33rd Week, Tuesday, Nov 18; Dedication of Churches of Sts Peter and Paul
2 Maccabees 6:18-31 / Luke 19:1-10
Old Eleazar is martyred; He left an example to the young.
Regina Riley had been praying for several years for the return of her two sons to the Church. One Sunday she looked up and saw them sitting across the aisle from her. She was overjoyed. After Mass, Regina asks her sons what had led them back to the Church. They said that while vacationing in Colorado, they picked up an old man one Sunday morning. It was pouring down cats and dogs, and the old man was limping along in the rain. He told them that he was on his way to Mass three miles from his mountain home. It was the example of that arthritic old man that touched them deeply and eventually led them to return.
***
What kind of example do we give the young by our own devotion and commitment to Jesus? "Saints are persons who make it easier for others believe in God.” Nathan Soderblom
***
The first book of the Maccabees is historical and gives us the story of the struggle of the faithful Jews to preserve their religion and culture. The second book of the Maccabees is a more edifying book that gives us inspiring examples of the people’s struggles and faithfulness, like old Eleazar’s martyrdom, for the sake of observing the Law.
***
Generally speaking, as one grows older, one also should get wiser. Given that with age, comes experiences of life that makes one see clearer and think deeper. Such was Eleazar in the 1st reading. Being one of the foremost teachers of the Law and advanced in years with dignity, he was put to the test of faith in God. But he resolved to die with honour than to live in disgrace. He would not even pretend to eat the forbidden food.
As he said, "Such pretence does not square with our time of life. Many young people would suppose that Eleazar at the age of ninety had conformed to the foreigners' way of life. I would only bring defilement and disgrace on my old age. I shall leave with the young a noble example of how to make a good death, eagerly and generously, for the venerable and holy laws."
Eleazar would rather die than to be a scandal for others, especially for the young. Not only was he wiser with age, he was also noble and dignified when it comes to death.
***
Today, we meet Zacchaeus, the rich typical sinner as a tax collector, who is small and poor as a person. He runs to encounter Jesus and is converted through this encounter, but it is really Jesus who takes the initiative by calling Zacchaeus out of the tree and asking whether he can stay in his house. This is the solution for the sinner, cold or lukewarm: accept to encounter the Lord again. This message is spoken to us too. Encountering Jesus will change us too.
***
He had come to a point in his life when he had to decide how to live the rest of his life with dignity and self-respect. His eagerness to see Jesus was a sign that his heart was yearning for peace in his life. Jesus came to seek out and to save what was lost. May we also seek out Jesus in whatever stage of life we are at and not lose any more time in our journey towards salvation.
***
Prayer
God of mercy and compassion, you know how often our fervor cools off, how poor of heart we are at times when we think we are rich and sure to belong to you. Let us encounter your Son again in the deepest of ourselves, help us to look for him, that his presence may change us and that he may live among us. We ask you this through Christ, our Lord. Amen
***
Dedication of Churches of Saints Peter and Paul
November 18
The Story of the Dedication of the Churches of Saints Peter and Paul
St. Peter’s is probably the most famous church in Christendom. Massive in scale and a veritable museum of art and architecture, it began on a much humbler scale. Vatican Hill was a simple cemetery where believers gathered at Saint Peter’s tomb to pray. In 319, Constantine built a basilica on the site that stood for more than a thousand years until, despite numerous restorations, it threatened to collapse. In 1506, Pope Julius II ordered it razed and reconstructed, but the new basilica was not completed and dedicated for more than two centuries.
St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls stands near the Abaazia delle Tre Fontane, where Saint Paul is believed to have been beheaded. The largest church in Rome until St. Peter’s was rebuilt, the basilica also rises over the traditional site of its namesake’s grave. The most recent edifice was constructed after a fire in 1823. The first basilica was also Constantine’s doing.
Constantine’s building projects enticed the first of a centuries-long parade of pilgrims to Rome. From the time the basilicas were first built until the empire crumbled under “barbarian” invasions, the two churches, although miles apart, were linked by a roofed colonnade of marble columns.
