Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
While sugarplums dance in the minds of children and many of us are exhausted from our preparations for Christmas, Advent still has one last message for us. The first reading from Samuel describes David as settling into his new palace, and yet thinking about the Ark of God residing in a tent. Although David’s desire to build a temple is strong, God sends David a message through Nathan. The message states that God has watched over David and all of Israel and will continue to do so. Nathan is trying to remind David that the Lord is in charge. God through Nathan makes a promise to David. The promise is that the House of David shall endure forever and that God “will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and will make his Kingdom firm.”(2 Sam 7:12b)
Today's Mass Readings
While sugarplums dance in the minds of children and many of us are exhausted from our preparations for Christmas, Advent still has one last message for us. The first reading from Samuel describes David as settling into his new palace, and yet thinking about the Ark of God residing in a tent. Although David’s desire to build a temple is strong, God sends David a message through Nathan. The message states that God has watched over David and all of Israel and will continue to do so. Nathan is trying to remind David that the Lord is in charge. God through Nathan makes a promise to David. The promise is that the House of David shall endure forever and that God “will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and will make his Kingdom firm.”(2 Sam 7:12b)
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readinga
Today's readings from the Book of the Prophet Malachi and from the Gospel of Luke both have to do with John the Baptist. In the first reading from Malachi, we here about Elijah coming before the day of the Lord. In the Gospels, Jesus explains that John the Baptist has come in the spirit of Elijah.
Today's Mass Readinga
Today's readings from the Book of the Prophet Malachi and from the Gospel of Luke both have to do with John the Baptist. In the first reading from Malachi, we here about Elijah coming before the day of the Lord. In the Gospels, Jesus explains that John the Baptist has come in the spirit of Elijah.
Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
Christmas is rapidly approaching as we begin this last week of Advent. Our readings today turn our focus to joy, the joy of knowing that God is on our side: he loves us, he answers our prayers, and he comes to live among us. Hence the psalm response is taken from the book of Samuel, “My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior!” (cf. 1 Sam 2:1).
Today's Mass Readings
Christmas is rapidly approaching as we begin this last week of Advent. Our readings today turn our focus to joy, the joy of knowing that God is on our side: he loves us, he answers our prayers, and he comes to live among us. Hence the psalm response is taken from the book of Samuel, “My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior!” (cf. 1 Sam 2:1).
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
In today’s first reading, David wants to build a house for God. David was the second King of Israel. Under him the kingdom of Israel has expanded and stabilized. David even moved the capital of his kingdom to Jerusalem. To his credit, even in the peak of his reign, he did not forget that the reason for the relative peace and stability that the kingdom was experiencing was in the final analysis, God’s work on behalf of the people of Israel.
Today's Mass Readings
In today’s first reading, David wants to build a house for God. David was the second King of Israel. Under him the kingdom of Israel has expanded and stabilized. David even moved the capital of his kingdom to Jerusalem. To his credit, even in the peak of his reign, he did not forget that the reason for the relative peace and stability that the kingdom was experiencing was in the final analysis, God’s work on behalf of the people of Israel.
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
Advent is a time of preparation. For four weeks, we are constantly readying ourselves for the coming of Christ. We are focused on the fact that soon (and very soon) we are going to see the King. Yet, while we are so deeply engaged in our own self-preparation, we can easily overlook one of the most inspiring mysteries of our Faith: That God chose to allow human beings to cooperate in the salvation of the human race. This mystery reaches perfection in the Incarnation, when God became a human being in Jesus Christ, and so it is among the things that we ought to consciously celebrate next week.
Today's Mass Readings
Advent is a time of preparation. For four weeks, we are constantly readying ourselves for the coming of Christ. We are focused on the fact that soon (and very soon) we are going to see the King. Yet, while we are so deeply engaged in our own self-preparation, we can easily overlook one of the most inspiring mysteries of our Faith: That God chose to allow human beings to cooperate in the salvation of the human race. This mystery reaches perfection in the Incarnation, when God became a human being in Jesus Christ, and so it is among the things that we ought to consciously celebrate next week.
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
In this late Advent weekday, our focus is turned more fully on the coming of Jesus as an infant born in Bethlehem. Today we hear proclaimed the gospel passage from Matthew. In this selection, Joseph receives a dream telling him not to divorce her, although he knows she is pregnant and it is not from him. The message from the angel convinces Joseph to marry his betrothed, and this story also is crucial for us who strive to understand who Jesus is. All who hear this gospel proclaimed are to understand that this babe will save his people from their sins; he is Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
Today's Mass Readings
In this late Advent weekday, our focus is turned more fully on the coming of Jesus as an infant born in Bethlehem. Today we hear proclaimed the gospel passage from Matthew. In this selection, Joseph receives a dream telling him not to divorce her, although he knows she is pregnant and it is not from him. The message from the angel convinces Joseph to marry his betrothed, and this story also is crucial for us who strive to understand who Jesus is. All who hear this gospel proclaimed are to understand that this babe will save his people from their sins; he is Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
Friday of the Third Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
Children have a funny place in our culture. On the one hand, there is a belief among some that adding children to our burgeoning population is evil, because more people equals more environmental devastation. To others they are noisy and annoying; when they grow to be teenagers they will be dangerous; then they will be lazy young adults who use the world’s resources but give nothing back.
Today's Mass Readings
Children have a funny place in our culture. On the one hand, there is a belief among some that adding children to our burgeoning population is evil, because more people equals more environmental devastation. To others they are noisy and annoying; when they grow to be teenagers they will be dangerous; then they will be lazy young adults who use the world’s resources but give nothing back.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
The readings today remind us of the breadth of salvation history. Jacob, whom God has renamed Israel is dying. He calls his sons together and tells them that Judah will be the number one son after he is gone. Indeed Jacob says, “You, Judah, your brothers shall praise.“ (Gen. 49:8). This is a play on words as Judah means “you shall be praised”, however it alludes to the prominent role which the tribe of Judah will play. In Judah is found Jerusalem and from Judah arises King David, through whose lineage Jesus comes to us.
Today's Mass Readings
The readings today remind us of the breadth of salvation history. Jacob, whom God has renamed Israel is dying. He calls his sons together and tells them that Judah will be the number one son after he is gone. Indeed Jacob says, “You, Judah, your brothers shall praise.“ (Gen. 49:8). This is a play on words as Judah means “you shall be praised”, however it alludes to the prominent role which the tribe of Judah will play. In Judah is found Jerusalem and from Judah arises King David, through whose lineage Jesus comes to us.
Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
Today's first reading from the Book of the Prophet Zepheniah goes well with the Gospel reading from Matthew's Gospel, although they may not at first appear to go together at all.
Today's Mass Readings
Today's first reading from the Book of the Prophet Zepheniah goes well with the Gospel reading from Matthew's Gospel, although they may not at first appear to go together at all.
Monday of the Third Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
In this penultimate week of the liturgical season of Advent, we find ourselves with first readings taken from a selection of Old Testament books. These passages will highlight the Christological reading of the Old Testament; in other words, we find the coming of Jesus foretold in the books of the Hebrew Scriptures which became known as our “Old Testament” and which were written centuries before the birth of the infant Jesus.
Today's Mass Readings
In this penultimate week of the liturgical season of Advent, we find ourselves with first readings taken from a selection of Old Testament books. These passages will highlight the Christological reading of the Old Testament; in other words, we find the coming of Jesus foretold in the books of the Hebrew Scriptures which became known as our “Old Testament” and which were written centuries before the birth of the infant Jesus.
Third Sunday of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
The first and the second readings today talk about joy. Isaiah says in today’s first reading, “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul” (Is 61:10). St. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always” (1 Thes 5:16). The intriguing thing is that both Isaiah and St. Paul faced immense hardships and their life and ministry posed many dangers to them, including the danger of losing their lives. And yet they talk about JOY!
Today's Mass Readings
The first and the second readings today talk about joy. Isaiah says in today’s first reading, “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul” (Is 61:10). St. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always” (1 Thes 5:16). The intriguing thing is that both Isaiah and St. Paul faced immense hardships and their life and ministry posed many dangers to them, including the danger of losing their lives. And yet they talk about JOY!
Memorial of Saint Lucy
Today's Mass Readings
Over the past week, the figures of Mary and John the Baptist have been given special attention in the readings. Obviously, this is due to the special vocation that they each had in preparing the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. In both cases, it was a preparation which was central to their existence, encompassing the entirety of their lives and giving them their purpose. We celebrated the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary this week in order to remember that she was, through out her entire life, the embodiment of the world’s preparation for the coming of Christ. And, in her visit to St. Elizabeth, we have seen that she brings the Spirit of God to John the Baptist, for he leaps in the womb of his own mother upon hearing the voice of the soon to be Mother of God. And so, he who will be the forerunner of Christ, the one who will prepare the way of the Lord, is himself first prepared from the womb. He is prepared through the arrival of she who was preserved from the stain of original sin from first moment of her conception.
Today's Mass Readings
Over the past week, the figures of Mary and John the Baptist have been given special attention in the readings. Obviously, this is due to the special vocation that they each had in preparing the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. In both cases, it was a preparation which was central to their existence, encompassing the entirety of their lives and giving them their purpose. We celebrated the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary this week in order to remember that she was, through out her entire life, the embodiment of the world’s preparation for the coming of Christ. And, in her visit to St. Elizabeth, we have seen that she brings the Spirit of God to John the Baptist, for he leaps in the womb of his own mother upon hearing the voice of the soon to be Mother of God. And so, he who will be the forerunner of Christ, the one who will prepare the way of the Lord, is himself first prepared from the womb. He is prepared through the arrival of she who was preserved from the stain of original sin from first moment of her conception.
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Today's Mass Readings
Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of both American continents. In 1531, Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego in Teypeyac, Mexico, and identified herself as Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. She made a request for a church to be built on that site, but the bishop requested a sign before he would do so. Juan Diego received roses (in December!) and a tilma (cloak) made of cactus cloth that depicts Our Lady, from Mary. The bishop did indeed build a church on that site, but moreover, Mary’s appearance to a Native American peasant in Mexico led to the conversions of thousands of others in the new world.
Today's Mass Readings
Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of both American continents. In 1531, Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego in Teypeyac, Mexico, and identified herself as Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. She made a request for a church to be built on that site, but the bishop requested a sign before he would do so. Juan Diego received roses (in December!) and a tilma (cloak) made of cactus cloth that depicts Our Lady, from Mary. The bishop did indeed build a church on that site, but moreover, Mary’s appearance to a Native American peasant in Mexico led to the conversions of thousands of others in the new world.
Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
“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.
Today's Mass Readings
“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 Mass Readings
Today’s readings almost break away thematically from the advent themes of preparation and waiting. Rather, it picks up the theme of rest and renewal. The focus is also on the One who will “renew their strength: (Is 40:31) and the One who will “give rest” (Mt 11:28). Both to the exiled people of Israel and the poor peasants of Jesus’ time, renewal and rest would be welcome news. But we are not in any less need of renewal and rest ourselves.
Today's Mass Readings
Today’s readings almost break away thematically from the advent themes of preparation and waiting. Rather, it picks up the theme of rest and renewal. The focus is also on the One who will “renew their strength: (Is 40:31) and the One who will “give rest” (Mt 11:28). Both to the exiled people of Israel and the poor peasants of Jesus’ time, renewal and rest would be welcome news. But we are not in any less need of renewal and rest ourselves.
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
In today's first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we find the text the provides us the necessary background for understanding John the Baptist's role in the New Testament. John the Baptist is the voice crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. But today's readings are not about John the Baptist, so why is this text here on the second Tuesday of Advent?
Today's Mass Readings
In today's first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we find the text the provides us the necessary background for understanding John the Baptist's role in the New Testament. John the Baptist is the voice crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. But today's readings are not about John the Baptist, so why is this text here on the second Tuesday of Advent?
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today's Mass Readings
Today is an important day in the liturgical calendar of the Church. We celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is a Solemnity (the highest feast of the Church) and a holy day of obligation for us. To be clear, this feast does NOT celebrate the conception of Jesus, but rather the conception of Mary. Hence, in good liturgical and biological fashion, we find this feast situated exactly nine months prior to the feast of the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on September 8th.
Today's Mass Readings
Today is an important day in the liturgical calendar of the Church. We celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is a Solemnity (the highest feast of the Church) and a holy day of obligation for us. To be clear, this feast does NOT celebrate the conception of Jesus, but rather the conception of Mary. Hence, in good liturgical and biological fashion, we find this feast situated exactly nine months prior to the feast of the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on September 8th.
Second Sunday of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
Last Sunday we reflected on how the people of Israel, because they were unfaithful to the Covenant they made with God, were led into exile. We then said that the people evaluated their lives, they confessed their sin and they surrendered their lives to God. Their act of surrender was epitomized in their prayer, “We are the clay and you are the potter” (Is 64:7). In many ways, today’s first reading is a continuation of the story. Finally, the exile is about to end. I would like to suggest that in today’s readings, God presents to the people three things. First, he offers them comfort; second, he offers them a challenge; and third, he offers them a responsibility.
Today's Mass Readings
Last Sunday we reflected on how the people of Israel, because they were unfaithful to the Covenant they made with God, were led into exile. We then said that the people evaluated their lives, they confessed their sin and they surrendered their lives to God. Their act of surrender was epitomized in their prayer, “We are the clay and you are the potter” (Is 64:7). In many ways, today’s first reading is a continuation of the story. Finally, the exile is about to end. I would like to suggest that in today’s readings, God presents to the people three things. First, he offers them comfort; second, he offers them a challenge; and third, he offers them a responsibility.
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
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.
Today's Mass Readings
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 Mass Readings
Readings like the ones we have today seem to be unmitigated hopeful messages. The prophet Isaiah makes hopeful announcements of how the world will change when the Messiah comes! Isaiah proclaims that the deaf shall hear, and the eyes of the blind shall see, surely a very good thing (Isaiah 29:17-24). Even our bodies will become new and whole, when the Messiah comes. The Gospel reading continues the theme by telling of a time when Jesus healed two blind men and gave them sight (Matthew 9:27-31). Jesus is very clearly named as the Messiah, as the one who brings God’s justice in this passage. Matthew means for us to understand that Jesus is the one about whom Isaiah spoke. Here is the man, in the flesh! It is good news: the Messiah prophets proclaimed is really here!
Today's Mass Readings
Readings like the ones we have today seem to be unmitigated hopeful messages. The prophet Isaiah makes hopeful announcements of how the world will change when the Messiah comes! Isaiah proclaims that the deaf shall hear, and the eyes of the blind shall see, surely a very good thing (Isaiah 29:17-24). Even our bodies will become new and whole, when the Messiah comes. The Gospel reading continues the theme by telling of a time when Jesus healed two blind men and gave them sight (Matthew 9:27-31). Jesus is very clearly named as the Messiah, as the one who brings God’s justice in this passage. Matthew means for us to understand that Jesus is the one about whom Isaiah spoke. Here is the man, in the flesh! It is good news: the Messiah prophets proclaimed is really here!