GOSPEL REFLECTION OF POPE FRANCIS: 11/16/23 (Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time)

From the Gospel according to Luke

Lk 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,

Jesus said in reply,

"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,

and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'

For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."

Then he said to his disciples,

"The days will come when you will long to see

one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

There will be those who will say to you,

'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.'

Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.

For just as lightning flashes

and lights up the sky from one side to the other,

so will the Son of Man be in his day.

But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation."

Words of the Holy Father: 

The day that noise will be made, as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day, the day that noise will be made. As opposed to a spectacle, there is the perseverance of so many Christians carrying the family forward: men, women who care for their children, take care of grandparents, who have only 50 cents in their pocket by month’s end, but they pray. And the Kingdom of God “is there, hidden in that holiness of daily life, that everyday holiness”. Because “the Kingdom of God is not far from us, it’s close”. The very “closeness is one of the characteristics” of the Kingdom. It is an “everyday” closeness.

The Kingdom of God is humble, like a seed: humble; but it becomes big by the power of the Holy Spirit. And we have to “let it grow within us, without boasting. May the Spirit come, change our soul and lead us forth in silence, in peace, in quiet, in closeness to God, to others, in adoration of God, without pageantry”. (Santa Marta, 13 November 2014)

Source:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Saint Gertrude the Great, Virgin—Optional Memorial:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/november-16---saint-gertrude-the-great-virgin

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth