November 17, 2025 Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Daily Readings: 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63; Luke 18:35-43
The first reading from the First Book of Maccabees narrates the time of great abomination in the history of Israel and Judah. It is also one of the darkest moments in the lives of the chosen people. The rule of Antiochus Epiphanes marked the beginning of Hellenistic persecution of the Jews of Judea and Samaria and the consequent rebellion of the Jewish Maccabees. He introduced pagan worship. The Israelites removed the marks of circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant. They sold themselves to do evil. In order to survive, the people of God gladly adopted their religion and sacrificed to idols and profaned the Sabbath. The book of the covenant was torn into pieces and those who adhered to the law were condemned to death. Not everything went wrong and not all God’s people lost their faith. Many in Israel stood firm and resolved to die rather than sin by eating defiled food or profane the holy covenant. Many died and great wrath came upon Israel.
Jesus restores the sight of a born blind beggar in Jericho. The roadside noise gave him an indication that someone important is passing by. The crowd said that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. The man recognized the same Jesus as the Son of David who is capable of having mercy on him and that made all the difference. He claimed his healing by shouting even more loudly and by pleading “Lord, let me see again!” Jesus complements his faith and attributes the healing to his faith. It is not just restoration of physical sight but more so something deeply spiritual, namely salvation. The man began to follow Jesus and glorify God for the restoration of sight. The people who saw the miracle happening and the man glorifying God, joined the chorus in praising God. The born blind beggar is a great example of how faith and persistence can bring about restoration and renewal in the life of a person.
Call to Action: Favours received from God should enable a person to praise God with gratitude!
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
