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Today, 21st of November, we celebrate
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
I, John, saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne.
It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.
Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice,
"Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
was able to open the scroll or to examine it.
I shed many tears because no one was found worthy
to open the scroll or to examine it.
One of the elders said to me, "Do not weep.
The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed,
enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals."
Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne
and the four living creatures and the elders
a Lamb that seemed to have been slain.
He had seven horns and seven eyes;
these are the seven spirits of God sent out into the whole world.
He came and received the scroll from the right hand
of the one who sat on the throne.
When he took it,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb.
Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense,
which are the prayers of the holy ones.
They sang a new hymn:
"Worthy are you to receive the scroll
and break open its seals,
for you were slain and with your Blood you purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.
You made them a kingdom and priests for our God,
and they will reign on earth."
R. (Rev. 5:10) The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or: Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or: Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or: Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
or: Alleluia.
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
"If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."
In today’s Gospel, we witness Jesus approaching Jerusalem, and upon seeing the city, He sheds tears—a powerful image of God’s deep love and sorrow for His people. Jesus looks upon Jerusalem and grieves, saying, “If you had only recognised on this day the way to peace!”
Jesus’ tears reveal His heart—a heart that loves, warns, and aches when we stray. The people of Jerusalem missed the signs of God’s call and became blind to the path of peace. Caught up in false hopes and misguided beliefs, they lost their way, allowing their eyes to be clouded by illusions. As Isaiah reminds us, those who cling to false idols cannot see the truth. When we, too, fail to recognise God’s invitations, we risk becoming trapped by fears, ambitions, or distractions that rob us of inner peace.
Jesus warns of Jerusalem’s impending destruction, a tragedy that occurred forty years later when the city fell to Roman forces. Yet His warning goes beyond the city’s fate; it is a call for all to recognise “the moment of your visitation.” Each day, God reaches out, calling us to recognize Him in the people around us, in our struggles, and in our blessings
As we reflect, let’s ask ourselves: Do we allow Jesus to lead us on the path of peace? Are we attentive to His visitation in our lives? Jesus weeps for us out of love, and in that love, we find our true peace.
Here, Jesus speaks not only to the people of Jerusalem but to all of us, urging us to see God’s presence and follow the path to true peace.
The priest and leader Matthatias turns down the honors and power promised him if he renounces his faith and offers sacrifice in honor of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria. He starts the open revolt of the Jewish people, a revolt that is both religious and political.
Luke wrote his Gospel when the Temple had already been destroyed. How come the Jewish people, God’s own, who had been so zealous to fight for loyalty to the God of the covenant, did not recognize Christ, the expected one? It is not up to us to condemn, as Christians have often done in the past. With Jesus, we weep over the city and its people and pray and work that Jews too, may find their Messiah. And in the meantime, let us too, know the paths of peace of God’s people, and recognize the time the Lord visits us.
Lord our God,
we seek the road to peace
of Jesus Christ, your Son.
Let us be your chosen people
recognizing day after day
the time of your visitation.
Let this very day be the time
when we are open to your coming
in the words you speak to us,
in the people we meet,
in those who cry out for compassion
and a bit of warmth.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
– Lord, we regret and ask pardon that at times, we have been negligent and cold to your love; forgive us, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that those who have heard your call to follow you and refused to respond may again be ready to journey with you, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that our communities may again heed your call to be one of heart and mind, we pray:
God our Father,
as a pledge of our faithfulness
to the bonds of the covenant
we bring bread and wine before you.
Accept us with your Son,
and keep us united in him
as the people you love.
This we ask in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
God our Father,
your Son wept over the people
from which he was born
and which he loved with all his heart.
Let him not weep over us
but by the strength of this Eucharist,
make us seek what brings us your peace:
you and your kingdom
of integrity and goodness.
Grant us this through your faithful servant,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
We are asked to recognize the coming of the Lord not in a long ago past but now, today, in our lives and our communities. May God give you this grace and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
