33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) - 17 November
17th November 2024
“Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power.” - St Gregory the Great
A reflection on today's readings by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
"Are you in the valley of despair? Then learn that the Gospel of Christ can be heard as good news even by those whose lives have been shattered by bad news, for only those who walk in darkness ever see the stars.
"All trusting implies something you cannot see. If you could see, there would be no occasion for trust. When you say you trust a man only insofar as you can see him, you do not trust him at all. Now, to trust God means to hold fast to the truth that His purposes are good and holy, not because you see them, but in spite of appearances to the contrary.
"The reason, therefore, why some souls emerge purified from catastrophe while other souls come out worse, is because the first had One in whom they could trust and the second had none but themselves. The atheist, therefore, is properly defined as the person who has no invisible means of support.
"Have you ever noticed, as you talk to your fellow men, the difference in the reaction to crisis on the part of those who have faith in God and His purposes and of those who have not? The man without faith was generally greatly surprised at the dark turn of events with two world wars in twenty-one years, the resurgence of barbarism and the abandonment of moral principles. But the man with faith in God was not so surprised. The sun came out just as he had expected; chaos was in the cards though they had not yet been dealt, for he knew that ‘unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it’ (Psalm 126:1).
"Have you also observed that the person without faith finding his world of ‘progress’ becoming so unprogressive, often reacted by blaming religion, by criticising the Church, and even blaspheming God for not stopping the war? Such egotists have some sense of justice, and since they refuse to blame themselves, then they must find a scapegoat.
"But the man with faith, in the midst of taunts like that which came from the haughty monarch, ‘Who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hand?’ (Daniel 3:15), answers as did the three youths in the fiery furnace: ‘For behold our God, whom we worship, is able to save us from the furnace of burning fire and to deliver us out of thy hands, O King. But if He will not, be it known to thee, O King, that we will not worship thy gods nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up’ (Daniel 3:17-18). ‘Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him’ (Job 13:15).
"You see the difference! Now choose. Will you slip down into abysmal despair, or will you, like Christ in a blackness at high noon, and like Mary ere her Tree of Life had seen the earth, trust in God, His mercy and His victory?"
(The Cries of Jesus from the Cross)
Act of Faith
O my God, I firmly believe that You are One God in three divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; I believe that Your Divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy Catholic Church teaches, because You have revealed them, Who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen. 💐🙏💖
Prayer to St Michael (Pope Leo XIII)
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in this hour of battle.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. 💐🙏💖