Last Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Sunday – 24 November 2013

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Verses:          
2 Samuel 5:1-3
Psalm 122:1-5
Colossians 1:12-20
Luke 23:35-43

FIRST READING: A Reading from the Second book of Prophet Samuel (2 Samuel 5:1-3)

David Becomes King Over Israel

5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. ² In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”

³ When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Psalm 122:1-5)

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
² Our feet are standing
    in your gates, Jerusalem.

³ Jerusalem is built like a city
    that is closely compacted together.
⁴ That is where the tribes go up—
    the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.
⁵ There stand the thrones for judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.

SECOND READING: A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (Colossians 1:12-20)

¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

GOSPEL: A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Luke (Luke 23:35-43)

³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

  

INSIGHTFUL WISDOM

FIRST PLACE

“He is the beginning… so that he might come to have first place in everything.” – Colossians 1:18

I dabble in the arts, and as far as my artistic yield is concerned, I am the master, the one who decides the shapes and colors and textures of whatever I make. I have first and last say about what happens to my so-called creations.

As a created being, I should be happy to allow Jesus, through whom and for whom  I was created, to have first place in everything about me. However, I still find myself struggling when my feelings do not jive with what God wants – like loving my enemies and praying for my persecutors. But as I reflect upon Jesus’ love, I realize the folly of trying to be my own master.

In desiring not His will but His Father’s, Jesus fulfilled the reason for which He was placed here on earth. He then received His heavenly reward and is exalted as King of kings. By giving Jesus first place in my life, I can hope to fulfill, by grace, the reason for which God created me. I am willing to be whatever God wants for me, for in this way I shall be truly blessed and eagerly look forward to my heavenly reward. – Nelia  

Prayer:

I am willing, Lord Jesus, to be just exactly what You want me to be. Amen.

Wise Words:

“There are no ‘if’s in God’s world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety – let us pray that we may always know it!” – Corrie ten Boom

Source:

New International Version

Living Water 2013