Wednesday - December 14, 2016
'The soul has three powers: first, the power of nourishment and growth; second, that of imagination and instinct; third, that of intelligence and intellect. Plants share only in the first of these powers; animals share in the first and second; men share in all three. The first two powers are perishable; the third is clearly imperishable and immortal.'
TODAY'S READINGS
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 12, 2016
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Lectionary: 690A
Reading 1ZEC 2:14-17
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people,
and he will dwell among you,
and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,
and he will again choose Jerusalem.
Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!
For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.”
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people,
and he will dwell among you,
and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,
and he will again choose Jerusalem.
Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!
For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
OrRV 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB
God’s temple in heaven was opened,and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.”
Responsorial PsalmJDT 13:18BCDE, 19
R. (15:9d) You are the highest honor of our race.
Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
OrLK 1:39-47
Mary set outand traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
******************************
GOD IS AMONGST US
Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are always present to me in my waking and in my sleeping, but I am not always present to you. Forgive my inattentiveness to you, Jesus, my Creator and Redeemer. Thank you for the gifts of life, my faith in you, my family and the many other gifts you have granted me. I wish you to be the center of my life despite the countless times I put myself first. I love you and long to draw nearer to you in my prayers and actions.
Petition: Jesus, help me to discover your loving hand in my daily life.
1. Are We to Wait for Another? “He came to his own, and his own people did not accept him” (John 1:11). This is perhaps one of the saddest phrases in scripture. The “Desired of Nations” came to those who should have desired him most but they did not recognize him. Yet, if we are not careful, this can occur on a daily basis in our own lives. In our desire to make spiritual progress we might be turning a deaf ear to the voice of conscience and the lights of the Holy Spirit because we are looking for “bigger, more spectacular” opportunities to love God. We are caught looking for “something else” while he is coming to us in the most ordinary circumstances of loving my spouse, children, parents or peers.
2. Go and Tell John What You Have Seen and Heard: Jesus appeals to reason in order to elicit a deeper response of faith. To summarize his message for John: “You will know a tree by its fruit”. John has already heard of the works of Christ. So, why does Jesus re-emphasize what John already knows? Precisely because we do not always know how to discover the works of God in our daily lives at first glance. It is as if to say, “Open your eyes and your ears to learn the ways of God. I am constantly at work in your life, discover my action, hear my voice, and you will come to see my plan for you.”
3. And Blessed Is the One Who Takes No Offense at Me: Remember, this statement is directed to the “greatest man born of woman.” Therefore it must not frighten us that the paths God chooses are sometimes quite mysterious to us. Israel needed John’s testimony, yet he spends his last days in prison, hidden from the public eye. “What a waste of much needed talent!” – this is the cry of reason unaided by faith. Doesn’t God understand how important John is to the equation? Doesn’t he know that we need good leaders in society and in the Church? Doesn’t he know that my husband, my wife, or my child is too young to die? Doesn’t he know…? It is a subtle temptation to question whether God actually cares about justice in our daily lives or whether his plan is truly the best option. Satan loves leading us down this labyrinthine path. But faith enables us to cling to the truth that God is indeed all-powerful and all-loving. Faith gives us an enlightened vision to find the way and travel it safely. Am I always able to count my blessings no matter what happens in my life?
Conversation with Christ: Lord I believe in you because you are always faithful to your promises. You never promised that life would be easy but you did promise that you would give me the grace to carry the cross you ask me to bear. Sometimes I simply do not want to carry it. Help me to bear it generously with faith and love. Mother Most Pure, make my heart only for Jesus.
Resolution: Today I will visit the Blessed Sacrament and recite the creed. If I cannot make it to visit our Lord, then I will present myself to him in the quiet of my heart and recite the same.
------------------------------
God Bless You.....
KONKANI PRAYER GROUP - Abu Dhabi
"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone" Mark 16:15
No comments:
Post a Comment