Daily Mass Readings for Monday, 23 November 2020
Ordinary Weekday / Clement I, Pope, Martyr / Columban, Abbot, Missionary / Blessed Miguel Augustín Pro, Priest, Religious, Martyr
First Reading: Revelation 14: 1-3, 4b-5
1 And I beheld, and lo a lamb stood upon mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the noise of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder; and the voice which I heard, was as the voice of harpers, harping on their harps.
3 And they sung as it were a new canticle, before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the ancients; and no man could say the canticle, but those hundred forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the earth.
4 These are they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb:
5 And in their mouth there was found no lie; for they are without spot before the throne of God.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 24: 1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
1 On the first day of the week, a psalm for David. The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof: the world, and all they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas; and hath prepared it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 The innocent in hands, and clean of heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbour.
5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Gospel: Luke 21: 1-4
1 And looking on, he saw the rich men cast their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in two brass mites.
3 And he said: Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast into the offerings of God: but she of her want, hath cast in all the living that she had.
📚 REFLECTION
In Proverbs 15:3 we read, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” God watches everything, our every works, thoughts running in our minds, our intentions; there is nothing which is hidden from his eyes. Whether it is minor talks or minor works, his eyes is on everything. And whatever work we do and with what intention, God knows everything. Even if there are millions of people living in this world but God eyes is on each and every individual.
This we understand in today’s Gospel, where many people from rich to poor were putting their offerings in the treasury. Nobody might have noticed the poor widow but Jesus noticed the widow and her work that she put in treasury two small copper coins, for which Jesus appreciated her act because she has put in more than all of the others; others have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on. From this we come to know that our even smallest works are noticed by the Lord. Usually in this world people do work in order to show others or to get praise from others but the word of God says, “when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done is secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:3-4). We should not be discouraged even if our good work is not noticed or appreciated by anyone because the One who has to see has already seen and he will reward us.
Jesus appreciated the act of widow because out of her poverty she has put in all she had to live on. Here we have to understand the meaning of the phrase ‘put in all’ in correct and deeper sense. ‘Put in all’ does not mean that we have to give all the wealth in alms and become a beggar but it means that we have to surrender everything to God’s will, in other words to make God the owner of our wealth; to use the wealth as God wants. To use wealth not for my will, my desire or my consumption but to use them as God wants for my need and for any other purposes or needs. If God wants to help someone by giving them some amount or to use this much amount for oneself or any other thing, then doing it accordingly; this is the meaning of ‘putting in all.’
Through today’s words let’s make Jesus the owner of everything we have. Amen!
✍ -Br. Biniush Topno
