Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s first reading is very timely. We have seen a lot of decorations and other preparations for Halloween – sometimes they can be quite frightening! We know as Catholics that All Hallows Eve is the beginning of the celebration of All Saints Day. The pagan influences in our society bring out darker and scarier images and stories, but this is important for us to think about too as people of faith. Today, people are tempted to believe only in what they can see, touch, smell, taste, or feel. People are tempted to think that God doesn’t exist because they can’t see Him or feel Him. On the other hand, we, as Christians, might forget that there are also evil beings out there: evil spirits, demons, etc. We forget that they exist because they are invisible. If we don’t protect ourselves from them though, they can take advantage of us and lead us to sin. The way our society celebrates Halloween reminds us that there really is evil out there, and that not only does it make us afraid, but it is also dangerous.

Today’s first reading encourages us that we don’t have to be afraid of invisible but very real evil because God is infinitely more powerful. We take with us the Words He speaks to us from the bible as protection, and we trust in His strength because we know that he will defend us. We also pray the St. Michael prayer all the time to invoke the protection of the Archangel who shields us against attacks with the Truth about God’s greatness, mercy, and love.

CHRYSOSTOM:

The enemy does not make war on us straightforwardly or openly but by his wiles. What are the devil’s wiles? They consist in trying to capture us by some shortcut and always by deceit.… The devil never openly lays temptation before us. He does not mention idolatry out loud. But by his stratagems he presents idolatrous choices to us, by persuasive words and by employing clever euphemisms.¹

THEODORET:

In ordinary battles the generals do not arm women or children or the aged. But our general, Christ the Lord, distributes this royal armory to all alike. He then teaches them the stratagems of the devil. This is what he means by the devil’s wiles.²

THEODORET:

Paul calls them world rulers not because they have received authority to rule from God but because they have made captive loose-living people as their willing slaves. The holy apostle has imitated the best sort of general. Wishing to drive out the unfit from his army, the astute general describes to them the exceptional courage of the enemy.³

JEROME:

The “evil day” may arguably signify the present time.… But the better interpretation is that “to stand in the evil day” is a reference to the final consummation and judgment. Then the devil, our enemy and our adversary, will struggle to keep us in his clutches. Who will be freed from him? One who understands what is said of the poor and needy: “the Lord will deliver him in the evil day.” … Still another interpretation, however, expounds this more simply: The Ephesians are now being encouraged to prepare for future temptations and persecutions. Paul the apostle in his prophetic spirit saw them as coming at a later time. They are being counseled to do anything they can that might enable them to stand in the faith of the gospel and not to lapse under persecution.⁴

Footnotes

HOMILY ON EPHESIANS 22.6.11. Edwards, M. J. (Ed.). (1999). Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians (pp. 207–208). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 6.11. Edwards, M. J. (Ed.). (1999). Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians (p. 208). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 6.12. Edwards, M. J. (Ed.). (1999). Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians (pp. 208–209). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 3.6.13. Edwards, M. J. (Ed.). (1999). Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians (p. 209). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Daily Readings

Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
by USCCB on November 23, 2024 at 9:30 am
Reading Rv 11:4-12 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me: Here are my two witnesses: These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone wanting to harm them is sure to be slain. They have the power to close up the sky so that no rain can fall during the time of their prophesying. They also have power to turn water into blood and to afflict the earth with any plague as often as they wish. When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will wage war against them and conquer them and kill them. Their corpses will lie in the main street of the great city, which has the symbolic names “Sodom” and “Egypt,” where indeed their Lord was crucified. Those from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation will gaze on their corpses for three and a half days, and they will not allow their corpses to be buried. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and be glad and exchange gifts because these two prophets tormented the inhabitants of the earth. But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them. When they stood on their feet, great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, “Come up here.” So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 144:1, 2, 9-10 R. (1b) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!Blessed be the LORD, my rock,who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!My mercy and my fortress,my stronghold, my deliverer,My shield, in whom I trust,who subdues my people under me.R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!O God, I will sing a new song to you;with a ten stringed lyre I will chant your praise,You who give victory to kings,and deliver David, your servant from the evil sword.R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock! Alleluia See 2 Tm 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 20:27-40 Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything. Readings for the Optional Memorial of Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, priest and martyrReadings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Columban, abbotReadings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Clement I, pope and martyr - - - Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

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