Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Lectionary: 198
Lectionary: 198
In those days,
Hannah brought Samuel with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
“Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”
She left Samuel there.
Hannah brought Samuel with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
“Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”
She left Samuel there.
Responsorial Psalm 1 SM 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD
R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church;
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church;
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 1:46-56
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
Meditation: Joyful
Expectation of the Messiah
Do you know the mercy and favor of the Lord?
Those who hunger for the Lord will not be disappointed. The Lord himself will
fill them with the fruits of his peace, joy, and righteousness. We see God's
boundless love manifested in the promise of a Redeemer. As the events leading
to the birth of our Savior unfold we see all the prophecies, promises and
prayers of the Old Testament being fulfilled because "God so loved the
world that he gave us his only Son" (John 3:16).
The Gospel of Luke reveals the presence and
power of the Holy Spirit in Mary's life. When Elizabeth and Mary greeted one
another they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of
the fulfillment of God's promise to give a Savior. John the Baptist, even
before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the
womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King
to be born. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and
experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The
Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us.
Mary accepted her mission with uncompromising
faith and obedience. She acted with unwavering trust and faith because she
believed that God would fulfill the word he had spoken. Her great hymn of
praise echoes the song of Hannah (see 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and proclaims the favor
of the Lord: God exalts the lowly and he fills the hungry with good
things. Hannah like Mary had been without child and God in a marvelous
way gave her a son, named Samuel, whom she dedicated at an early age to the
service of the Lord (1 Samuel 1:24ff.) Mary, too, would lose her son to a
servant ministry that would take him to the cross. Christmas is a time for
renewing our faith and hope in God and in his promises and for deepening our
love for God and for neighbor. Do you seek the Lord Jesus and the power of his
Holy Spirit so that you may be renewed in faith, hope, and love?
"Lord Jesus, help me to earnestly seek you
with humility and confidence. Increase my faith in your promises, strengthen
within me the hope of heaven and eternal life, and set my heart on fire with
burning love for you and for your kingdom. May I always praise and magnify your
great mercy and glory."
 Favor Is the Key |
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December 22,
2014. Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
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Luke 1:46-56
Mary said: “My soul
proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. for
he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call
me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the
strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has
cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has
filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He
has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of
mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for
ever.” Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to
her home.
Introductory
Prayer: I love you, Lord, for you
have loved me first. You have allowed me to see your provident hand in so
many events of my life; how can I not believe in you? These days of Advent
have slipped away so quickly. You are almost at my doorstep, ready to knock.
I want to be ready for your arrival on Christmas Day. Therefore, I pour out
my humble plea before you.
Petition: Lord Jesus, mark my life with gratitude.
1. The Key
Word: The Magnificat, and
indeed the entire history of salvation, can be summarized in the word
“favor”. This is the true motive of Christmas. God looks with favor (or good
will) upon mankind. Many times, we see our spiritual life as the effort we
make to become pleasing in God’s eyes, drawing his blessings down upon us.
This would mean that in some way we bring about our own growth in holiness.
This is not the case: God is never “obliged” to grant us his grace. We do not
“deserve” anything from God. Our spiritual life should consist in presenting
ourselves before God as we truly are: sinners. By placing our weakness before
his omnipotence, we draw down his favor to lift us up from our misery and to
adopt us as his children. This is what happened as he “looked with favor on
the lowliness of his servant (Mary).”
2. The Gift of Himself: To demonstrate his immense love for us and to give
himself to us, God becomes one of us. Love makes us seek to become more like
our beloved. How could God become more like his beloved creature? He not only
became man, but he shared the lot of the poorest of the poor. Very few
humans, even among the paupers, have been born in a stable. How many babies
are laid in the feeding trough of a cow or horse? Well, that is exactly what
a manger is. Though he was rich (he was God almighty), he became poor, to
enrich us with his poverty. We need to ask ourselves what we are doing to
become more like our beloved. What are we doing to imitate Christ in his gift
of self? Have we learned to put aside our whims and fancies in order to do
the things that are pleasing to our spouse, children or parents? These are
the ways to prepare ourselves for a grace-filled Christmas.
3. Abundant
Blessings: The rest of the
Magnificat is a glorification of God, recognizing the favors he bestows upon
those who love him. All generations will call us “blessed.” God will show the
might of his arm, he will lift up the lowly, and the hungry he will fill with
good things…. We truly have so much for which to be thankful. The challenge
of our Christian lives is to be mindful of our blessings and mark our actions
with the seal of gratitude. We glorify God and we bless God when we try to
respond according to all the good he has done in our lives. Then in turn,
others will call us blessed, because our filial attitude opens the door for
God to enter in and do still more good through us. Do I count my many
blessings often? Do I truly seek to “repay” God by cooperating, and am I
aware that in return he will bring about still more good and bless me more?
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, as I prepare my
soul for your coming this Christmas, I invite you to enter my humble
dwelling. Please do not pass by without bestowing your blessings upon my poor
soul. I need your grace. I will not leave your presence today without at
least a crumb from your banquet. Allow me to thank and praise you for your
infinite mercy as you look upon your lowly servant.
Resolution: Today, out of gratitude for the many blessings I have
received, I will give something good to someone in need.
By Father Barry
O’Toole, LC
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, ADVENT WEEKDAY, LUKE
1:46-56
ANTIPHON: O KING OF ALL THE NATIONS
(1 Samuel 1:24-28; Psalm: 1 Samuel 2)
ANTIPHON: O KING OF ALL THE NATIONS
(1 Samuel 1:24-28; Psalm: 1 Samuel 2)
KEY VERSE: "Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed" (v 48).
READING: Mary's hymn of praise (The Magnificat) was reminiscent of the canticle of Hannah (1 Sm 2:8), in which she sang about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind. Through her son Jesus, Mary was called to be a partner with God in redemption. She humbly acknowledged that her lofty status was not due to her own merits, but through the graciousness of God, her Savior. Mary proclaimed God's mercy toward the lowly and God's judgment upon the arrogant. God would cast down the powerful rulers of this world and raise up the poor and defenseless. God would satisfy those who hungered for righteousness, and send away those who were self-satisfied. God fulfilled all the promises made to Abraham, servant Israel, and guaranteed faithfulness throughout the ages. The pledge that all generations would call Mary blessed was fulfilled in her title the "Blessed Mother." Her blessedness is a sign of the capacity for all people to bear the image and likeness of God.
REFLECTING: Have I shared the joy of the Lord with others this Advent?
PRAYING: Blessed Mother, help me to rejoice in God's blessings to me.
O KING OF ALL THE NATIONS
Today's O Antiphon is "O Rex Gentium" (O King of all the nations). This sixth antiphon addresses the savior as the king of the gentiles (Jer.10:7) and the Desired One of all the nations. Jesus, the Messiah, is the cornerstone on whom our spiritual foundations are laid, the cornerstone that unites and binds Jew and gentile into one, making peace between them.
O come, Desire of nations, bind,
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of peace.
Monday 22 December 2014
1 Samuel 1:24-28. My heart
rejoices in the Lord, my Saviour. 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8 Luke 1:46-56.
‘My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord, and my spirit exults in God my Saviour.’
These beautiful,
time-honoured words, that have resounded through the ages, are an echo of
Hannah’s thanksgiving to God for the birth of her son Samuel.
Mary was chosen from all
time as the worthiest woman of all—and there have been some great women in the
world—to be the mother of Jesus Christ. We meet her comparatively few times in
the gospels: never does she fall short of what God expected her to be.
May our devotion to and
love of our Blessed Mother Mary deepen with the passing of time. We can honour
her no better than by listening to her oft-repeated plea for prayer and penance
in her appearances through history.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Immersed in Love
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By immersing our lives in the rhythm of the season, charity can
flood our souls and fill us with the happiness for which we were created. We
awake Christmas morning prepared to celebrate the birth of our Savior not as a
memory but as a profound experience of God’s redemptive love.
December
22
Blessed Jacopone da Todi
(d. 1306)
Blessed Jacopone da Todi
(d. 1306)
Jacomo, or James, was born a noble member of the Benedetti family
in the northern Italian city of Todi. He became a successful lawyer and married
a pious, generous lady named Vanna.
His young
wife took it upon herself to do penance for the worldly excesses of her
husband. One day Vanna, at the insistence of Jacomo, attended a public tournament.
She was sitting in the stands with the other noble ladies when the stands
collapsed. Vanna was killed. Her shaken husband was even more disturbed when he
realized that the penitential girdle she wore was for his sinfulness. On the
spot, he vowed to radically change his life.
He
divided his possessions among the poor and entered the Secular Franciscan Order
(once known as the Third Order). Often dressed in penitential rags, he was
mocked as a fool and called Jacopone, or "Crazy Jim," by his former
associates. The name became dear to him.
After 10
years of such humiliation, Jacopone asked to be a member of the Order of Friars
Minor(First Order). Because of his reputation, his request was initially
refused. He composed a beautiful poem on the vanities of the world, an act that
eventually led to his admission into the Order in 1278. He continued to lead a
life of strict penance, declining to be ordained a priest. Meanwhile he was
writing popular hymns in the vernacular.
Jacopone
suddenly found himself a leader in a disturbing religious movement among the
Franciscans. The Spirituals, as they were called, wanted a return to the strict
poverty of Francis. They had on their side two cardinals of the Church and Pope
Celestine V. These two cardinals, though, opposed Celestine’s successor,
Boniface VIII. At the age of 68, Jacopone was excommunicated and imprisoned.
Although he acknowledged his mistake, Jacopone was not absolved and released
until Benedict XI became pope five years later. He had accepted his imprisonment
as penance. He spent the final three years of his life more spiritual than
ever, weeping "because Love is not loved." During this time he wrote
the famous Latin hymn, Stabat Mater.
On
Christmas Eve in 1306 Jacopone felt that his end was near. He was in a convent
of the Poor Clares with his friend, Blessed John of La Verna. Like Francis,
Jacopone welcomed "Sister Death" with one of his favorite songs. It
is said that he finished the song and died as the priest intoned the Gloria
from the midnight Mass at Christmas. From the time of his death, Brother
Jacopone has been venerated as a saint.
Comment:
“Crazy Jim,” his contemporaries called Jacopone. We might well echo their taunt, for what else can you say about a man who broke into song in the midst of all his troubles? We still sing Jacopone’s saddest song, the Stabat Mater, but we Christians claim another song as our own, even when the daily headlines resound with discordant notes. Jacopone’s whole life rang our song out: “Alleluia!” May he inspire us to keep singing.
“Crazy Jim,” his contemporaries called Jacopone. We might well echo their taunt, for what else can you say about a man who broke into song in the midst of all his troubles? We still sing Jacopone’s saddest song, the Stabat Mater, but we Christians claim another song as our own, even when the daily headlines resound with discordant notes. Jacopone’s whole life rang our song out: “Alleluia!” May he inspire us to keep singing.
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 1,46-56
Lectio:
Monday, December 22, 2014
4th Week of Advent
1) Opening prayer
God of the little ones,
with Mary we rejoice and give you thanks
that you let Jesus Christ become one of us
and let him bring us the dignity
of your sons and daughters.
May we live up to that dignity
and to the joy that says
that we are deeply loved by you.
Like you, may we also learn to care
for all that is little and brittle
and bring your justice to the poor
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading – Luke 1, 46-56
And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love
- according to the promise he made to our ancestors - of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.
Mary stayed with her some three months and then went home.
3) Reflection
• The canticle of Mary was one of the canticles of the community of the first Christians. It reveals the level of awareness or consciousness and the firmness of the faith which animated her interiorly. Sung in the community, this canticle of Mary teaches us to pray and to sing.
• Luke 1, 46-50: Mary begins by proclaiming the change which is taking place in her life under the loving look of God, full of mercy. Because of this, she sings joyfully: “I rejoice in God, my Saviour”.
• Luke 1, 51-53: Afterwards she sings the fidelity of God toward his people and proclaims the change which the arm of the Lord was realizing in behalf of the poor and the hungry. The expression “arm of God” reminds us of the liberation of the Exodus. This is the force of salvation and of liberation of Yahweh which bring about the changes: he has routed the arrogant of heart (Lk 1, 51), he has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly (Lk 1, 52), he has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty (Lk 1, 53).
• Luke 1, 54-55: At the end Mary recalls that all this is the expression of God’s mercy toward his people and expression of his fidelity to the promises made to Abraham. The Good News seen not as a reward because of the observance of the Law, but rather as an expression of the goodness and of the fidelity of God to his promises. This is what Paul taught the Galatians and the Romans.
4) Personal questions
• The canticles are the thermometer of the life of the community. They reveal the degree of consciousness and of commitment. Examine the canticles of your community.
• Analyze the social conscience which comes from Mary’s canticle. In the 20th century after Christ, this canticle was censured by the military of Latin America because it was considered subversive.
5) Concluding Prayer
The Lord raises the poor from the dust,
he lifts the needy from the dunghill
to give them a place with princes,
to assign them a seat of honour. (1Sam 2,8)
God of the little ones,
with Mary we rejoice and give you thanks
that you let Jesus Christ become one of us
and let him bring us the dignity
of your sons and daughters.
May we live up to that dignity
and to the joy that says
that we are deeply loved by you.
Like you, may we also learn to care
for all that is little and brittle
and bring your justice to the poor
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading – Luke 1, 46-56
And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love
- according to the promise he made to our ancestors - of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.
Mary stayed with her some three months and then went home.
3) Reflection
• The canticle of Mary was one of the canticles of the community of the first Christians. It reveals the level of awareness or consciousness and the firmness of the faith which animated her interiorly. Sung in the community, this canticle of Mary teaches us to pray and to sing.
• Luke 1, 46-50: Mary begins by proclaiming the change which is taking place in her life under the loving look of God, full of mercy. Because of this, she sings joyfully: “I rejoice in God, my Saviour”.
• Luke 1, 51-53: Afterwards she sings the fidelity of God toward his people and proclaims the change which the arm of the Lord was realizing in behalf of the poor and the hungry. The expression “arm of God” reminds us of the liberation of the Exodus. This is the force of salvation and of liberation of Yahweh which bring about the changes: he has routed the arrogant of heart (Lk 1, 51), he has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly (Lk 1, 52), he has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty (Lk 1, 53).
• Luke 1, 54-55: At the end Mary recalls that all this is the expression of God’s mercy toward his people and expression of his fidelity to the promises made to Abraham. The Good News seen not as a reward because of the observance of the Law, but rather as an expression of the goodness and of the fidelity of God to his promises. This is what Paul taught the Galatians and the Romans.
4) Personal questions
• The canticles are the thermometer of the life of the community. They reveal the degree of consciousness and of commitment. Examine the canticles of your community.
• Analyze the social conscience which comes from Mary’s canticle. In the 20th century after Christ, this canticle was censured by the military of Latin America because it was considered subversive.
5) Concluding Prayer
The Lord raises the poor from the dust,
he lifts the needy from the dunghill
to give them a place with princes,
to assign them a seat of honour. (1Sam 2,8)
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