Third Sunday of Advent
Today's Scripture
We are in the midst of Advent, in fact, we have reached the third Sunday in Advent, known in the West as Gaudete Sunday, which is from the Latin for, “Rejoice!” And indeed, our readings today help train our minds to focus on the joy we celebrate. This is particularly emphasized in the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah, the responsorial psalm taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, and the second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. The cause of our rejoicing is Jesus, His coming and His presence once He has arrived, where our God will be in our midst (Zephaniah 3:17). This occurs in today’s Mass, as at every Mass. Such rejoicing, however, also prepares us for the joy of the Christmas season we are about to celebrate in 12 days, where we remember Jesus first coming in the flesh, where God became present to us in our midst ---as He is at every Eucharist.
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Today's Scripture
In the tradition of Jewish hope for the Messiah, the one who would come and restore God’s reign, there was an expectation that the great prophet Elijah would come back as a forerunner to the Messiah, an indication that the one who came after was indeed God’s servant who will save His people from oppression. In the first reading, we see a recitation of this expectation of Elijah’s return, “You were destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord, To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.” And in the gospel, Jesus alludes to Elijah’s suffering such that it was clear to the disciples that he was identifying John the Baptist with Elijah. The Baptist is indeed the forerunner to Jesus, the Messiah. It is not as clear as was expected.
Friday of the Second Week of Advent
Today's Scripture
A story is told about one of my favorite saints, Teresa of Avila. In order to comprehend the story, you need to know that she is the founder of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, a very strict order in which people do a lot of fasting and other ascetic acts. The word “discalced” means “unshod,” and these Carmelites walk around barefoot or in sandals, again as an ascetic practice, and also as a witness to the fact that Jesus himself was poor and did not have shoes in the way that we do. Teresa advocated lots of time for prayer and contemplation, a very difficult thing to do. So, imagine the surprise of her nuns when they encountered her in the kitchen one day eating partridge, and clearly enjoying it. The nuns exclaimed that she wasn’t fasting, but Teresa said, “When I fast, I fast, and when I partridge, I partridge.”
Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
Today's Scripture
“The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and of great kindness” (Ps. 145:8). This is our response for today’s psalm, and it encapsulates one of the themes of Advent, namely God’s merciful gift in his Son Jesus, who will come to us as an infant at Christmas and who will come again at the end to claim all who belong to his kingdom.
Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
Today's Scripture
Advent may be the season of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity, yet it often seems like the time to “get stuff done” for Christmas. Of course, these four weeks include both. Yet, it is so tempting to focus on getting our Christmas checklist completed that our exhaustion can obscure the spiritual growth of an Advent season well celebrated. Today’s readings address our weariness and speak of the strengthening that is offered to those who place their hope in the Lord.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today's Scripture
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a much misunderstood dogma. Many assume, mistakenly, that the dogma of the Immaculate Conception refers to Jesus’ birth. Perhaps this is partly because of the Gospel reading from St. Luke which foretells Jesus’ birth. In fact, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception refers to Mary’s own conception. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception teaches that Mary was conceived free from original sin, and the close corollary is that she herself never actively sinned. This dogma was solemnly defined in 1854, but had been an important belief in Christianity much earlier. Even the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther adhered to the Immaculate Conception, and much earlier, St. Augustine, who was a central figure in the Church’s development of the understanding of original sin, upheld Mary as an exception to original sin.
Monday of the Second Week of Advent
Today's Scripture
In this second week of Advent, we continue longing for Christ’s coming, recalling his birth in Bethlehem 2000 years ago as well as anticipating his coming at the end of time. In this time of darkness, we long for light. In this time of cold, we long for warmth. This is a joyful anticipation because we are full of hope and confidence that God does indeed come to us. Today’s first reading from Isaiah is also one of longing and anticipation. We hear what will happen when God comes to us, and it is amazing!
Second Sunday of Advent
Today's Scripture
On this second Sunday of Advent we are reminded of St. John the Baptist’s prophetic role to prepare the way of the Lord (Luke 3:4). The image of the Lord’s coming is found, at some level, in all of today’s readings. In the first reading from Baruch we find God’s exaltation of Israel which had been brought low. The Lord’s coming (implied here) will be restorative (it will bring the people back). We find this fulfilled, at one level, with the ministry of Jesus, and the calling of the twelve apostles representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Again, this imagery, clearly tied to the first reading, is found again in the responsorial Psalm 126, with the expectant hope of return from exile. More explicitly, St. Paul talks of the coming “day of Christ” (Philippians 1:6 and 10).
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Today's Scripture
We usually think of Christmas, not Advent, as the time of giving- but, really, all times are times of giving. Although we may not always realize it, we receive everything that we have as a gift from God. As the Creed insists, we believe in the God who is “creator of heaven and earth, of all that is- seen and unseen.” If we allow ourselves to seriously contemplate our own Faith, we find that we believe that everything stems from God’s giving. If this is true, then all of our experiences find their origin in God, who continuously sustains all things. Everything that we are and everything that we have- all of our lives have their source in the LORD God Almighty, who is the beginning and the end of everything that was, and is, and will be.
Friday of the First Week of Advent
Today's Scripture
In today’s gospel (Matthew 9:27-31) Jesus encounters two blind men and asks them, “Do you believe I can do this?” Do you believe I can heal you? Jesus’ words are, of course, meant to be closely linked to today’s Old Testament text (Isaiah 29:17-24) about how the blind shall see and tyrants will no longer rule.
Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, priest
Today's Scripture
In this first week of Advent, we continue the book of the prophet Isaiah and also continue with readings involving the Kingdom of Heaven, which was a prominent theme in the last few weeks of our liturgical year. Today’s selection from Isaiah speaks of triumph for those who have trusted in the Lord. Those nations who have lived God’s will find welcome in the strong and protected city. These people have lived the truth of God as their rock and hence find security in this rock. Meanwhile, other lofty cities are humbled as they fall to the ground to be trampled by the needy and the poor. We can understand these lofty cities as concerned more with their own success than in fidelity to God and hence charity to the lowest of their society.
Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Today's Scripture
Even as the new liturgical year has begun, the readings still echo last weeks sense of the end times. In fact, the word Advent in Greek is Parousia. This word has apocalyptic overtone that reminds us of the second coming. Yet, it also connects us to the coming of Jesus and his presence in the world now. It is with this understanding that we approach today’s readings. They resound that God who was, who is, and who is to come will provide for us!
Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
Today's Scripture
Today’s Gospel reading reminds us that we must become childlike if we wish receive Jesus, because it is to the childlike that Jesus has been revealed (Luke 10:21). This means we need to relearn how to have the filial trust that children have in their parents. We need to exercise that kind of childlike trust in God. At the end of today’s Gospel passage, a link is made with the first reading for today, when Jesus explains how many prophets and kings desired to see His coming (10:24).
Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
Today's Scripture
Yesterday we began Advent, our four weeks of preparation for Christmas. This is a time of great longing. In the darkness of our world at this time of the year, we long for light. We long for our savior to enter this world in two ways – both as an infant born in Bethlehem, and, again, as our King and Judge at the end of time. At this beginning of the liturgical year, we contemplate the end of our time on earth, as well as the beginning of Jesus’ time on earth. Our readings in the coming weeks will reflect this imagery of longing for our Savior and Redeemer. Much of the rest of our country will skip this period of waiting and make it seem as though Christmas has already come. But, as Lent helps us to appreciate Easter, so Advent helps us to appreciate Christmas. We need to pine for Jesus in order to celebrate fully the mystery of Christmas.
First Sunday of Advent
Today's Scripture
Today we begin a new liturgical year, and a new liturgical season. On this first Sunday of Advent, we begin our pilgrimage to the Nativity of Our Lord at Christmas. The Gospel reading for today might appear odd at first, since it appears to speak about the end times. Didn’t we finish the liturgical year last week?
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Scripture
Appropriately, on this final day of the liturgical year, we have reflections about the apocalypse, or the second coming of Jesus. “Apocalypse” in Greek literally means “revelation” or “pulling back the veil” (Hence the title of the last book of the Bible). We generally talk about “revelation” as the way that God makes Himself known to us – in Scripture and preeminently in Jesus Himself.
Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Scripture
Have you noticed this week that the "psalm" (literally "song") for each day is not from the Book of Psalms, but is from the book of Daniel? These verses from chapter 3 (today's verses are 75-81) are not in Protestant Bibles - the rest of chapter 3 is there, but not these verses. These verses follow after the story of Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego who are thrown into a fiery furnace but emerge unharmed. This is the song that is sung when Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego are freed. And the king who had thrown them into the furnace was king of the evil Babylonian empire, but recognizes that these are servants of the true God and turns to God himself.
Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Scripture
In this last week of Ordinary Time, we’ve been hearing some ominous messages in the Gospel of Luke. On the one hand, Jesus’ words refer to the destruction of Jerusalem that was to happen within a few decades of his death. It wouldn’t be surprising if those who heard this message assumed that the world was to end with the destruction of Jerusalem. But of course, the world didn’t end in 60 A.D.
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Scripture
The writing was on the wall today as I prayerfully prepared today’s reflection. Although the readings speak to the end times, a more overwhelming message rose to the top as we quickly approach Advent. Simply put, the times of trial and persecution “will lead to your giving your testimony.” (Lk 21: 13) Giving one’s testimony can be an extraordinary challenge, yet today’s Gospel adds a caveat that’s almost scary. “You are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking.” (Lk 21:14 ) The Lord promises that the words of our testimony will not be able to be overcome by our adversaries. This promise reminds us that we must have a radical trust in the Lord’s spirit to guide, protect and speak through us.
Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, priest and martyr, and his companions, martyrs
Today's Scripture
I am taking a little liberty with the title of this post. The better translation from the Greek would read, “be not terrified” (Luke 21:9), but elsewhere Jesus says, “be not afraid” (e.g., Matthew 28:10). This was Pope John Paul II’s great message on October 16, 1978, when he was elected pope and spoke to the world for the first time. This same message is one of the instructions Jesus imparts to His disciples in today’s Gospel reading from St. Luke.