Catholic Daily Mass Readings and Reflections November 28, 2022

bySam •November 27, 2022

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1st Week of Advent - Monday

28th November 2022 (Monday) Readings and Reflection

Dear Brothers and Sisters, we are on the Monday of 1st Week of Advent. Today's gospel reflection is on the theme Faith heals!

For more certainty the Readings are posted from the Latest Catholic Lectionary{alertInfo}

Reading of the Day

First Reading: Isaiah 4:2-6

2. In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. 3. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5. Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R. see 1)

Response: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced when they said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the Lord."
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem. Response

Jerusalem is built as a city
bonded as one together.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord. Response

For Israel's witness it is
to praise the name of the Lord.
There were set the thrones for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David. Response

For the peace of Jerusalem pray,
"May they prosper, those who love you."
May peace abide in your walls,
and security be in your towers. Response

For the sake of my family and friends,
let me say, "Peace upon you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord, our God,
I will seek good things for you. Response

Gospel :Matthew 8:5-11

5. When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6. “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7. And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8. But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,c ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10. When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israeld have I found such faith. 11. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

Daily Gospel Reflection

The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}

Main Theme: Faith heals!

Indicative: True faith is nothing but a humble surrender. On one hand, it acknowledges the limitations of oneself and on the other hand, it recognises the unsurpassed greatness of God{alertSuccess}

1. The faith of the centurion in the gospel is so emblematic. That is why it receives high appreciation from Jesus. Jesus marvelled at his faith and acclaims his faith in public, saying, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

2. Now, what is the speciality of his faith that stands higher than the faith of even the chosen people of Israel? First of all, it comes from a deep trust in Jesus’ power. This trust is so deep that he believes that even from distance with a mere word, Jesus can heal his paralysed servant at home.

3. His faith is praiseworthy because it is humble. He readily admits that the power of Jesus is far beyond his own authority. It is indeed a dignified humility because it does not arise from low self-esteem or inferiority complex or self-despisal. He is fully aware that by virtue of his office as a centurion, he too possesses the authority to command and extract obedience from his servants.

4. But his authority is limited because it is confined only to the secular domain. In contrast, Jesus’ authority is divine and spiritual. It has no confines. It has power and control even over non-human forces like sickness. It can heal even beyond space, from distance, just with a word.

5. This double awareness of the contrasting authorities of him and Jesus leads him to a profound utterances of humility. He confesses, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only the word and my servant will be healed.”

6. That is why this faith-confession became exemplary as a humble confession before the reception of the holy Eucharist. The hyperbolic and exclusive praise of Jesus, stating, “with no one in Israel have I found such a faith,” is quite provocative as well. There is a provocation and challenge to the faith of Israel that faith is not their prerogative.

Imperative: Faith is a matter of interior obedience and not merely exterior allegiance to a religion. It is a matter of surrender and not an inherited claim for favours{alertSuccess}

Video Reflection

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