Breaking the Word

33^rd Week in Ord. Time, Saturday – 25^th November 2023 – 1 Macc 6,1-13; Lk 20,27-40

Fate of the Divine Opposers

The first reading presents the end of the reign of King Antiochus Epiphanes and the fear of death that is experienced by the people who have opposed God. As he reviews his reign, disasters now overtake him resulting in his sickness and death. He hopelessly faces death because of what he had done to the chosen people of God, the Jews. While embracing death, he ponders over the mistreatment and wrongdoings he had imposed upon God’s holy people. Being filled with grief, he realizes that he had been responsible for the destruction of the Temple, the tearing down of the walls surrounding Jerusalem, and the forcing of the Jews to worship him. Now he is dying miserable, “perishing of bitter disappointment in a strange land.” However, there is an element of true repentance in his words and for this he lays himself open to God’s mercy. How do we think our lives will be evaluated by those who have known us in life? Do we believe that we are more kind and compassionate than actually we are? What actions of ours in the past do we now see were very wrong and unjust? What amends can we make, for it is never too late to turn ourselves round. We cannot undo what has been done, but we can act to make a radical change in our lives and relationships from today onwards.

33^rd Week in Ord. Time, Friday – 24^th November 2023 – 1 Macc 4,36-37.52-59;  Lk 19,45-48

Celebrating Purification

In the first reading, the desecrated Jerusalem Temple is being purified and re-dedicated by Judas Maccabees and his companions. Temple, being the centre of Jewish religious life and an inspiration for observing Law in its fullness, is one of the principal objectives of the rebels. When the Hellenist authorities occupied and took control of Jerusalem, they looted the valuable and valued furnishings of the Temple and profaned them with pagan images. Judas and those faithful to the Hebrew traditions fought a guerrilla war and drove out the gentile forces. As they regained control of Jerusalem, they removed and destroyed all the pagan images and re-furnished the Temple. A new altar was built in its place and a new table was installed. On the anniversary of the desecration, they celebrated the Dedication of the Temple with an eight-day festival of lights, which has come down to our current age as the celebration of Hanukkah, the most important feasts on the Jewish calendar. These lamps, symbolizing the Law, were placed not only in the Temple, but in private houses assuring the popularity of the feast. This feast though began in Maccabean times, is also mentioned in Jesus’ time in the Gospel of John, “at that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem” (Jn 10,22).