DECEMBER 04, 2017 : MONDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

Monday of the First Week of Advent
Lectionary: 175

Reading 1IS 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!

Responsorial PsalmPS 122:1-2, 3-4B, 4CD-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city 
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up, 
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel, 
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats, 
seats for the house of David. 
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! 
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls, 
prosperity in your buildings. 
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

AlleluiaSEE PS 80:4

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come and save us, LORD our God;
Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 8:5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." 
He said to him, "I will come and cure him." 
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." 
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."

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Meditation: "Many will sit at table in the kingdom of God"

 Are you ready to feast at the Lord's banquet table? God’s gracious invitation extends to all - Jew and Gentile alike - who will turn to him with faith and obedience. Jesus used many images or pictures to convey what the kingdom of God is like. One such image is a great banquet feast given at the King's table (Matthew 8:11 and Luke 13:29). Jesus promised that everyone who believed in him would come and feast at the heavenly banquet table of his Father. Jesus told this parable in response to the dramatic request made by a Roman centurion, a person despised by many because he was an outsider, not one of the "chosen ones" of Israel. In Jesus' time the Jews hated the Romans because they represented everything they stood against - including foreign domination and  pagan beliefs and practices.

The power to command with trust and respect
Why did Jesus not only warmly receive a Roman centurion but praise him as a model of faith and confidence in God? In the Roman world the position of centurion was very important. He was an officer in charge of a hundred soldiers. In a certain sense, he was the backbone of the Roman army, the cement which held the army together. Polybius, an ancient writer, describes what a centurion should be: "They must not be so much venturesome seekers after danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable; they ought not to be over-anxious to rush into the fight, but when hard pressed, they must be ready to hold their ground, and die at their posts." 

Faith in Jesus' authority and power to heal
The centurion who approached Jesus was not only courageous, but faith-filled as well. He risked the ridicule of his cronies as well as mockery from the Jews by seeking help from a traveling preacher from Galilee. Nonetheless, the centurion approached Jesus with great confidence and humility. He was an extraordinary man because he loved his slave. In the Roman world slaves were treated like animals - something to be used for work and pleasure and for bartering and trade. This centurion was a man of great compassion and extraordinary faith. He wanted Jesus to heal his beloved slave. Jesus commends him for his faith and immediately grants him his request. Are you willing to suffer ridicule in the practice of your faith? And when you need help, do you approach the Lord Jesus with expectant faith?

Christ comes to establish God's kingdom of peace where all peoples can feast at his table
The prophet Isaiah foretold a time of restoration for the holy city Jerusalem and for its remnants (see Isaiah 4:2-6) and also a time of universal peace when all nations would come to Jerusalem to "the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob" and "beat their swords into plowshares" (Isaiah 2:2-4). Jesus fulfills this prophecy first by restoring both Jew and Gentile to friendship with God through the victory he won for us on the cross. When he comes again he will fully establish his universal rule of peace and righteousness (moral goodness) and unite all things in himself (Ephesians 1:10). His promise extends to all generations who believe in him that we, too, might feast at the heavenly banquet table with the patriarchs of the Old Covenant (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) who believed but did not yet see the promised Messiah. 

Do you believe in God's promises and do you seek his kingdom first in your life? The season of Advent reminds us that the Lord Jesus wants us to actively seek him and the coming of his kingdom in our lives. The Lord will surely reward those who seek his will for their lives. We can approach the Lord Jesus with expectant faith, like the centurion in today's Gospel reading (Matthew 8:5-11), knowing that he will show us his mercy and give us his help.

"Lord Jesus, you feed us daily with your life-giving word and you sustain us on our journey to our true homeland with you and the Father in heaven.  May I never lose hope in your promises nor lag in zeal for your kingdom of righteousness and peace."

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Welcoming the Lord Jesus with expectant faith and humility, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"When the Lord promised to go to the centurion's house to heal his servant, the centurion answered, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.' By viewing himself as unworthy, he showed himself worthy for Christ to come not merely into his house but also into his heart. He would not have said this with such great faith and humility if he had not already welcomed in his heart the One who came into his house. It would have been no great joy for the Lord Jesus to enter into his house and not to enter his heart. For the Master of humility both by word and example sat down also in the house of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon, and though he sat down in his house, there was no place in his heart. For in his heart the Son of Man could not lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). (excerpt from SERMON 62.1)

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, MATTHEW 8:5-11
Advent Weekday
(Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122)

KEY VERSE: "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith" (v 10).
TO KNOW: As Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion (a commander of 100 men at a military post), approached and asked Jesus to heal his servant. Although a slave was of little importance in the Roman Empire, the centurion had compassion on this man. Even though Jesus' ministry was to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt 15:24), he consented to go with this non-Israelite. The Centurion protested that he was unworthy to have Jesus enter his house. According to Jewish law, a Jew could not enter the Gentile's house since they were considered unclean. As an officer, the Centurion knew the power of a command, and he believed that Jesus only needed to speak a word to heal his servant. Jesus was amazed at the man's faith, and acknowledged that many would come from the "east and the west" (v 11), and would find a place at the banquet in God's kingdom. The faith of the Centurion anticipated the Church's missionary activity among the Gentiles.
TO LOVE: Do I have the courage to bring others to Jesus for healing?
TO SERVE: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof; but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.

​NOTE: In the Mass, right before receiving Communion we as Catholics say this: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." It is fitting that we tell Jesus, just as the centurion did, that we really are not worthy of having him abide in our souls. We recognize that Jesus is Lord and that his mighty word dwelling within us will in fact heal us of all unworthiness.

Optional Memorial of Saint John of Damascene, priest and doctor of the Church 

John of Damascus, also known as John Damascene, was highly educated in the classical fields. He wrote "The Fountain of Wisdom," the first real compendium of Christian theology, along with other works defending the orthodox faith. He also wrote commentaries on Saint Paul, poetry, hymns, and adapted choral music for use in the liturgy. John defended the use of icons and images in churches through a series of letters opposing the anti-icon decrees of Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople. His eloquent defense of images has deservedly procured him the title of "The Doctor of Christian Art." John of Damascus was the last of the Greek Fathers of the Church. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1890 by Pope Leo XIII. 

www.togetherwithgodsword.com

Monday 4 December 2017

Advent Season of Creation. St John Damascene. Day of Penance.

Isaiah 2:1-5. Psalm 121(122):1-2, 4-5, 6-9. Matthew 8:5-11.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord—Psalm 121(122):1-2, 4-5, 6-9.

Just say the word, Lord.

This Advent, as in other seasons of the year, the media are full of stories of conflict, violence and threats of war and disaster. We long for an end to bad news stories and a peaceful world.

All this was familiar to Isaiah. He promises that when the Lord comes,

‘ He will wield authority over the nations and adjudicate between many peoples; they 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.’

He invites us to picture a magical, peaceful city, and ‘to walk in the light of the Lord’. To rest with this image and to pray wholeheartedly that we may live in the light by hoping for such a world is at the heart of Advent prayer.

The Gospel brings us down to earth by reminding us of the daily disturbances and anxieties that meet us as we rise from prayer. The centurion’s grief for his servant takes us back into the darkness of anxiety and loss in which we spend much of our lives, and how challenging is our prayer to live in the light. God’s world can seem so unlikely. We are invited to wonder at the matter of fact confidence of the centurion’s prayer,  ‘Just say the word and my servant will be cured’, and to see how his words taste as we put them on on our lips.

In Laudato Si Pope Francis stresses the desperate sickness of a world so threatened by global warming and by our reluctance to recognise or to meet it in a concerted way:

‘Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental crisis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of interest. Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions. We require a new and universal solidarity… All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.’

Pope Francis emphasises the importance of trusting God to do the apparently impossible and to change hearts. If we are to live in the light, realism and a hope that outlasts despair are both essential. It is a big prayer.

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ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS

Catholics remember and celebrate the life of the great Arab Church Father St. John of Damascus on Dec. 4.

Eastern Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics, whose tradition has been particularly shaped by his insights, celebrate the saint's feast on the same day as the Roman Catholic Church.

Among Eastern Christians, St. John (676-749) is best known for his defense of Christian sacred art, particularly in the form of icons. While the churches of Rome and Constantinople were still united during St. John's life, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III broke radically from the ancient tradition of the church, charging that the veneration of Christian icons was a form of idolatry.

John had grown up under Muslim rule in Damascus, as the child of strongly Christian parents. His excellent education – particularly in theology – prepared him well to defend the tradition of sacred iconography, against the heresy of the “iconoclasts,” so-called because they would enter churches and destroy the images therein.

During the 720s, the upstart theologian began publicly opposing the emperor's command against sacred images in a series of writings. The heart of his argument was twofold: first, that Christians did not actually worship images,  but rather, through them they worshiped God, and honored the memory of the saints. Second, he asserted that by taking an incarnate physical form, Christ had given warrant to the Church's depiction of him in images.

By 730, the young public official's persistent defense of Christian artwork had made him a permanent enemy of the emperor, who had a letter forged in John's name offering to betray the Muslim government of Damascus.

The ruling caliph of the city, taken in by the forgery, is said to have cut off John's hand. The saint's sole surviving biography states that the Virgin Mary acted to restore it miraculously. John eventually managed to convince the Muslim ruler of his innocence, before making the decision to become a monk and later a priest.

Although a number of imperially-convened synods condemned John's advocacy of Christian iconography, the Roman church always regarded his position as a defense of apostolic tradition. Years after the priest and monk died, the Seventh Ecumenical Council vindicated his orthodoxy, and ensured the permanent place of holy images in both Eastern and Western Christian piety.

St. John of Damascus' other notable achievements include the “Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,” a work in which he systematized the earlier Greek Fathers' thinking about theological truths in light of philosophy. The work exerted a profound influence on St. Thomas Aquinas and subsequent scholastic theologians. Centuries later, St. John's sermons on the Virgin Mary's bodily assumption into heaven were cited in Pope Pius XII's dogmatic definition on the subject.

The saint also contributed as an author and editor, to some of the liturgical hymns and poetry that Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics still use in their celebrations of the liturgy.

“Show me the icons that you venerate, that I may be able to understand your faith.” - Saint John of Damascus

www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=407

LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 8,5-11

Lectio Divina: 

 Monday, December 4, 2017

1st Week of Advent

1) Opening prayer

Lord God, Father of all,
in Your Son Jesus Christ
you invite everyone and all to know and love You
and to live in Your unending peace.
Keep alive in us the zeal
to bring the light of Your truth
and the riches of Your life and love to all,
without any distinction
of race, language or culture.
May everyone on earth come to know You
as the merciful Father of all
through our brother and Savior,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 8:5-11

When He went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with Him. “Sir,” he said, “my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in great pain.” Jesus said to him, “I will come myself and cure him.”
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, “In truth I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found faith as great as this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of Heaven."

3) Reflection

Today’s Gospel is a mirror. It reminds us of the words we say during the Mass at the moment of communion: “Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter my house,  only say the word and I will be healed”.  Looking at this text more closely it suggests the following:
• The person who seeks Jesus is a pagan, a gentile, a soldier of the Roman army, which dominated and exploited the people. It is not merely religion or the desire for God, but rather the need and the suffering which impels him first to seek Jesus, followed by a faith that Jesus could heal. Jesus has no prejudices. He does not demand anything first, He accepts and listens to the request of the Roman centurion.
• Jesus’ answer surprises the centurion because it is beyond his expectation. The centurion did not expect that Jesus would go to his house. He feels unworthy: “I am not worthy”. This means that he considered Jesus a highly superior person.
• The centurion expresses his faith in Jesus saying  “say the word and my servant will be cured”. He believes that the word of Jesus is capable of healing. From where does he get this great faith?  It comes from his professional experience as a centurion! Because when a centurion gives an order, the soldier obeys. He has to obey. Thus, he  believes it is enough for Jesus to say one word, and things will happen according to His word. He believes the word of Jesus has authoritative force.
• Jesus praises the faith of the centurion. Faith does not consist in just accepting and repeating doctrine, but in believing and acting on the word of Jesus.

4) Personal questions

• Placing myself in the place of Jesus: how do I accept and help people of other religions?
• Placing myself in the place of the centurion:  what personal experience leads me to believe in Jesus?

5) Concluding Prayer

Come near to me with Your saving power,
let me share the happiness of Your chosen ones,
let me share the joy of Your people. (Ps 106)

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