Today, 20th of January, we celebrate
Saint Fabian and
Saint Sebastian.
First Reading: Revelation 14:14-19
I, John, looked and there was a white cloud,
and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man,
with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Another angel came out of the temple,
crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud,
“Use your sickle and reap the harvest,
for the time to reap has come,
because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.”
So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth,
and the earth was harvested.
Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven
who also had a sharp sickle.
Then another angel came from the altar, who was in charge of the fire,
and cried out in a loud voice
to the one who had the sharp sickle,
“Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines,
for its grapes are ripe.”
So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage.
He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:10, 11-12, 13
R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Say among the nations: The Lord is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the Lord, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R./ The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Gospel Reading: Luke 21:5-11
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”
Do Not Be Terrified
These things have to happen before the victory comes. But not being terrified might feel almost impossible. The things we’re seeing—wars, divisions, invasions, persecution of faith—are frightening enough. The state of the world is not encouraging. Corruption, lies, manipulation, persecution, wars, hunger used as a political weapon, natural disasters. And within us: old grudges, internal conflicts, rivalry, envy. Sometimes it feels like the Halloween we celebrated earlier this month—with all its horrible figures—didn’t even come close. The monsters around us, much more real and dangerous, inspire genuine fear. And reading Daniel in these circumstances only heightens that apocalyptic feeling, that sense of terrifying final events.
On the other hand, Daniel’s vision of the giant with feet of clay—frightening as it is—also has something almost comical about it. It reminds us that nothing and no one has enough power to avoid eventually crumbling. We can even laugh at such fragile power. All the evil and ugliness around us, Daniel seems to say, will end up shattered. And maybe that’s the best reason not to be terrified.
But this certainty doesn’t come without perseverance. To persevere, we need to look again and again at the pulverized giant—so we remember who we are and what we are waiting for. To persevere, we need to maintain a calm spirit, nourished by prayer and by the daily effort to do good. To persevere, we must look high and far. And we must also look low and near, to celebrate the goodness that surrounds us—the people around us who quietly and stubbornly keep living in truth.
We’re not called to deny the painful, terrible, deeply worrying reality we face. But we are called to cling to beauty, truth, and goodness—which are God himself—and to work at planting a little bit of that truth and beauty in the midst of so much ugliness and deception.
Cármen Fernández AguinacoOpening Prayer
Lord our God,
our faith is not a quiet possession
of the truth and of rites
that may give us security.
Make us realize that it is tested
and that you call us
to be credible witnesses
in our time and our situation
of the passion and resurrection of your Son.
Give us your Holy Spirit
to guide us and to keep our hope alive
that Jesus is our Lord
and you our God for ever.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction: The time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.
Judgment is presented in the reading from Revelation as the reaping of the harvest.
General Intercessions
– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that its faith, trust, and love may not waver in the difficulties and storms of our time, we pray:
– For those who doubt their faith or are afraid of the future, that God may give them courage and that we may refresh one another’s hope, we pray:
– For a world in the grip of war and violence, of dishonesty and abuse of power, that people of integrity and vision may draw inspiration from the Gospel to lead the world back on the road of peace and love, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
as you will sanctify this bread and this wine
and change them into Jesus, your Son,
let the power of your Holy Spirit
change us into people
imbued with the mentality of Jesus Christ.
Make us more like him,
that we may live for one another
and have nothing to fear
when you call us to you,
our God, for ever and ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in this Eucharist, you have given to us
the word and the body of your Son.
Do not allow us to be misled
by anyone who speaks an easy message.
Let our only sure guide be
he who is our way and truth and life,
our hope and our resurrection,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
We are people of hope. We shouldn’t bother about the question when the end of the world will come but live as people who know that they have to be responsible Christians every day. If we do this, there is no reason for fear. May Almighty God keep you safe and bless you, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
