcome the Lord with our prayer-invitation for Him to come into our life today and always. Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus. We ask him to come into our life and we recognize that he is ever-present in our life.
The invitation foreshadows our season of preparation that begins again when the Son rises with us today, tomorrow and always. Always, John Mcquiston reminds us, we begin again.
Action
While we know this presence through our faith and experience, we do not always act according to this knowledge. Maybe that is why Luke shares with us a warning – a warning suitable for every day but especially for the revelry associated with our holiday parties, shopping obsession and New Year’s Eve celebrations. Do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness. Do not let the anxieties of daily life overcome your sense of the mystical presence of the Lord in your life. Harden not your hearts.
What has your Black Friday Weekend become? Has it become an amalgamation of shopping, eating and football? Use this as a time of resolution, just like you might on our traditional calendar for New Year’s Day. Do something for yourself to renew your spiritual commitments as we head into Advent. Use today to choose a book to study between now and Christmas. Commit to some volunteer effort for your action. Choose a new spiritual tool to help strengthen your piety and practices.
