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Thursday – 21 November 2013
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Verses:
1 Maccabees 2:15-29
Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15
Luke 19:41-44
1 Maccabees 2:15-29
15 And they that
were sent from king Antiochus came thither, to compel them that were fled into
the city of Modin, to sacrifice, and to burn incense, and to depart from the
law of God.
16 And many of the
people of Israel consented, and came to them: but Mathathias and his sons stood
firm.
17 And they that
were sent from Antiochus, answering, said to Mathathias: Thou art a ruler, and
an honourable, and great man in this city, and adorned with sons, and brethren.
18 Therefore come
thou first, and obey the king's commandment, as all nations have done, and the
men of Juda, and they that remain in Jerusalem: and thou, and thy sons, shall
be in the number of the king's friends, and enriched with gold, and silver, and
many presents.
19 Then Mathathias
answered, and said with a loud voice: Although all nations obey king Antiochus,
so as to depart every man from the service of the law of his fathers, and
consent to his commandments:
20 I and my sons,
and my brethren will obey the law of our fathers.
21 God be merciful
unto us: it is not profitable for us to forsake the law, and the justices of
God:
22 We will not
hearken to the words of king Antiochus, neither will we sacrifice, and
transgress the commandments of our law, to go another way.
23 Now as he left
off speaking these words, there came a certain Jew in the sight of all to
sacrifice to the idols upon the altar in the city of Modin, according to the
king's commandment.
24 And Mathathias
saw and was grieved, and his reins trembled, and his wrath was kindled
according to the judgment of the law, and running upon him he slew him upon the
altar:
25 Moreover the
man whom king Antiochus had sent, who compelled them to sacrifice, he slew at
the same time, and pulled down the altar.
26 And shewed zeal
for the law, as Phinees did by Zamri the son of Salomi.
27 And Mathathias
cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: Every one that hath zeal for
the law, and maintaineth the testament, let him follow me.
28 So he, and his
sons fled into the mountains, and left all that they had in the city.
29 Then many that
sought after judgment, and justice, went down into the desert.
Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15
50 Unto the end, a
psalm of David,
2 When Nathan the
prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bethsabee.
5 For I know my iniquity,
and my sin is always before me.
6 To thee only
have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in
thy words and mayst overcome when thou art judged.
14 Restore unto me
the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
15 I will teach
the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.
Luke 19:41-44
41 And when he
drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying:
42 If thou also
hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace; but
now they are hidden from thy eyes.
43 For the days
shall come upon thee, and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and
compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side,
44 And beat thee
flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee: and they shall not leave
in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou hast not known the time of thy
visitation.
INSIGHTFUL
WISDOM
ZEAL
AND LOVE
He burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. – 1 Maccabees 2:24
In one of our mission communities, a particular woman caught my
attention because she had never been absent since our first gathering, and she
would faithfully bring all her children with her. She would intensely listen to
the preaching of God’s Word. We learned that her husband left them without any
financial support.
At one point, her son had leukemia. She claimed God’s promise, “Ask,
and it will be given to you… knock, and the door will be opened for you” (Matt.
7:7). Her prayer was for an extension of her son’s life because according to
the doctor, the child had only three months to live. But she learned that she
ought to surrender to God’s will, whatever it might be. And God answered her
prayer. Her son lived for more than a year after that. When it was time for him
to go home to the Lord, he was spiritually prepared and she was also
emotionally prepared.
Now, she still attends our prayer meetings and serves in our
restroom ministry with zeal born out of experiencing God’s love and mercy. –
Sabel
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for Your
love and mercy towards Your servants. Amen.
Wise Words:
“If we will only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will
trust Him perfectly, we shall find our souls ‘mounting up with wings as eagles’
to the ‘heavenly places’ in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoyances or sorrows
have no power to disturb us.” – Hannah Whitall Smith
Source:
Douay-Rheims
1899 American Edition (DRA)
Living Water 2013
