Monday 3 December 2012
Readings at Mass
First reading
Isaiah 2:1-5
The vision of
Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In the days to
come
the mountain of
the Temple of the Lord
shall tower
above the mountains
and be lifted
higher than the hills.
All the nations
will stream to it,
peoples without
number will come to it; and they will say:
‘Come, let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of
the God of Jacob
that he may
teach us his ways
so that we may
walk in his paths;
since the Law
will go out from Zion,
and the oracle
of the Lord from Jerusalem.’
He will wield
authority over the nations
and adjudicate
between many peoples;
these will
hammer their swords into ploughshares,
their spears
into sickles.
Nation will not
lift sword against nation,
there will be no
more training for war.
O House of
Jacob, come,
let us walk in
the light of the Lord.
____________________
Psalm
Psalm 121:1-2,4-5,6-9
I rejoiced when
I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when
I heard them say:
‘Let us go to
God’s house.’
And now our feet
are standing
within your
gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when
I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
It is there that
the tribes go up,
the tribes of
the Lord.
For Israel’s law
it is,
there to praise
the Lord’s name.
There were set
the thrones of judgement
of the house of
David.
I rejoiced when
I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For the peace of
Jerusalem pray:
‘Peace be to
your homes!
May peace reign
in your walls,
in your palaces,
peace!’
I rejoiced when
I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For love of my
brethren and friends
I say: ‘Peace
upon you!’
For love of the
house of the Lord
I will ask for
your good.
I rejoiced when
I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
____________________
Gospel Acclamation
cf.Ps79:4
Alleluia,
alleluia!
God of hosts,
bring us back:
let your face
shine on us and we shall be saved.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew 8:5-11
When Jesus went
into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my
servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and
cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you
under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under
authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he
goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does
it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him,
‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I
tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’
A
Faith that Heals
Christmas is not simply about a baby, a
mother, angels, and shepherds. It is about accepting Jesus as Messiah. Jesus is
not in the stable. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He has come to make all
things new. He is risen and with us today as he was with the centurion. The
centurion had faith in Jesus. He realised that Jesus had power and authority to
heal his servant even without laying on his hands. He realised too his own
weakness and inability and he came in humility to Jesus as Lord. Faith
recognizes who Jesus is and who we are too. Jesus responds to this faith. It
obtains for us entrance into the Kingdom. It is not a matter of belonging to
this denomination or that or holding some office in it. Do you approach the
Risen Lord this Advent with the humility necessary for your healing?
Tuesday 4 December 2012
First reading
Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot springs
from the stock of Jesse,
a scion thrusts
from his roots:
on him the
spirit of the Lord rests,
a spirit of
wisdom and insight,
a spirit of
counsel and power,
a spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
(The fear of the
Lord is his breath.)
He does not
judge by appearances,
he gives no
verdict on hearsay,
but judges the
wretched with integrity,
and with equity
gives a verdict for the poor of the land.
His word is a
rod that strikes the ruthless,
his sentences
bring death to the wicked.
Integrity is the
loincloth round his waist,
faithfulness the
belt about his hips.
The wolf lives
with the lamb,
the panther lies
down with the kid,
calf and lion
feed together,
with a little
boy to lead them.
The cow and the
bear make friends,
their young lie
down together.
The lion eats
straw like the ox.
The infant plays
over the cobra’s hole;
into the viper’s
lair
the young child
puts his hand.
They do no hurt,
no harm,
on all my holy
mountain,
for the country
is filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters
swell the sea.
That day, the
root of Jesse
shall stand as a
signal to the peoples.
It will be
sought out by the nations
and its home
will be glorious.
This is
the prophecy of Isaiah about the future Messiah. He will be greater than all
the kings of the past, including David. Jesus who quoted this passage in the
synagogue of Nazareth fulfils this word. Now, however, he fulfils it in
everyone who accepts the Spirit given by him. As Jesus of Nazareth was, so we
can all be. We too can be filled with the Holy Spirit, as he was, to do great
works of love. God is love and to be filled with the Spirit of God is to be
filled with love. This love will embrace the whole world, as did Jesus. It will
bring peace to our lives, families and communities. It will shine in the
darkness of our world. Has the Spirit filled you?
Psalm 71:1-2,7-8,12-13,17
In his days
justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
O God, give your
judgement to the king,
to a king’s son
your justice,
that he may
judge your people in justice
and your poor in
right judgement.
In his days
justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
In his days
justice shall flourish
and peace till
the moon fails.
He shall rule
from sea to sea,
from the Great
River to earth’s bounds.
In his days
justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
For he shall
save the poor when they cry
and the needy
who are helpless.
He will have
pity on the weak
and save the
lives of the poor.
In his days
justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
May his name be
blessed for ever
and endure like
the sun.
Every tribe
shall be blessed in him,
all nations
bless his name.
In his days
justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
____________________
Gospel Acclamation
Ps84:8
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Let us see, O
Lord, your mercy
and give us your
saving help.
Alleluia!
Or
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Behold, our Lord
will come with power
and will
enlighten the eyes of his servants.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Luke 10:21-24
Filled with joy
by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of
earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing
them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.
Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son
is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom
the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in
private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many
prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what
you hear, and never heard it.’
The
Mystery of Life revealed to the Humble
The proud in the conceit of their hearts
think they have no need of God. These have rejected Jesus and even wish to kill
him. Jesus does not reject them, but their hearts are closed to him. However,
the poor need Jesus because they know they cannot survive on their own. He
welcomes them and gives them the Kingdom
of God
__________
Wednesday 5 December 2012
First reading
Isaiah 25:6-10
On this
mountain,
the Lord of
Hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of
rich food, a banquet of fine wines,
of food rich and
juicy, of fine strained wines.
On this mountain
he will remove
the mourning
veil covering all peoples,
and the shroud
enwrapping all nations,
he will destroy
Death for ever.
The Lord will
wipe away
the tears from
every cheek;
he will take
away his people’s shame
everywhere on
earth,
for the Lord has
said so.
That day, it
will be said: See, this is our God
in whom we hoped
for salvation;
the Lord is the
one in whom we hoped.
We exult and we
rejoice
that he has
saved us;
for the hand of
the Lord
rests on this
mountain.
The prophet knew God as compassionate, merciful and loving and so he knew that he would save his people. If we come to God, then he will give us the peace and joy even now that the prophet proclaims in this passage.
The prophet knew God as compassionate, merciful and loving and so he knew that he would save his people. If we come to God, then he will give us the peace and joy even now that the prophet proclaims in this passage.
____________________
Psalm
Psalm 22:1-6
In the Lord’s
own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
The Lord is my
shepherd;
there is nothing
I shall want.
Fresh and green
are the pastures
where he gives
me repose.
Near restful
waters he leads me,
to revive my
drooping spirit.
In the Lord’s
own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
He guides me
along the right path;
he is true to
his name.
If I should walk
in the valley of darkness
no evil would I
fear.
You are there
with your crook and your staff;
with these you
give me comfort.
In the Lord’s
own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
You have
prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of
my foes.
My head you have
anointed with oil;
my cup is
overflowing.
In the Lord’s
own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Surely goodness
and kindness shall follow me
all the days of
my life.
In the Lord’s
own house shall I dwell
for ever and
ever.
In the Lord’s
own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
____________________
Gospel Acclamation
Is33:22
Alleluia,
alleluia!
The Lord is our
judge, the Lord our lawgiver,
the Lord our
king and our saviour.
Alleluia!
Or
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Look, the Lord
will come to save his people.
Blessed those
who are ready to meet him.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew 15:29-37
Jesus reached
the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there,
and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the
dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The
crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the
lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of
Israel.
But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I
feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and
have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse
on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in
this deserted place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves
have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the
crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and
he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples who gave them to
the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was
left of the scraps, seven baskets full.
The
Lord is My Shepherd
Life was not the same in Palestine Kingdom
of God
Thursday 6 December 2012
First reading
Isaiah 26:1-6
That day, this
song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong
city;
to guard us he
has set
wall and rampart
about us.
Open the gates!
Let the upright nation come in,
she, the
faithful one
whose mind is
steadfast, who keeps the peace,
because she
trusts in you.
Trust in the
Lord for ever,
for the Lord is
the everlasting Rock;
he has brought
low those who lived high up
in the steep
citadel;
he brings it
down, brings it down to the ground,
flings it down
in the dust:
the feet of the
lowly, the footsteps of the poor
trample on it.
The prophet is not speaking of the future but of the present. God is a faithful God. He is faithful to who he is. He is the God of love. We can rely on him. Our misery is due to ourselves. We are to come into the presence of God who is Abba, a loving Father. We are to open ourselves to him so that he can bless us with all the blessings of heaven.
____________________
Psalm
Psalm 117:1,8-9,19-21,25-27
Blessed in the
name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
Give thanks to
the Lord for he is good,
for his love has
no end.
It is better to
take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in
men;
it is better to
take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in
princes.
Blessed in the
name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
Open to me the
gates of holiness:
I will enter and
give thanks.
This is the
Lord’s own gate
where the just
may enter.
I will thank you
for you have answered
and you are my
saviour.
Blessed in the
name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
O Lord, grant us
salvation;
O Lord, grant
success.
Blessed in the
name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you
from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is
our light.
Blessed in the
name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
____________________
Gospel Acclamation
Is40:9-10
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Shout with a
loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem.
Here is the Lord
God coming with power.
Alleluia!
Or
Is55:6
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Seek the Lord
while he is still to be found,
call to him
while he is still near.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew 7:21,24-27
Jesus said to
his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.
‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will
be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods
rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall:
it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and
does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand.
Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and
what a fall it had!’
Faith
is to build our Life on his Word
At Christmas, we celebrate not just the
birth of a baby but of Christ the Lord. The celebration calls for commitment.
God does not call us to work for him, but to do his work. To belong to Jesus
means to do the will of his Father. Jesus never did his own will, but always
the will of his Father. We too must share his passion that God’s will be done
and his Kingdom come. We must build our lives on his Word as found in the
Gospel and as explained by his Church. The Gospel is be our rule of life and
all our thoughts, words, and deeds are to be judged against it. Do you judge
yourself by the Sermon on the Mount? Are you poor in spirit and depend solely
on God, do you thirst for righteousness, are you merciful and a peacemaker, are
you pure of heart?
Friday 7 December 2012
First reading
Isaiah 29:17-24
The Lord says
this:
In a short time,
a very short time,
shall not
Lebanon become fertile land
and fertile land
turn into forest?
The deaf, that
day,
will hear the
words of a book
and, after
shadow and darkness,
the eyes of the
blind will see.
But the lowly
will rejoice in the Lord even more
and the poorest
exult in the Holy One of Israel;
for tyrants
shall be no more, and scoffers vanish,
and all be
destroyed who are disposed to do evil:
those who gossip
to incriminate others,
those who try at
the gate to trip the arbitrator
and get the
upright man’s case dismissed for groundless reasons.
Therefore the
Lord speaks,
the God of the
House of Jacob,
Abraham’s
redeemer:
No longer shall
Jacob be ashamed,
no more shall
his face grow pale,
for he shall see
what my hands have done in his midst,
he shall hold my
name holy.
They will hallow
the Holy One of Jacob,
stand in awe of
the God of Israel.
Erring spirits
will learn wisdom
and murmurers
accept instruction.
God is a God who is love. That is his nature. He will then always do good to those who turn to him. What the prophet says God will certainly fulfil. He fulfils all his promises through his Son, Jesus. If we welcome Jesus, then we can expect to receive all the blessings that God has. There is then, no limit to what God will do for us.
God is a God who is love. That is his nature. He will then always do good to those who turn to him. What the prophet says God will certainly fulfil. He fulfils all his promises through his Son, Jesus. If we welcome Jesus, then we can expect to receive all the blessings that God has. There is then, no limit to what God will do for us.
____________________
Psalm
Psalm 26:1,4,13-14
The Lord is my
light and my help.
The Lord is my
light and my help;
whom shall I
fear?
The Lord is the
stronghold of my life;
before whom
shall I shrink?
The Lord is my
light and my help.
There is one
thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the
house of the Lord,
all the days of
my life,
to savour the
sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his
temple.
The Lord is my
light and my help.
I am sure I
shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of
the living.
Hope in him,
hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the
Lord!
The Lord is my
light and my help.
____________________
Gospel Acclamation
cf.Is45:8
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Send victory
like a dew, you heavens,
and let the
clouds rain it down.
Let the earth
open and bring forth the saviour.
Alleluia!
Or
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Behold, our Lord
will come with power
and will
enlighten the eyes of his servants.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew 9:27-31
As Jesus went on
his way two blind men followed him shouting, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David.’
And when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up with him and he said to
them, ‘Do you believe I can do this?’ They said, ‘Sir, we do.’ Then he touched
their eyes saying, ‘Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you.’ And
their sight returned. Then Jesus sternly warned them, ‘Take care that no one
learns about this.’ But when they had gone, they talked about him all over the
countryside.
Believers
must Receive Sight to See Jesus
What does it mean to believe in Jesus? It
means to recognize who Jesus is. It is to recognize him as Lord, with all
authority in heaven and earth. Without this faith, we live in darkness. Jesus
alone is the light of the world. Without Jesus, the whole world is blind and
living in darkness. This is the problem of the world. The blind men while on
the street recognize Jesus as Messiah, Son of David. They enter the house and
came to Jesus. Today we meet Jesus in the Church. Jesus enlightens his people
today through his Word in the Church and so with faith, we who were once blind,
are now able to see spiritually. We call on Jesus as Lord and God. We are able
to come to know him personally. Have you the faith that opens your eyes to see
and meet Jesus in your life?
Saturday 8 December 2012
____________________
First reading
Genesis 3:9-15,20
After Adam had
eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I
heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was
naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been
eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you
put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the
woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me
and I ate.’
Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you
have done this,
‘Be accursed beyond
all cattle,
all wild beasts.
You shall crawl
on your belly and eat dust
every day of
your life.
I will make you
enemies of each other:
you and the
woman,
your offspring
and her offspring.
It will crush
your head
and you will
strike its heel.’
The man named
his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.
____________________
Psalm
Psalm 97:1-4
Sing a new song
to the Lord for he has worked wonders.
Sing a new song
to the Lord
for he has
worked wonders.
His right hand
and his holy arm
have brought
salvation.
Sing a new song
to the Lord for he has worked wonders.
The Lord has
made known his salvation;
has shown his
justice to the nations.
He has
remembered his truth and love
for the house of
Israel.
Sing a new song
to the Lord for he has worked wonders.
All the ends of
the earth have seen
the salvation of
our God.
Shout to the
Lord, all the earth,
ring out your
joy.
Sing a new song
to the Lord for he has worked wonders.
____________________
Second reading
Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12
Blessed be God
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed
us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.
Before the world
was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ,
to be holy and
spotless, and to live through love in his presence,
determining that
we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ
for his own kind
purposes,
to make us
praise the glory of his grace,
his free gift to
us in the Beloved,
And it is in him
that we were claimed as God’s own,
chosen from the
beginning,
under the predetermined
plan of the one who guides all things
as he decides by
his own will;
chosen to be,
for his greater
glory,
the people who
would put their hopes in Christ before he came.
____________________
Gospel Acclamation
cf.Lk1:28
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Hail Mary, full
of grace, the Lord is with thee!
Blessed art thou
among women.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Luke 1:26-38
The angel
Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin
betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name
was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is
with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this
greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you
have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must
name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The
Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the
House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the
angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit
will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will
cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son
of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself
conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month,
for nothing is impossible to God’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary
‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.
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