2nd Week of the Advent - Friday
9th December 2022 (Friday) Readings and Reflection
Dear Brothers and Sisters, we are on the Friday of 2nd Week of the Advent. Today's gospel reflection is on the theme Dancing to one’s tunes!
For more certainty the Readings are posted from the Latest Catholic Lectionary{alertInfo}
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Isaiah 48:17-19
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me."
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 (R. see John 8:12)
Response: He who follows you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the path with sinners,
nor abides in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord,
and who ponders his law day and night. Response
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper. Response
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they, like winnowed chaff,
shall be driven away by the wind.
for the Lord knows the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked will perish. Response
Gospel : Matthew 11:16-19
At that time: Jesus said to the crowds: 16. “to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17. “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Dancing to one’s tunes!
Indicative: Many suffer from prejudices and biases. This leads to stubbornness. Consequently, they fail to see and accept others as they are{alertSuccess}
1. The openness deficit is one serious deficit that leads to many other evils. Many are not open to see, accept, appreciate, and support the good in others. They also do not see, respect, and accept the validity of others’ opinions and ideas. They are clouded by various prejudices and cannot behold reality. Their ego, pride, and self-righteousness close their heart and vision.
2. Hence, they become intolerant, pessimistic, and negative toward others. They not only fail to see the good but even misinterpret it as bad. They twist the truth and present it according to their wrong perception and perspectives.
3. This is exactly what Jesus rebukes in the gospel. Jesus comes down heavily on the people of his time. They are like the above-mentioned. They are like children who demand others to dance or mourn according to their tunes. They expect all others to move as they want. They want all others to see as they see.
4. They are stuck with their own judgments and assessments. That is why they blame John the Baptist’s austerity as demon-possession, and Jesus’ solidarity and flexibility as looseness. They are perpetual fault-finders and nothing and no one can satisfy them. The reason is quite simple: they capsule all others in their own self-demarcated misconceptions.
5. However, their prejudiced judgments and reactions do not change the truth. For “wisdom is justified by her deeds”. The criticism against John the Baptist and Jesus does not take away the truth of their authenticity. The problem is not theirs but that of the wrong perception.
6. Therefore, the remedy for this “perspective-defect” is attention to listening to God’s commandments and striving to follow them. We should get rid of our erroneous perspectives. We should put on the mindset of God, adhering to his teachings and ways. Then the reward will be great. Peace and righteousness, posterity and longevity of life will be abundant.
Imperative: If only we throw away the worthless baggage of our prejudices and misconceptions, and self-demarcated judgments; if only we are a little more open and accommodative to see, understand and appreciate the value of others, better wisdom and right judgment will prevail{alertSuccess}
Video Reflection
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