2nd Week of Advent
12th December 2023 (Tuesday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 2
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Zechariah 2:10-13
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.
(OR)
First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand for ever. Go on up to a high mountain, O Sion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Psalm 96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12a, 12b-13 (R. see Isaiah 40:9-10)
R/. The Lord our God comes with might
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. The day of the Lord is near; behold, he comes to save us.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Luke 1.39-47
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
(OR)
Gospel : Matthew 18:12-14
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Highlight: To Jesus through Mary!
Guidlines: Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth is not just an individual visit but symbolizes the very visitation of God Himself to humanity, with His gracious face, turned toward suffering humanity{alertSuccess}
1. Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the day of apparition in Mexico in 1531. Truly the words of the first reading from Zechariah fit Mary. She is that daughter Zion, through whom God is coming to dwell among His people and makes them His own whereby they shall be His people.
2. This mediatory or representative role of Mary is deeply shown in the gospel text of today in the event of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Mary visits Elizabeth, and this visitation is very significant.
3. It is not just a courtesy visit. It is not only a great act of charity and service to Elizabeth in need during her pregnancy. It is deeply symbolic and efficacious, as it indicates the very visitation of God Himself and its effects on humanity.
4. In the Bible through the history of salvation, the visitation of God signifies His active and liberative intervention in the life of His people. Accordingly, “God visits” signifies that God is encountering and gracing that person or that community.
5. Today in the visitation of Mary, the same thing happens: The Saviour, conceived in Mary’s womb, visits Elizabeth and graces her and her family, who symbolizes the whole of humanity.
6. Mary is the perfect embodiment of God’s will and presence and the abode of Jesus. She bears him within and shares him with others. She nurtures him within and extends the same experience to others.
7. What happens when God visits humanity in the person of Mary? This is what is concretely seen in the scene of the Visitation. At the sight and encounter with Mary, two things happen: Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, and the babe in her womb leaps with joy. Jesus, channelled and mediated, transmitted and extended through Mary, gives the Holy Spirit and joy.
8. Thus, the effects of visitation are quite clear: Holy Spirit and joy. These two are the greatest signs and testimonies of the presence and the experience of God: when we have the Lord within us, we are able to transmit the Holy Spirit to others and move and fill others with the same Spirit, and we are able to ignite others with true and deep joy.
9. The visitation of Mary reminds us of our own vocation and mission. Bear Jesus and share Jesus. When we have Jesus and give him to others, we too will be able to transmit the Holy Spirit and joy to others. But whenever we spread only evil spirit and unhappiness to others, it is a clear sign that we are not bearing Jesus within us, and we do not carry God’s experience and presence.
Practice: May the Mother Mary who visited Elizabeth continue to visit us, as God’s channel of grace! May she be a model and inspiration for us! May she sustain our tiny steps and efforts in carrying and spreading God’s Spirit and joy to all others!{alertSuccess}