Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
November 24, 2023

Today’s Readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112423.cfm

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Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, both readings are set in the Temple. After the victory of Judas Maccabeus, the Jewish people restore their Temple with exuberant celebration, recognizing it as a symbol of God’s Presence among them. This is the origin of the celebration of Hanukkah, a word that means “dedication”.

For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar
and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices
of deliverance and praise.
They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields;
they repaired the gates and the priests’ chambers
and furnished them with doors.
There was great joy among the people
now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.
Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel
decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar
should be observed with joy and gladness
on the anniversary every year for eight days,
from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.

1 Maccabees 4: 56-59

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In today’s Gospel. Jesus also “restores” the Temple by driving out the merchants who have diverted the Temple’s purpose as representative of God’s Presence.

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”

Luke 19:45-46

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Our bodies too are temples of the Holy Spirit.
Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians tells us:

Do you not know
that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God?
You are not your own; you were bought at a price.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

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Through our Baptism into the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We are called to be transformed by this Indwelling. As in any relationship, this transformation is accomplished through transparency, communication, listening and acting on behalf of the Beloved.

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Poetry: Heart Cave by Geoffrey Brown – a deeply spiritual poet, Brown offers us this imaginative image of waiting for, and welcoming, the transformative Presence of God in our lives:

I must remember to go down to the heart cave
And sweep it clean, make it warm, with fire on the hearth
And candles in their niches
The pictures on the walls glowing with quiet lights

I must remember to go down to the heart cave
And make the bed with the quilt from home
Strew rushes on the floor
And hang lavender and sage from the corners

I must remember to go down to the heart cave
And be there when you come.

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Music:  J. S. Bach – Arioso from Cantata 156 – Susanne Beer on cello

If you have a little extra leisure on this Friday after Thanksgiving, you may enjoy the entire Cantata performed beautifully here by the Choir and Orchestra of the J. S. Bach Foundation