DECEMBER 11, 2015 : FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT

Friday of the Second Week of Advent
Lectionary: 185

Reading 1IS 48:17-19

Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.
If you would hearken to my commandments,
your prosperity would be like a river,
and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
Your descendants would be like the sand,
and those born of your stock like its grains,
Their name never cut off
or blotted out from my presence.

Responsorial PsalmPS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6

R. (see John 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

Alleluia 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord will come; go out to meet him!
He is the prince of peace.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 11:16-19

Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

www.usccb.org

Meditation: The Lord will lead you in the way you should go

Do you seek God's way of peace and wisdom for your life? The prophets remind us that God’s kingdom is available to those who are teachable and receptive to the word of God. Through their obedience to God's word and commandments, they receive not only wisdom and peace for themselves, but they, in turn become a blessing to their children and their offspring as well. Jesus warns the generation of his day to heed God's word before it is too late. He compares proud teachers and vain scholars with stubborn playmates who refuse to follow wise counsel and instruction.

Jesus parable about a group of disappointed musicians and their stubborn friends who refuse to sing or dance at the appropriate occasion challenge us to examine whether we are selective to only hear and do what we want to hear. The young music players in Jesus' parable react with great dismay because they cannot get anyone to follow their instruction. They complain that if they play their music at weddings, no one will join in their festive song and dance; and if they play mournful tunes and songs at funerals, no one will join in at all. This parable echoes the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3:4 - "there is a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance." Are you in tune with the message of God's kingdom? And do you heed God's word of wisdom and truth as if your life depended on it?

Spiritual indifference and deaf ears can block God's word for us
Jesus' message of the kingdom of God is a proclamation of good news that produces great joy and hope for those who listen and obey - but it is also a warning of bad consequences and disaster for those who refuse to accept God's gracious invitation. Why did the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus meet with resistance and deaf ears? It was out of jealously and spiritual blindness that the scribes and Pharisees attributed John the Baptist's austerities to the devil and they attributed Jesus' table fellowship as evidence for pretending to be the Messiah. They succeeded in frustrating God's plan for their lives because they had closed their hearts to the message of  John the Baptist and now they close their ears to Jesus, God's anointed Son sent to redeem us from bondage to sin and death.

What can make us spiritually dull and slow to hear God's voice? Like the generation of Jesus' time, our age is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regards to the things of heaven. Indifference dulls our ears to God's voice and to the good news of the Gospel. Only the humble of heart can find joy and favor in God's sight. Is you life in tune with Jesus' message of hope and salvation? And do you know the joy and blessing of believing and obeying God's word?

"Lord Jesus, open my ears to hear the good news of your kingdom and set my heart free to love and serve you joyfully. May nothing keep me from following you wholeheartedly."

www.dailyscripture.net

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, MATTHEW 11:16-19
Advent Weekday
(Isaiah 48:17-19; Psalm 1)

KEY VERSE: "But wisdom is vindicated by her works" (v 19).
TO KNOW: Jesus was exasperated with those who opposed his work and the work of John the Baptist. Jesus compared these faithless ones to spoiled children who could not be satisfied. He recited a little verse that appeared in Aesop's fables (6th century before Christ): "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn." Those who opposed John did so because of his austere, ascetic life-style; yet, at the same time, they rejected Jesus because of his association with sinners and outcasts. John was thought to be "demon-possessed" and Jesus was said to be a "glutton and a drunkard" (v 19). Divine wisdom would vindicate the works of Jesus the Messiah and his herald John.
TO LOVE: Do I make rash judgments about those with whom I disagree? 
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, give me the wisdom to understand the other person's point of view.

Optional Memorial of Damasus I, pope

Damasus' pontificate suffered from the rise of Arianism (a heresy that denied the Divinity ofJesus Christ), and from several schisms. However, it was during Damasus' reign that Christianity was declared the religion of the Roman State by the Emperor Constantine in A.D. 313. Pope Damasus commissioned his secretary, St. Jerome, to produce a Latin text of the Bible, which is known as the Vulgata Editio (the current text), because he used the “the common" (vulgar) language in his writing. Damasus presided over the Council of Rome in 382, at which, according to Roman Catholic tradition and the 6th century document Decretum Gelasianum, the modern Catholic canon of scripture was first set down. Damasus restored catacombs, shrines, and the tombs of martyrs. He expressed the wish that he would be buried in the catacombs with the early martyrs, but he feared that the presence of one of his lowly status would profane such an august place.

NOTE: Arianism was a Christian heresy first proposed early in the 4th century by the Alexandrian presbyter Arius. It affirmed that Christ is not truly divine but a created being. The fundamental premise of Arius was the uniqueness of God, who is alone self-existent and immutable; therefore, the Son, who is not self-existent, cannot be God. The Council of Nicaea (the First Ecumenical Council) in 325 issued a creed to safeguard orthodox Christian belief. This creed states that the Son is homoousion to Patri(consubstantial with the Father), thus declaring him to be all that the Father is: he is completely divine, as well as fully human.

www.togetherwithgodsword.com

Friday 11 December 2015

St Damasus I. Day of penance. 

Isaiah 48:17-19. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life—Ps 1:1-4, 6. Matthew 11:16-19.

Readings

They listened neither to John the Baptist nor to the Son of Man.

Within days of Jesus’ feeding the multitude by the Sea of Galilee, many people questioned his authority and rejected his teaching. ‘This teaching is difficult,’ they said; ‘who can accept it?’ (Jn 6:60). The people in today’s gospel reading have something in common with them. They seek to evade the message of Jesus and his forerunner by discrediting the messenger. However, as Jesus reminds them, ‘wisdom has been proved right by her actions’. The teaching his listeners rejected was vindicated by the good works that he did in the Father’s name. Our claim to be Jesus’ disciples will be credible only if, following his example and walking in his steps (cf. 1 Peter 2:21), we manifest in our deeds what we claim as our core beliefs.

www.pray.com.au

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Three Ways to See

With the eyes of the spirit we no longer see bread and wine, but appreciate that here is the living presence of Christ. We see a baby in a manger and we know that God so loved the world he gave it his only Son.

— from Let Us Adore Him 

December 11
St. Damasus I
(305?-384)

To his secretary St. Jerome, Damasus was “an incomparable person, learned in the Scriptures, a virgin doctor of the virgin Church, who loved chastity and heard its praises with pleasure.”

Damasus seldom heard such unrestrained praise. Internal political struggles, doctrinal heresies, uneasy relations with his fellow bishops and those of the Eastern Church marred the peace of his pontificate.

The son of a Roman priest, possibly of Spanish extraction, Damasus started as a deacon in his father’s church, and served as a priest in what later became the basilica of San Lorenzo in Rome. He served Pope Liberius (352-366) and followed him into exile.

When Liberius died, Damasus was elected bishop of Rome; but a minority elected and consecrated another deacon, Ursinus, as pope. The controversy between Damasus and the antipope resulted in violent battles in two basilicas, scandalizing the bishops of Italy. At the synod Damasus called on the occasion of his birthday, he asked them to approve his actions. The bishops’ reply was curt: “We assembled for a birthday, not to condemn a man unheard.” Supporters of the antipope even managed to get Damasus accused of a grave crime—probably sexual—as late as A.D. 378. He had to clear himself before both a civil court and a Church synod.

As pope his lifestyle was simple in contrast to other ecclesiastics of Rome, and he was fierce in his denunciation of Arianism and other heresies. A misunderstanding of the Trinitarian terminology used by Rome threatened amicable relations with the Eastern Church, and Damasus was only moderately successful in dealing with that challenge.

During his pontificate Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman state (380), and Latin became the principal liturgical language as part of the pope’s reforms. His encouragement of St. Jerome’s biblical studies led to the Vulgate, the Latin translation of Scripture which twelve centuries later the Council of Trent declared to be “authentic in public readings, disputations, preachings.”

Comment:

The history of the papacy and the Church is inextricably mixed with the personal biography of Damasus. In a troubled and pivotal period of Church history, he stands forth as a zealous defender of the faith who knew when to be progressive and when to entrench.

Damasus makes us aware of two qualities of good leadership: alertness to the promptings of the Spirit and service. His struggles are a reminder that Jesus never promised his Rock protection from hurricane winds nor his followers immunity from difficulties. His only guarantee is final victory.

Quote:

"He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives life to the dying seeds of the earth; he who was able to loose the mortal chains of death, and after three days' darkness could bring again to the upper world the brother for his sister Martha: he, I believe, will make Damasus rise again from the dust" (epitaph Damasus wrote for himself).

www.americancatholic.org

LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 11,16-19

Lectio: 

 Friday, December 11, 2015

2nd Week of Advent

1)   Opening prayer
Lord our God,
too often we are deaf to your voice
and to the presence of your Son
among us, his people.
Inspire us by your prophets and your Spirit
that now is the right moment to change
and to commit ourselves
to the kind of life and to the justice
demanded by the kingdom.
Help us to make people see
that your Son is alive among us
and that he is our Lord for ever.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 11, 16-19
'What comparison can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place:
We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn't dance;
we sang dirges, and you wouldn't be mourners.
'For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He is possessed."
The Son of man came, eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners."
Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.'

3) Reflection
• The leaders, the wise, are not always pleased when someone criticizes or challenges them. That happened in the time of Jesus and happens today also, both in society and in the Church. John the Baptist, saw, criticized, and was not accepted. They said: “He is possessed by the devil!” Jesus, saw, criticized and was not accepted. They said: “He has lost his head!”, “Crazy!” (Mk 3, 21). “He is possessed by the devil!” (Mk 3, 22), “He is a Samaritan!” (Jn 8, 48), “He is not from God!” (Jn 9, 16). The same thing happens today. There are some persons who hold on to what has always been taught and they do not accept another way of explaining or of living faith. Then they invent reasons and pretexts so as not to adhere: “It is Marxism!”, “It is against God’s Law!”, “It is disobedience to tradition and to the teaching of the Church” and they complain for the lack of coherence of the people. They always invent some pretext so as not to accept the message of God which Jesus announced. In fact, it is relatively easy to find arguments and pretexts to refute those who think in a way different from ours.
• Jesus reacts and renders public their incoherence. They considered themselves wise, but they were like children who wish to amuse the people on the square and they rebel when people do not move according to the music that they play. Or those who consider themselves wise without really having anything truly wise. They only accepted those who had the same ideas as they had. And thus, they themselves, because of their incoherent attitude, condemned themselves.

4) Personal questions
• Up to what point am I coherent with my faith?
• Do I have a critical conscience regarding the social and ecclesiastical system which, some times, invents reasons and pretexts to legitimize the situation and to prevent any change?

5) Concluding Prayer
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the Lord
and meditates on his law day and night. (Ps 1)

www.ocarm.org