Friday of the First Week in Advent
Lectionary: 179
Lectionary: 179
Thus says the Lord GOD:
But a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
But a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (1a) The
Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 9:27-31
As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
“Son of David, have pity on us!”
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
“See that no one knows about this.”
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
“Son of David, have pity on us!”
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
“See that no one knows about this.”
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
Meditation: "Do you believe?"
Are there any blind-spots in your life that keep you
from recognizing God's power and mercy? When two blind men heard that Jesus was
passing their way, they followed him and begged for his mercy. The word mercy literally
means "sorrowful at heart". But mercy is something more than
compassion, or heartfelt sorrow at another person's misfortune. Compassion
empathizes with the sufferer. But mercy goes further; it removes suffering. A
merciful person shares in another person's misfortune and suffering as if it
were their own.
God shows mercy to those who recognize their need for
his forgiveness and healing
When two blind men approached Jesus, he questioned their earnestness. "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" Jesus put them to the test, not to rebuff them, but to strengthen their faith and trust in God's mercy. He touched their eyes, both to identify with their affliction and to awaken faith in them. Their faith grew as they responded to his word with confident hope. Jesus restored their sight - both physically and spiritually to the reality of God's kingdom. Faith opens the way for us to see the power of God’s kingdom and to experience his healing presence in our lives.
When two blind men approached Jesus, he questioned their earnestness. "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" Jesus put them to the test, not to rebuff them, but to strengthen their faith and trust in God's mercy. He touched their eyes, both to identify with their affliction and to awaken faith in them. Their faith grew as they responded to his word with confident hope. Jesus restored their sight - both physically and spiritually to the reality of God's kingdom. Faith opens the way for us to see the power of God’s kingdom and to experience his healing presence in our lives.
In Jesus we see the fullness of God's mercy and the
power of his kingdom - power to save from death and destruction, to forgive
sins and lift the burden of guilt, and to heal infirmities and release the
oppressed. Jesus never refused to bring God's mercy to those who earnestly
sought it. How can we seek and obtain God's mercy? God gives mercy to the lowly
in heart - to those who recognize their need for God and for his forgiveness
and healing power.
God transforms those who put their hope and trust in
him
God wants to change and transform our lives to set us free to live as his sons and daughters and citizens of his kingdom. Faith is key to this transformation. How can we grow in faith? Faith is a gift freely given by God to help us know God personally, to understand his truth, and to live in the power of his love. For faith to be effective it must be linked with trust and obedience - an active submission to God and a willingness to do whatever he commands. The Lord Jesus wants us to live in the confident expectation that he will fulfill his promises to us and bring us into the fullness of his kingdom - a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Do you know the peace and joy of God's kingdom?
God wants to change and transform our lives to set us free to live as his sons and daughters and citizens of his kingdom. Faith is key to this transformation. How can we grow in faith? Faith is a gift freely given by God to help us know God personally, to understand his truth, and to live in the power of his love. For faith to be effective it must be linked with trust and obedience - an active submission to God and a willingness to do whatever he commands. The Lord Jesus wants us to live in the confident expectation that he will fulfill his promises to us and bring us into the fullness of his kingdom - a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Do you know the peace and joy of God's kingdom?
"Lord Jesus, help me to draw near to you with
faith and trust in your saving power and mercy. Free me from doubt and unbelief
that I may approach you confidently and pray boldly with expectant faith. Let
your kingdom come and may your will be done in me."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: They saw because they believed in the
Messiah, by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367
AD)
"At that point, two blind men follow the Lord as
he was passing by. But if they could not see, how could the blind men know of
the Lord's departure as well as his name? Moreover, they called him 'Son of
David' and asked to be made well. In the two blind men, the entire earlier
prefiguration [miracles in Matthew 9:18-26] is complete. The ruler's daughter
seems to be from these people, namely, the Pharisees and John’s disciples, who
already made common cause in testing the Lord. To these unknowing persons the
law gave evidence as to the one from whom they sought a cure. It indicated to
them that their Savior in the flesh was of the line of David. It also
introduced light to the minds of those who were blind from past sins. They
could not see Christ but were told about him. The Lord showed them that faith
should not be expected as a result of health but health should be expected
because of faith. The blind men saw because they believed; they did not believe
because they saw. From this we understand that what is requested must be
predicated on faith and that faith must not be exercised because of what has
been obtained. If they should believe, he offers them sight. And he charges the
believers to be silent, for it was exclusively the task of the apostles to
preach." (excerpt from commentary ON
MATTHEW 9.9)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, MATTHEW 9:27-31
Advent Weekday
(Isaiah 29:17-24; Psalm 27)
Advent Weekday
(Isaiah 29:17-24; Psalm 27)
KEY VERSE: "Let it be done for you according to your faith" (v 29).
TO KNOW: The prophet Isaiah reviled Jerusalem for their blindness to God's revelation (29:9-11). In the gospels, the faith of those who were physically blind is contrasted with those who were blind spiritually to God's revelation in Jesus. In this incident, two blind men cried out to Jesus for healing, calling him by the Messianic title "Son of David." Jesus asked, "Do you believe that I can do this?" (v 28). The blind men responded with belief in his healing power. Jesus cured them, and then warned them not to tell others as they might misunderstand his mission as mere "wonder-working." In their enthusiasm, the men could not restrain themselves from speaking of this astounding miracle.
TO LOVE: Does the busyness of Advent make me blind to Jesus' presence in my life?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, give me the faith to call to you when I am in need.
Friday 2 December 2016
Fri 2nd. Day of penance.
Isaiah 29:17-24. The Lord is my light and my salvation—Ps 26(27):1, 4, 13-14. Matthew 9:27-31.
'... be strong, let your heart be bold,
put your hope in Yahweh.'
The blind men are bold in approaching
Jesus. Rather than remain burdened by their disability, they trust that they
deserve healing and that it will be granted them. The earlier quiet sureness of
the haemorrhaging woman who touches Jesus' cloak stands in contrast to the
shouting confidence of these men, yet all three share an unwavering trust in
Jesus' power. Acknowledging our many imperfections can produce a mixture of
relief and regret, yet we need not hide away out of fear or shame from the God
who loves us.
By opening our hearts to God, we can find healing, even when we feel unloveable and unworthy. But first we must trust boldly in God's constant and perfect love.
By opening our hearts to God, we can find healing, even when we feel unloveable and unworthy. But first we must trust boldly in God's constant and perfect love.
BLESSED LIDUINA MENEGUZZI
Elisa Angela Meneguzzi was born on September 12, 1901,
to poor and humble farming family in Padua, Italy. She manifested an ardently
spiritual soul and spent hours in prayer, attended Mass every day and taught
catechism.
In 1926, willing to totally donate her life to God, she joined the Sisters Congregation of Saint Francis de Sales, taking the name Liduina. She began to work there as a nurse in a girls' boarding school before being sent to Ethiopia as a missionary in 1937.
With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, she devotedly tended to the sick at a military hospital in Dire-Dawa.
The inhabitants of the city were for the most part muslim, and through the saintly testimony of Sr. Liduina, many were drawn to the Catholic faith. For this reason she was given the name, the "ecumenical flame."
She died of cancer on December 2, 1941 in the hospital of Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia where she spent her last years. Her body was returned to the motherhouse of her congregation in 1961, and she was beatified on October 20, 2002 by Pope John Paul II.
In 1926, willing to totally donate her life to God, she joined the Sisters Congregation of Saint Francis de Sales, taking the name Liduina. She began to work there as a nurse in a girls' boarding school before being sent to Ethiopia as a missionary in 1937.
With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, she devotedly tended to the sick at a military hospital in Dire-Dawa.
The inhabitants of the city were for the most part muslim, and through the saintly testimony of Sr. Liduina, many were drawn to the Catholic faith. For this reason she was given the name, the "ecumenical flame."
She died of cancer on December 2, 1941 in the hospital of Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia where she spent her last years. Her body was returned to the motherhouse of her congregation in 1961, and she was beatified on October 20, 2002 by Pope John Paul II.
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 9,27-31
Lectio Divina:
Friday, December 2, 2016
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 Saviour,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - 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 to him and he said to them, 'Do you believe I can do this?' They said, 'Lord, we do.' Then he touched their eyes saying, 'According to your faith, let it be done to you.' And their sight returned. Then Jesus sternly warned them, 'Take care that no one learns about this.' But when they had gone away, they talked about him all over the countryside.
3) Reflection
Once again, today’s Gospel places before us the encounter of Jesus with human misery. Jesus does not withdraw, he does not hide. He accepts the persons and in accepting them, full of tenderness, he reveals God’s love.
• Two blind men follow Jesus and cry out to him: “Son of David, have pity on us!”. Jesus did not like very much the title of Son of David. He criticizes the teaching of the Scribes who said that the Messiah should be the Son of David: “David himself calls him Lord: How then can he be his son?” (Mk 12, 37).
• Reaching home, Jesus asks the blind men: “Do you believe that I can do this?” And they answer: “Yes, Lord!” It is one thing to have the true doctrine in the head, and a very different thing to have the correct faith in the heart. The doctrine of the two blind men was not too right, because they called Jesus Son of David. But Jesus does not care to be called like this, what is important to him is to have a correct faith.
• He touches the eyes and says: “May it be done to you according to your faith!” Immediately the eyes were opened. In spite of the fact that they did not possess a correct doctrine, the two blind men had a correct faith. Today many persons are more concerned about a correct doctrine than of a correct faith.
• It is good not to forget a small detail of hospitality. Jesus reaches the house and the two blind men also enter into the house, as if this was the most natural thing in the world. They feel at ease in Jesus’ house And today? A Religious Sister said: “Today the situation of the world is such that I feel mistrustful even toward the poor!” The situation has changed very much from then until now!
• Jesus asks not to diffuse the miracle. But the prohibition was not respected very much. Both of them went out and spread the Good News. To proclaim the Gospel, that is, the Good News, means to share with others the good which God does in our life.
4) Personal questions
• Do I have in my life some Good News from God to share with others?
• On which point do I insist more: on a correct doctrine or on a correct faith?
5) Concluding Prayer
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (Ps 27)
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 Saviour,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - 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 to him and he said to them, 'Do you believe I can do this?' They said, 'Lord, we do.' Then he touched their eyes saying, 'According to your faith, let it be done to you.' And their sight returned. Then Jesus sternly warned them, 'Take care that no one learns about this.' But when they had gone away, they talked about him all over the countryside.
3) Reflection
Once again, today’s Gospel places before us the encounter of Jesus with human misery. Jesus does not withdraw, he does not hide. He accepts the persons and in accepting them, full of tenderness, he reveals God’s love.
• Two blind men follow Jesus and cry out to him: “Son of David, have pity on us!”. Jesus did not like very much the title of Son of David. He criticizes the teaching of the Scribes who said that the Messiah should be the Son of David: “David himself calls him Lord: How then can he be his son?” (Mk 12, 37).
• Reaching home, Jesus asks the blind men: “Do you believe that I can do this?” And they answer: “Yes, Lord!” It is one thing to have the true doctrine in the head, and a very different thing to have the correct faith in the heart. The doctrine of the two blind men was not too right, because they called Jesus Son of David. But Jesus does not care to be called like this, what is important to him is to have a correct faith.
• He touches the eyes and says: “May it be done to you according to your faith!” Immediately the eyes were opened. In spite of the fact that they did not possess a correct doctrine, the two blind men had a correct faith. Today many persons are more concerned about a correct doctrine than of a correct faith.
• It is good not to forget a small detail of hospitality. Jesus reaches the house and the two blind men also enter into the house, as if this was the most natural thing in the world. They feel at ease in Jesus’ house And today? A Religious Sister said: “Today the situation of the world is such that I feel mistrustful even toward the poor!” The situation has changed very much from then until now!
• Jesus asks not to diffuse the miracle. But the prohibition was not respected very much. Both of them went out and spread the Good News. To proclaim the Gospel, that is, the Good News, means to share with others the good which God does in our life.
4) Personal questions
• Do I have in my life some Good News from God to share with others?
• On which point do I insist more: on a correct doctrine or on a correct faith?
5) Concluding Prayer
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (Ps 27)
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