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Thứ Hai, 28 tháng 11, 2016

NOVEMBER 29, 2016 : TUESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

Tuesday of the First Week in Advent
Lectionary: 176

Reading 1IS 11:1-10
On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.

On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.
Responsorial PsalmPS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment. 
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save. 
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Alleluia 
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike. 
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. 
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. 
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”


Meditation: "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!"
How does God bring his kingdom to us? Jesus remarked that many prophets and kings before him longed to see and understand God's plan for establishing his kingdom. When King David’s throne was overthrown and vacant for centuries, God promised, nonetheless, to raise up a new king from the stump of Jesse, the father of David. This messianic king would rule forever because the Spirit of God would rest upon him and remain with him (Isaiah 11:1).
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be equipped with the gifts of the Spirit - with wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2 - for an explanation of the gifts see this helpful article). This king would establish the kingdom of God, not by force of human will and military power, but by offering his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. Through his death on the cross, Jesus, the true Messiah King, would defeat Satan, overcome death, and win pardon and reconciliation for sinners. God's plan of redemption included not only the Jewish people but all the nations of the earth as well. Through his death and resurrection Jesus makes us citizens of heaven and friends of God. The Lord Jesus wants us to live in joyful hope and confident expectation that he will come again to fully establish his kingdom of righteousness and peace.
What does Jesus' prayer (Luke 10:21-22) tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father and Lord of earth as well as heaven. He is both Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and at the same time, goodness and loving care for all his children. All fatherhood and motherhood are derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15). Jesus' prayer also contains a warning that pride can keep us from the love and knowledge of God.
Pride closes the mind to God's truth and wisdom for our lives. Jesus contrasts pride with child-like simplicity and humility. The simple of heart are like "babes" in the sense that they see purely without pretense and acknowledge their dependence and trust in God who is the source of all wisdom and strength. They seek one thing - the "summum bonum" or "greatest good" which is God himself. Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards grace and truth. Just as pride is the root of every sin and evil we can conceive, so humility is the only soil in which the grace of God can take root. It alone takes the right attitude before God and allows him as God to do all. "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (Prov. 3:34, James 4:6). The grace of Christ-like humility inclines us towards God and disposes us to receive God's wisdom, grace, and help. Nothing can give us greater joy than the knowledge that we are God's beloved and that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Do you seek God's wisdom and grace with humility and trust?
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make: He is the perfect revelation of God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God - who he is and what he is like. We can know God personally and be united with him in a relationship of love, trust, and friendship. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God - a God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the cross. Do you pray to your Father in heaven with joy and confidence in his love and care for you?
"Lord Jesus, give me the child-like simplicity and purity of faith to gaze upon your face with joy and confidence in your all-merciful love. Remove every doubt, fear, and proud thought which would hinder me from receiving your word with trust and humble submission."

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The Seven Gifts of the Spirit, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"So, then, the Holy Spirit is the river, and the abundant river, which according to the Hebrews flowed from Jesus in the lands, as we have received it prophesied by the mouth of Isaiah (Isaiah 66:12). This is the great river that flows always and never fails. And not only a river, but also one of copious stream and overflowing greatness, as also David said: 'The stream of the river makes glad the city of God' (Psalm 46:4). For neither is that city, the heavenly Jerusalem, watered by the channel of any earthly river, but that Holy Spirit, proceeding from the fount of life, by a short draught of whom we are satiated, seems to flow more abundantly among those celestial thrones, dominions and powers, angels and archangels, rushing in the full course of the seven virtues of the Spirit. For if a river rising above its banks overflows, how much more does the Spirit, rising above every creature, when he touches the low-lying fields of our minds, as it were, make glad that heavenly nature of the creatures with the larger fertility of his sanctification. And let it not trouble you that either here it is said 'rivers' (John 7:38) or elsewhere 'seven Spirits,' (Revelation 5:6) for by the sanctification of these seven gifts of the Spirit, as Isaiah said, is signified the fullness of all virtue; the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, and the Spirit of the fear of God. One, then is the river, but many the channels of the gifts of the Spirit. This river, then, goes forth from the fount of life." (excerpt from ON THE HOLY SPIRIT 1.16) 


TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, LUKE 10:21-24
Advent Weekday

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72)

KEY VERSE: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see" (v 23).
TO KNOW: Jesus sent out seventy-two of his disciples to proclaim the gospel and heal the sick. When they returned from their mission, he was overjoyed to hear of God's power at work in them. Through their proclamation of God's kingdom, they witnessed the collapse of Satan's reign. The unique relationship of the Trinity is seen in this passage: Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and gave praise to the Father. Jesus thanked the Father for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to his disciples who followed him like little children. The "wise and learned" had no understanding of these heavenly things. The Father conferred this knowledge upon the Son, and he in turn revealed it to those whom he chose. Jesus reminded his disciples of their great privilege in witnessing things that prophets and kings longed to see and hear.
TO LOVE: In what ways will I share the gospel with others this Advent?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to proclaim your kingdom with joy.


Tuesday 29 November 2016

Tue 29th. Isaiah 11:1-10. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for everPs 71(72):1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17. Luke 10:21-24.
'Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb'
Humans can be pretty cunning. In this day and age, we are expected to be 'streetwise', we are encouraged to be opportunistic, to pounce on any slip-up, any loophole, for our own advantage. We live in an 'each man for himself' society, and become wolves in sheep skin–crafty and vicious, hiding behind the appearance of tolerance and kindness (for I am yet to meet someone who is openly malicious). The good news for us in this unfortunate reality is that Jesus is still prepared to put us up. Despite our cunning, our less-than-holy intentions, he still issues his never dying invitation that we may dine with him, that we may come to befriend him. The Lamb, too, has his wit, for it is through having the wolf as a guest that he comes to transcend the sheepskin and transform the snarl of the wolf into the bleat of a docile sheep under the guiding hand of a little child.

BLESSED DENIS OF THE NATIVITY AND BLESSED REDEMPTORUS OF THE CROSS

Blessed Denis was born in 1600 in Honfleur, France. He became a sailor at the age of twelve, and later on became the pilot-in-chief and cartographer of the courts of Portugal and France. In 1635 while he was in Goa, India, he took on the habit of a Discalced Carmelite Monk.

Blessed Redemptorus of the Cross was born in Portugal at the end of the 16th century. He became a soldier, but later took on the habit of the Discalced Carmelites in 1615.

Together, Denis and Redemptorus set out on mission to the king of Achin in the Malay archipelago. While on their way, they and their party were ambushed and tortured to death by Muslims on November 29, 1638.

They were beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1900.

LECTIO DIVNA: LUKE 10,21-24
Lectio Divina: 
 Tuesday, November 29, 2016
1st Week of Advent

1) Opening prayer
Lord our God,
you never give up on people.
Again and again you want to make
a new beginning with us.
You showed us in Jesus your Son
the kind of people you want us to be.
As your Spirit rested on him,
pour out on us the same Spirit,
that we may see our mission in life
with your wisdom and insight
and that we may have the strength
to live as we believe and hope.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 10, 21-24
Just at this time, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he 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 little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it has 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 by themselves, 'Blessed are 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.'
3) Reflection
Today’s text reveals the depth of the Heart of Jesus, the reason for his joy. The disciples had gone on the mission, and when they return, they share with Jesus the joy of their missionary experience (Lk 10, 17, 21)
• The reason for the joy of Jesus is the joy of the friends. In listening to their experience and in perceiving their joy, Jesus also feels a profound joy. The reason for Jesus’ joy is the well-being of others.
• It is not a superficial joy. It comes from the Holy Spirit. The reason for the joy is that the disciples – men and women – have experienced something of Jesus during their missionary experience.
• Jesus calls them “ little children”. Who are the “little children”? They are the seventy-two disciples (Lk 10, 1) who return from the mission: father and mother of a family, boys and girls, married and single, old and young. They are not doctors. They are simple persons, without much science, much study, but they understand the things of God better than doctors.
• “Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do!”  A very serious phrase. It pleases the Father that the doctors and the wise do not understand the things of the Kingdom and that, instead the little ones understand them. Therefore, if the great want to understand the things of the Kingdom, they should become the disciples of the little ones!
• Jesus looks at them and says: “Blessed are you!” And why are they happy? Because they are seeing things which the prophets would have liked to see, but did not see. And what will they see? They will be able to perceive the action of the Kingdom in the common things of life: to cure the sick, to console the afflicted, to expel the evil from life.
4) Personal questions
• I take the place of the people: Do I consider myself as belonging to the group of the little ones or to that of the doctors?
• I take the place of Jesus: Which is the basis of my joy? Superficial or profound?
5) Concluding Prayer
“I give you praise, Father,
for although you have hidden these things from the wise
you have revealed them to the childlike." (cf. Lc 10,21)



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