THANKSGIVING DAY (USA)

Let everyone who . . . stands by the covenant follow after me! 

During the time of intense persecution under Greek rule in the second century BC, many Jewish people submitted to the king’s orders to adopt Greek customs. This involved abandoning the Law of Moses and burning incense to pagan gods.

But one man, a priest named Mattathias, determined not to comply. In today’s first reading, we witness his bold act of zeal and resistance. Pressured to make a pagan sacrifice, he refused “in a loud voice,” announcing that he and his family would “not obey the words of the king nor depart from [their] religion in the slightest degree” (1 Maccabees 2:19, 22). Mattathias’ zeal overflowed into fury when he saw a fellow Jewish man step forward to offer sacrifice: he killed the man and the king’s messenger. Then he fled with his sons to the nearby mountains.

While we certainly shouldn’t embrace everything Mattathias did, it’s not hard to admire his commitment to the Lord. In fact, without the heroism of Mattathias and his sons, Judaism might not have survived. Eventually, their leadership led to the recapturing and rededication of the Temple, which is commemorated to this day in the Jewish feast of Hanukkah.

As Mattathias determined in his heart to stand by God and God’s ways in the face of severe opposition, you, too, can be just as determined today. You can decide that God’s ways are worth holding onto, no matter what outside or inside forces might be pushing against you. When Jesus asks you to love your enemies, you can determine to push away bitterness and grudges and choose forgiveness. When Jesus asks you to pray for someone’s healing, you can keep doubt and discouragement at bay and keep praying for them. When Jesus asks you to keep the Sabbath holy, you can resist the temptation to skip Mass. Even if you are the only one in your family or group of friends going, go!

So let the witness of Mattathias, and every hero of the faith who came after him, proclaim to you: the Lord is worthy of your whole heart!

“Lord, I love your ways! Give me the courage today to follow you with my whole life.”

1 Maccabees 2:15-29
Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15
Luke 19:41-44