24th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOSTE (33rd
S. Ord. Time)
Wisdom, Chapter 12, Verse 9-11
9
Not that you were without power to have the wicked vanquished in battle by the
righteous, or wiped out at once by terrible beasts or by one decisive word; 10 But
condemning them by degrees, you gave them space for repentance. You were not
unaware that their origins were wicked and their malice ingrained, and that
their dispositions would never change; 11 for they were a people accursed
from the beginning. Neither out of fear
for anyone did you grant release from their sins.
The combination of divine mercy and power is an
unusual paradox, the main emphasis is on creating in man a life that is
motivated by love; the divine “imperishable spirit” the breath of life in
everything. God’s mercy desires the conversion of all hearts. God gives space
for repentance and opportunity for sinners to make reparation for a multitude
of evils.
"Charm
is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be
praised.
33st Sunday in Ordinary Time
GOSPEL. Matthew 25:14-21
Jesus
told his disciples this parable:"A man going on a journey called in his
servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to
another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went
away. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled
accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing
the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have
made five more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful
servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great
responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'
Twenty-Fourth
Sunday after Pentecost
GOSPEL. Matt, xxiv.
15-35[1]
At that
time Jesus said to His disciples: When you shall see the abomination of desolation,
which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth,
let him understand. Then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains.
And he that is on the house-top, let him not come down to take anything out of his
house: and he that is in the field let him not go back to take his coat. And woe
to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days. But pray that your
flight be not in the winter, or on the Sabbath. For there shall be then great tribulation,
such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be.
And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved; but for the
sake of the elect those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say to you:
Lo here is Christ, or there, do not believe him. For there shall arise false Christs
and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive
(if possible) even the elect. Behold I have told it to you beforehand. If therefore
they shall say to you: Behold, He is in the desert, go ye not out; behold, He is
in the closets, believe it not. For as lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth
even into the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Wheresoever the
body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. And immediately
after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be moved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn: and they shall see the Son of
man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty. And He shall send
His angels with a trumpet, and a great voice: and they shall gather together His
elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost
bounds of them. And from the fig-tree learn a parable: when the branch thereof is
now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh. So you also,
when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors.
Amen, I say to you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be
done. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.
Explanation: “The abomination
of desolation,” of which Christ makes mention, is the desecration of the
temple, at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, when it was profaned in the
most frightful manner, by robbery, murder, conflagration, and the setting up of
idols about forty years after the death of Christ. While the Jewish population were
perishing, the Christians, following the warning of Christ, fled over the mountains
to the city of Pella. Thereby Jesus would indicate how great the danger would be
should they be obliged to fly in winter, or on the Sabbath-day, on which they were
forbidden to make a journey of more than five hundred paces.
World
Toilet Day aims to raise awareness of sanitation and hygiene issues around the
world. Poor sanitation and hygiene refers to lack of access to clean drinking water,
toilets and showers. Poor sanitation drastically increases the risk of disease
and malnutrition, especially for women and children. Today, 2.6 billion people,
about one-third of the population on the planet, do not have access to proper
sanitation, a problem that kills nearly 1 million young children every year. World
Toilet Day was designated by the United Nations in July 2013. It is celebrated
annually on November 19 as people all over the world take action and support
the basic human right of access to clean water and sanitation.
World Toilet Day
Facts & Quotes
·
The
theme for World Toilet Day in 2016 was Toilets and jobs. (Plumbers Rule)
·
1
in 8 people in the world practices open defecation, meaning that the person
must relieve him/herself without cover or shelter from other people. (Pray for the homeless/druggies in our cities
San Francisco)
·
The
average person spends one hour and 42 minutes a week on the toilet, or nearly
92 days over his/her lifetime.
·
Diarrhea
is the second leading cause of deaths in children under age 5 in developing
countries. Diarrhea is primarily due to poor hygiene and sanitation
·
The 2030 Agenda calls on us to renew our efforts in providing access to adequate sanitation worldwide. We must continue to educate and protect communities at risk, and to change cultural perceptions and long-standing practices that hinder the quest for dignity.– Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations.
World Toilet Day
Top Events and Things to Do
·
Watch
a movie about toilets and the importance of sanitation. Some suggestions are: Guts
For Change (2015), A New Culture of Water (2004) and A
Thirsty World (2012).
·
Spread
awareness by using the hashtag #WorldToiletDay, #WeCantWait and
#ToiletAccessIsARight.
·
Tour a local sanitation plant. Sanitation plants
throughout the US exist to recycle and clean water while properly disposing of
human excrement and other waste.
·
Donate to the World Toilet Organization. All
proceeds are used by the organization to help break the taboo around the toilet
and sanitation crisis. They help lobby governments, public and private sector
stakeholders to prioritize sanitation on the agenda.
·
Read a book about toilets and the importance of
sanitation. Some suggestions are: Sanitation & Water Supply in
Low-Income Countries, Sitting Pretty An Uninhibited History of the
Toilet and The Big Necessity.
Daily
Devotions
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