Tuesday November 19, 2024
Weekday (33)
Office: Psalter Week 1
Mass and Preface of the day
Vestment: Green
Today’s Rosary:  The Sorrowful Mystery

Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading

Entrance Antiphon Jer 29: 11, 12, 14
The Lord said: I think thoughts of peace and not of affliction. You will call upon me, and I will answer you, and I will lead back your captives from every place.

Collect
Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. Through our Lord……

FIRST READING       
“If any one opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him.”
A reading from the Book of Revelation (Revelation 3: 1-6.14-22)

I, John, heard the Lord saying to me: “To the angel of the Church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead. Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He who conquers shall be clothed like them in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ “And to the angel of the Church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you  may  be  rich, and  white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ”’

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM  Psalm 15:2-3a.3bc-4ab.5 (R. Rv 3 :21)
R/. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne.

Whoever walks without fault;
who does what is just,
and speaks the truth from his heart.
Who does not slander with his tongue. R/.

Who does no wrong to a neighbour,
who casts no slur on a friend,
who looks with scorn on the wicked,
but honours those who fear the Lord. R/.

Who lends no money at interest,
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a one shall never be shaken. R/.

ALLELUIA 1 John 4:10b
Alleluia. God loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Alleluia.

GOSPEL              
“The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 19:1-10)

At that time: Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY REFLECTION
The story of Zacchaeus is a case study in repentance. Despite his wealth and power as chief tax collector Zacchaeus missed the true joy of living. However, in his reach for true joy he finds Jesus. To find him, he overcomes various hurdles such as a wealthy lifestyle, a bad reputation, smallness of stature, huge crowd etc. Jesus calls out to Zacchaeus and invites himself to be a guest at his house. The encounter between the two brings about a dramatic change in Zacchaeus’ life. He is willing to make restitution for all his wrongdoings, going beyond what is expected of him. And the result is not only the experience of a joy-filled life in this world, but the hope of salvation in the next. Are we willing to repent and change our life? The Lord is waiting for us to take the first step towards an encounter.

PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. Psalm 34:7-9

Let Us Pray,
Jesus, your word declares that angels intervened in the lives of human beings. Father, I thank you for the hosts of heaven that are operating on my behalf. Make me sensitive to the existence and presence of angelic beings. There are more angels working for me than there are demons working against me. Lord, I thank you for opening my eyes to see the angelic hosts and chariots of fire circling my situations to fight on my behalf. In the name of Jesus, I release the angels of prosperity on my behalf. Because I walk before the Lord, the angels of the Lord will prosper my ways. Lord,I thank you for angelic intervention in my dreams. Let the same anointing that was on Jacob be on me to dream dreams of angels. Father, I thank you for your spiritual ladder that comes from heaven to the earth. Amen