Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

2nd WEEK OF ADVENT
 Psalter: Week 2 / (White)
St. John of the Cross priest & doctor

Ps 145:1 & 9, 10-11, 12-13ab
The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.

1^st Reading: Is 41:13-20

For I, Yahweh, your God, take hold of your right hand and say to you: “Fear not, I am your assistance.“

Fear not, Jacob, poor worm, and you, people of Israel, so frail. I am your redeemer, says Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, your helper.

I will make you a thresher, new and with sharp double teeth: you will thresh hills and mountains, crushing them and reducing them to chaff.

You will winnow them, the wind will carry them off and the storm will scatter them. But you will rejoice in Yahweh and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The poor and the afflicted seek water, and find none. Their tongues are parched with thirst. But I, Yahweh, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will open up streams over the barren heights and let the rivers flow through all the valleys; I will turn the desert into lakes and brooks and the thirsty earth into a land of springs.

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle and the olive; I will plant in the wasteland fir, cypress and pine that all may see and know, consider and understand, that the hand of Yahweh has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Gospel: Mt 11:11-15

I tell you this: no one greater than John the Baptist has arisen from among the sons of women; and yet, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is something to be conquered; and violent men seize it.

Up to the time of John, there was only prophesy: all the prophets and the law. And if you believe me, John is indeed that Elijah, whose coming was predicted. Let anyone with ears listen!

REFLECTION:

John the Baptist is truly an Advent figure. He gives us a sometimes uncomfortable reminder that Christmas is much more than a time to make and spend money. Christmas has nothing to do with material gain; it is a challenge to renewal and repentance.

We are struck by the tremendous tribute which Jesus pays to John. There has been nobody greater than he. But this praise is followed by the startling phrase that, “the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he“. What can this mean? It is something I have often wondered about.

William Barclay gives the best answer. He says that something was lacking in John. He had never seen Christ on the Cross, the deepest expression of God‘s love was missed by John. The humblest Christian is greater than John simply in the chronology of events. John died ahead of Jesus. The Christians came after the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are indeed great. We reap the unmerited fruits of Christ‘s sacrifice.

We are blessed but not necessarily better than John. Our blessedness will be in vain, if we will not be moved to renewal of life and to love God alone in Jesus. John heroically fulfilled his role to prepare the people for Jesus‘ coming and proclaimed Jesus when He came. Ours is the call to follow Jesus‘ way and to give witness to his love to all people.

Daily Reflection

Daily Gospel ® is a product Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com

2nd WEEK OF ADVENT
 Psalter: Week 2 / (Red)
St. Lucy, virgin & martyr

Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 & 10
O bless the Lord, my soul!

1^st Reading: Is 40:25-31

To whom, then, will you liken me or make me equal? says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes and see: who has created all this? He has ordered them as a starry host and called them each by name. So mighty is his power, so great his strength, that not one of them is missing.

How can you say, O Jacob, how can you complain, O Israel, that your destiny is hidden from me, that your rights are ignored by Yahweh? Have you not known, have you not heard that Yahweh is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth? He does not grow tired or weary, his knowledge is without limit. He gives strength to the enfeebled, he gives vigor to the wearied. Youth may grow tired and faint, young men will stumble and fall, but those who hope in Yahweh will renew their strength. They will soar as with eagle‘s wings; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and never tire.

Gospel: Mt 11:28-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy; and my burden is light.“

REFLECTION:

In a parish with old religious beliefs and traditions, there are people who still do the flagellation practices during Holy Week as a sign of penance and contrition for their sins. Though the Church does not condemn this practice, she does not recommend it. This is not to discredit­ this tradition, but there is a better way to encounter the forgiving Christ–the wonderful sacrament of reconciliation. Through the absolution of the priest the sinner has the assurance that sins are forgiven by Christ, who died for him/her on the cross. We do not have to whip ourselves physically and carry wooden crosses as symbolic gestures of repentance. We cannot gain our salvation by our own ­efforts but through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

In humility, let us unburden our sinful self to the Lord through this sacrament. God constantly invites us, “Come to me, all you labor and are burdened…“

Daily Reflection

Daily Gospel ® is a product Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com

2nd WEEK OF ADVENT
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)
Our Lady of Guadalupe

Ps 96:1-2, 3, 10ac, 11-12, 13
The Lord our God comes with power.

1^st Reading: Is 40:1-11

Be comforted, my people, be strengthened, says your God.Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, proclaim to her that her time of bondage is at an end, that her guilt has been paid for, that from the hand of Yahweh she has received double punishment for all her iniquity.

A voice cries, “In the wilderness prepare the way for Yahweh. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be raised up; every mountain and hill will be laid low. The stumbling blocks shall become level and the rugged places smooth. The glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all mortals together will see it; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.“

A voice says, “Cry.“ and I say, “What shall I cry?“ “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of Yahweh blows upon it. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will forever stand.“ Go up onto the high mountain, messenger of good news to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, fear not to cry aloud when you tell Jerusalem and announce to the cities of Judah: Here is your God!

Here comes Yahweh Sabaoth with might; his strong arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and here before him is his booty. Like a shepherd he tends his flock: he gathers the lambs in his arms, he carries them in his bosom, gently leading those that are with young.

Gospel: Mt 18:12-14

What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won‘t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you, when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it, than about the ninety-nine that did not go astray. It is the same with your Father in heaven. Your Father in heaven doesn‘t want even one of these little ones to perish.

REFLECTION:

The theme of today‘s gospel reading is God‘s passionate love for humanity. This same parable is told dramatically in Luke 15:4-32 together with two others; the Lost Drachma and the Prodigal Son. Authors and some theologians call the three parables the summary of the whole Bible, especially the New Testament. Our God is a tremendous lover and he loves each one of us as though we are the only ones existing in this planet.

Since every person is a unique individual, God loves him/her with utmost patience. The analogy of a person to that of a sheep is very proper. A person goes astray for the simplest of reasons, to satisfy his curiosity, pride, power or pleasure. So too, is a sheep, easily fooled! God actively works for man‘s return every time he goes astray. He will seek him by varied means and signs to convince him to return to the fold. God rejoices when He finds the lost one. He will protect him from going astray again. May the picture of a good and happy Shepherd with the lost sheep on His shoulder, encourage us to love Him in return and rejoice with God.

Daily Reflection

Daily Gospel ® is a product Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com

2nd WEEK OF ADVENT
 Psalter: Week 2 / (Violet/White)
St. Damasus I, pope
 
Ps 85:9ab & 10, 11-12, 13-14
Our God will come to save us!

1^st Reading: Is 35:1-10

Let the wilderness and the arid land rejoice, the desert be glad and blossom. Covered with flowers, it sings and shouts with joy, adorned with the splendor of Lebanon, the magnificence of Carmel and Sharon. They, my people, see the glory of Yahweh, the majesty of our God.

Give vigor to weary hands and strength to enfeebled knees. Say to those who are afraid: “Have courage, do not fear. See, your God comes, demanding justice. He is the God who rewards, the God who comes to save you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed. Then will the lame leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb sing and shout. For water will break out in the wilderness and streams gush forth from the desert. The thirsty ground will become a pool, the arid land springs of water. In the haunts where once reptiles lay, grass will grow with reeds and rushes.

There will be a highway which will be called The Way of Holiness; no one unclean will pass over it nor any wicked fool stray there. No lion will be found there nor any beast of prey. Only the redeemed will walk there.

For the ransomed of Yahweh will return: with everlasting joy upon their heads, they will come to Zion singing, gladness and joy marching with them, while sorrow and sighing flee away.

Gospel: Lk 5:17-26

One day, Jesus was teaching, and many Pharisees and teachers of the law had come from every part of Galilee and Judea, and even from Jerusalem. They were sitting there, while the power of the Lord was at work to heal the sick. Then some men brought a paralyzed man who lay on his mat. They tried to enter the house to place him before Jesus, but they couldn‘t find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof, and, removing the tiles, they lowered him on his mat into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.“ At once the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to wonder, “This man insults God! Who can forgive sins, but God alone?“

But Jesus knew their thoughts and asked them, “Why are you reacting like this? Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven‘ or ‘Get up and walk‘? Now you shall know, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.“ And Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.“ At once, the man stood before them. He took up the mat he had been lying on, and went home praising God.

Amazement seized the people and they praised God. They were filled with a holy fear, and said, “What wonderful things we have seen today!“

REFLECTION:

“Amazement seized the people and they praised God.“ “What wonderful things we have seen today.“ When we witness something usual, we are amazed, we praise God, we tell others of the wonderful things we have seen. Same expressions were uttered by the people, who witnessed the wonders Jesus showed when He healed the paralyzed man.

What were they wondering? They were amazed and wondered at the paralyzed man‘s faith. Nothing stopped them not to bring the man to Jesus. They were so determined. Even Jesus wondered: “when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, “My friend your sins are forgiven.“ They wondered how the man was forgiven and how he got up, took his mat, walked and went home praising God.

The wonderful event brings to recall and to learn a lesson that people can be saved through the instrumentality of others: parents, friends, officemates, classmates, etc. St. Monica converted her most sinful and immoral son through her tears and prayers, now a great pillar of the Church, St. Augustine. Many of us can recall the persons who brought us to church, to the sacraments, encouraged and advised us, saved us. Every time, I see lay people who are so committed to their ministry, couple who are so faithful to each other, I wondered. My commitment and fidelity to my priestly life and vows are strengthened. Let us pray and be grateful to people who brought us to God.

Daily Reflection

Daily Gospel ® is a product Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com