1st Week of the Advent - Saturday (Year II)
3rd December 2022 (Saturday) Readings and Reflection
Dear Brothers and Sisters, we are on the Saturday of 1st Week of the Advent. Today's gospel reflection is on the theme Passion with no bounds!
For more certainty the Readings are posted from the Latest Catholic Lectionary{alertInfo}
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Thus says the Lord God, the Holy one of Israel: For a people shall dwell in Sion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it", when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (R. see Isaiah 30:18)
Response: Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord. or: Alleluia.
How good to sing psalms to our God;
how pleasant to chant fitting praise!
The Lord builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel's exiles. Response
He heals the brokenhearted;
he binds up all their wounds.
He counts out the number of the stars;
he calls each one by its name. Response
Our Lord is great and almighty;
his wisdom can never be measured.
The Lord lifts up the lowly;
he casts down the wicked to the ground. Response
Gospel : Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a,6-8
35. And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38. therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” 1. And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 5a. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, 6. but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Passion with no bounds!
Indicative: The mission of Jesus is without bounds and boundaries. And it requires a real passion without bounds and boundaries{alertSuccess}
1. Today we celebrate solemnly the feast of St Francis Xavier, the patron of India. The word of God in both readings fits him. The first reading is replete with exuberant hope whereby things will totally turn out to be joyful from the pit of misery.
2. Certain expressions make it clear: “The produce of the ground will be rich and plenteous.” “Livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and the donkeys will eat seasoned fodder.” “On every mountain and hill, there will be brooks running with water.” “The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold.” “The Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds.”
3. It is for such a mission of actualising such comforting and renewing times that St Francis Xavier was chosen and sent. He was called to work as a ‘great labourer’ in the plentiful harvest. In his life and preaching, he always showed the people, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
4. Like the Twelve, Francis too was empowered to heal those sick by sin, raise the dead from their spiritual-moral death, cleanse lepers from their impurities and defilements, and cast out demons, those evil forces that surround and fight against us.
5. Like his Master, he too had compassion for the people who were like sheep without a shepherd. They were truly harassed by sin and they feel helpless. Therefore, he would work tirelessly to remove their burden of sin and despair.
Imperative: St Francis Xavier remained faithful to the end. Thus he even embraced martyrdom joyfully. He ceaselessly laboured for his master selflessly, never expecting any reward. Can we imitate him?{alertSuccess}
Video Reflection
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