Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
Lectionary: 176
Lectionary: 176
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.
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.
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.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 10:21-24
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."
"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: "Rejoice that your
names are written in heaven"
Do
you know the joy of the Lord? The scriptures tell us that the joy of the Lord
is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Why does Jesus tell his disciples to not take
joy in their own successes, even spiritual ones? Jesus makes clear that the
true source of our joy is God, and God alone. Regardless of the
circumstances, in good times and bad times, in success or loss, God
always assures us of victory in Jesus Christ. Jesus assures his disciples
that he has all power over evil, including the power of Satan and the evil
spirits or fallen angels who conspire against us. In fact, that is why
Jesus came into the world to overthrow the evil one (John 12:31). We,
too, as disciples of Jesus have been given spiritual authority and power for
overcoming the works of darkness and evil (1 John 2:13-14).Jesus thanks the Father in heaven for revealing to his disciples the wisdom and knowledge of God. What does Jesus' prayer 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 is 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. What makes us ignorant and blind to the things of God? Sinful pride springs from exaggerated self-centeredness. It closes the mind to God's truth and wisdom for our lives. The angels fell into pride and were cast out of heaven. The virtue of humility, the only true remedy against false pride, and which is very different from the feelings of inferiority and low self- esteem, leads us to a true recognition of who we are in God and of our dependence on God.
Jesus contrasts intellectual 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 the one who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing — the "summum bonum" or "greatest good" who 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 or every sin and evil, 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 to God and disposes us to receive God's wisdom. Nothing can give us greater joy than the knowledge that we are God's beloved and that our names are written in heaven. Do you seek to be like Jesus Christ in humility and simplicity of heart?
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make: He is the perfect revelation of God. One of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. 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. Jesus is the revelation of God -- a God who loves us completely, unconditionally and perfectly. Jesus also promises that God the Father will hear our prayers when we pray in his name. That is why Jesus taught his followers to pray with confidence, Our Father who art in heaven ..give us this day our daily bread. Do you pray to your Father in heaven with joy and confidence in his love and care for you?
"Lord, 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."
Don Schwager
TUESDAY,
DECEMBER 5, LUKE 10:21-24
Advent Weekday
(Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72)
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 the 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 5
December 2017
Advent Season of Creation.
Isaiah 11:1-10. Psalm 71(72):1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17. Luke 10:21-24.
Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for
ever – Psalm 71(72):1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17.
‘Happy the eyes that see what you see.’
When we are preoccupied with news of war and destruction, it is
important to return to the vision of what the world could be. Isaiah offers us
a wonderful image of a world at peace:
‘Calf and lion cub eat food together with a little boy to lead
them. The lion eats straw like the ox. The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;
into the viper’s lair, the young child puts his hand. They do no hurt, no harm,
on all my holy mountain’.
This is an image of an impossible possibility, different from
the world we know, a new world of which we dream. As we let it bud in our mind,
we are drawn to love and see the world in which we live as wholeheartedly and
as confidently as a child might. Our prayer takes us back to our childhood.
The Gospel also encourages us to be childlike in our faith.
Jesus is full of joy when he thanks God for showing the reality of the world
‘to mere children’. A faith that is clever can disregard the scars of the world.
A faith that is childlike sees them as wounds on a beautiful world.
Pope Francis invites us to enter deeply into the beauty and
wonder of the world of which we are part. To do this is not nature worship but
comes from a deep respect for God’s creation. We can find God’s presence in all
the variety and beauty of our world, and be drawn by them into a prayer of
thanksgiving. Pope Francis writes,
‘The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence,
there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a
dewdrop, in a poor person’s face. The ideal is not only to pass from the
exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul but also to
discover God in all things. Saint Bonaventure teaches us that “contemplation
deepens, the more we feel the working of God’s grace within our hearts, and the
better we learn to encounter God in creatures outside ourselves”.’
That wonder and respect are the beginning of a conversion that
will lead us into a deeper respect and a more delicate care for our world and a
commitment to the struggle for the protection of our environment. It is worth
praying for.
BLESSED PHILLIP RINALDI
St. Phillip Rinaldi was born on May 28, 1856 in Piedmont,
Italy. He met Don Bosco when he was just five years old, and intuitively
recognized that he was a man with a great mission.
At the age of 22, he entered the Salesian Order at the end of a tremendous vocational struggle, and even before making his vows he was made assistant novice master and was placed in charge of those with late vocations. He was ordained a priest in 1882.
He soon became the Salesian provincial superior in Spain, where he opened many new houses and then served as vicar-general of the Salesians before becoming the Rector Major in 1922, Don Bosco’s third successor.
His humble and quiet leadership of the order – he preferred to remain in the background of events, unnoticed in the crowd -- combined with his tremendous saintly virtue and apostolic zeal, and a healing miracle attributed to him at the end of the Second World War, prompted his cause for canonization.
At the age of 22, he entered the Salesian Order at the end of a tremendous vocational struggle, and even before making his vows he was made assistant novice master and was placed in charge of those with late vocations. He was ordained a priest in 1882.
He soon became the Salesian provincial superior in Spain, where he opened many new houses and then served as vicar-general of the Salesians before becoming the Rector Major in 1922, Don Bosco’s third successor.
His humble and quiet leadership of the order – he preferred to remain in the background of events, unnoticed in the crowd -- combined with his tremendous saintly virtue and apostolic zeal, and a healing miracle attributed to him at the end of the Second World War, prompted his cause for canonization.
He
died on December 5, 1931 in Turin, and was beatified on April 29, 1990 by
Pope John Paul II.
“What must you do to have life? Before all else, the first thing you have to do is pray for courage every day to carry the cross the Lord has assigned you. Then let each of you do your own work really well, the work proper to your state, as God wants it, and according to your condition.” - Blessed Philip Rinaldi
“What must you do to have life? Before all else, the first thing you have to do is pray for courage every day to carry the cross the Lord has assigned you. Then let each of you do your own work really well, the work proper to your state, as God wants it, and according to your condition.” - Blessed Philip Rinaldi
LECTIO DIVNA: LUKE 10,21-24
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
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.
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 the joy of 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.'
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 and the reason for His joy. The
disciples had gone on a mission, and when they return, they share with Jesus
the joy of their experience (Lk 10: 17, 21)
• Jesus’ joy comes from seeing the joy of His friends. Listening to their experience , Jesus feels profound joy.
• It is not a superficial joy. It comes from the Holy Spirit. The disciples have shared in Jesus’ mission during their own 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. They are not doctors. They are simple people without education , but they understand the things of God better than the doctors.
• “Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased You to do!” This is a very serious phrase. It pleases the Father that the little ones understand them. Therefore, if the great of the world 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 see the Kingdom in the common things of life such as curing the sick, consoling the afflicted, and expeling evil.
• Jesus’ joy comes from seeing the joy of His friends. Listening to their experience , Jesus feels profound joy.
• It is not a superficial joy. It comes from the Holy Spirit. The disciples have shared in Jesus’ mission during their own 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. They are not doctors. They are simple people without education , but they understand the things of God better than the doctors.
• “Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased You to do!” This is a very serious phrase. It pleases the Father that the little ones understand them. Therefore, if the great of the world 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 see the Kingdom in the common things of life such as curing the sick, consoling the afflicted, and expeling evil.
4) Personal questions
•
If I take the place of the people: Do I consider myself as belonging to
the little ones or the doctors?
• If I take the place of Jesus: What is the basis of my joy, superficial or profound?
• If I take the place of Jesus: What is the basis of my joy, superficial or profound?
•
Does being a “little one” versus a doctor imply ignorance is good, or does it
question where we place our trust - in our knowledge or in God?
•
Do I pray to God as a father with spontaneous prayer as Jesus did here, or is
my prayer formal and rigid?
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)
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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