Posted on 12/13/2014 7:04:41 PM PST by Salvation
December 14, 2014
Reading 1 Is 61:1-2a, 10-11
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.
I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.
Responsorial Psalm Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54
R/ (Is 61:10b) My soul rejoices in my God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
R/ My soul rejoices in my God.
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
R/ My soul rejoices in my God.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
R/ My soul rejoices in my God.
Reading 2 1 Thes 5:16-24
Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful,
and he will also accomplish it.
Alleluia Is 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Jn 1:6-8, 19-28
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
Please FReepmail me to get on/off the Alleluia Ping List.
From: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11
The Herald of Good Tidings
[10] I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my soul shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
[11] For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring forth before all the nations.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
1-11. Into the air of great joy reflected in the previous hymn, the prophet inserts
this very important oracle about the new messenger (vv. 1-3). The rest of the
chapter is made up of three stanzas that celebrate the wonders of the holy city.
These can be seen in profound, spiritual renewal (vv. 4-7), perfect fulfillment of
the promises made to the ancient patriarchs (vv. 8-9), and joy-in-worship, com-
parable to that of a bridegroom and bride, or that of the farmer on seeing a rich
harvest (vv. 10-11).
The remarkable events and features of the city point to the time of the End, the
time of the Lord’s definitive, salvific intervention. In this context, these new
things are ultimate and definitive. Because in the New Testament the Church is
called “God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9), erected on the foundation of the apostles (1
Cor 3:11), Christian tradition has seen the new, glorious Jerusalem as a symbol
of the Church that makes its way through this world and will be made manifest
at the end of time (cf. “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 756-757).
61:1-3 This very compact oracle depicts the eschatological messenger speaking
a soliloquy. It is one of the key passages in the book of Isaiah. It clearly has con-
nections with the songs of the Servant, especially the second song (49:1-6). The
pouring out of the Spirit involves anointing, as in the case of the king (cf. 11:2)
and in that of the Servant of the Lord (42:1). But the messenger is more than a
king, more than a prophet, more than the community dwelling in the holy city in
the latter days. His mission is a dual one – to be a messenger and a comforter.
As a messenger, like a king’s ambassador in times of war, he brings good ti-
dings: he announces redemption for slaves, release for prisoners (cf. Jer 34:8,
17). His message proclaims a new order of things where there will be no need for
repression, and where concord and well-being will prevail. The “year of the Lord’s
favour” (v. 2) is similar to the jubilee year (cf. Lev 25:9-19) or the sabbatical year
(cf. Ex 21:2-11; Jer 34:14; Ezek 46:17) in the sense that it is a day chosen by
the Lord, and different from any other; but here it means the point at which God
shows himself to be most gracious and bestows definitive salvation (cf. 49:8). It
is also called the day of vengeance (v. 2) because on that day, essentially a day
of good news, the wicked, too, will receive their just deserts.
As a comforter he will bind up hearts broken by illness or misfortune, and give
encouragement to those who weep and revive those who mourn in Zion. When
the comforter is the Lord or a messenger of his (cf. 40:1), one can expect him
to re-establish his people, to set things right, (the way they were at the begin-
ning), to renew the broken Covenant and re-establish institutions that had been
dismantled, that is, bring about a situation where everything is in plentiful supply.
People who have reached rock bottom (the poor, prisoners, etc.) will be given a
place of honour on that day, and a wreath, perfume and a mantle of praise (v. 3).
In sacred texts of the post-exilic period, the concept of the “poor” (or “afflicted”:
cf. note m) already went beyond the social category of those least well off: it
had a religious connotation, meaning “the humble”, those who saw themselves
as having no value before God and who simply put their faith in his divine mercy.
The final definition of the “poor” will emerge in the Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12).
In Jesus’ time, Jewish tradition, found in the targum or Aramaic translation of the
Bible, considered the messenger described here to be a prophet (and for that rea-
son it introduced this oracle with the words “Thus says the prophet”). So, when
Jesus reads this passage in the synagogue of Nazareth he points out that “today
the scripture has been fulfilled” (Lk 4:21) and that he is the prophet of whom Isai-
ah spoke. By doing so, he is saying that he is the Messiah, the Christ, the one
anointed by the Holy Spirit (cf. Is 11:2), not so much as a king but as a prophet
who proclaims salvation. Ever since then, Christian teaching sees Jesus as the
last messenger sent by the Holy Spirit: “The prophet presents the Messiah as
the one who comes in the Holy Spirit, the one who possesses the fullness of this
Spirit in himself and at the same time for others, for Israel, for all the nations, for
all humanity. The fullness of the Spirit of God is accompanied by many different
gifts, the treasures of salvation, destined in a particular way for the poor and suf-
fering, for all those who open their hearts to these gifts — sometimes through the
painful experience of their own existence — but first of all through that interior avai-
lability which comes from faith. The aged Simeon, the ‘righteous and devout man’
upon whom ‘rested the Holy Spirit’, sensed this at the moment of Jesus’ presenta-
tion in the Temple, when he perceived in him the ‘salvation … prepared in the pre-
sence of all peoples’ at the price of the great suffering – the Cross – which he
would have to embrace together with his Mother. The Virgin Mary, who “had con-
ceived by the Holy Spirit’, sensed this even more clearly, when she pondered in
her heart the “mysteries” of the the Messiah, with whom she was associated”
(Dominum et Vivficantem, 16).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Various Counsels (Continuation)
Closing Prayer and Farewell
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
16. Being at peace with God and with others fills one with joy and serenity, so
much so that even great suffering and sorrow, if borne with faith, cannot take a
way one’s joy. “Being children of God, how can we be sad? Sadness is the end
product of selfishness. If we truly want to live for God, we will never lack cheerful-
ness, even when we discover our errors and wretchedness. Cheerfulness finds
its way into our life of prayer, so much so that we cannot help singing for joy.
For we are in love, and singing is a thing that lovers do” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends
of God”, 92).
When someone allows sadness to overwhelm him, even his prayers to God are
of no avail because he is failing to accept God’s will. An anonymous second-
century Christian writer, in a famous document, says: “Why does the prayer of
the melancholy man not reach up to the altar of God? [...] Because supplication
when mixed with melancholy is prevented from ascending pure to the altar. Just
as wine mixed with vinegar has no longer the same flavor, so the Holy Spirit
mixed with melancholy has not the same power of supplication. Cleanse your-
self, therefore, of this evil melancholy, and you will live for God. So, too, will they
live for God who cast away melancholy and clothe themselves entirely in joy”
(”The Shepherd of Hermas”, 10th Commandment, 3).
17. Our Lord impressed on his Apostles the need for prayer at all times, and
underlined this by his own life of prayer (cf. Lk 18:1). “The Apostle”, St Jerome
says, “tells us to pray always. For holy people, even sleep is a prayer. However,
we should have certain times of prayer spread out over the day so that, even if
we are involved in some task, the timetable we have given ourselves will remind
us that duty calls” (”Letter”, 22, 37).
“A Christian life should be one of constant prayer, trying to live in the presence
of God from morning to night and from night to morning. A Christian can never be
a lonely person, since he lives in continual contact with God, who is both near us
and in heaven [...]. in the middle of his daily work, when he has to overcome his
selfishness, when he enjoys the cheerful friendship of other people, a Christian
should rediscover God” (St.J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 116).
18. This verse completes the triptych which shows the Christian how to live in
line with “the will of God”—joy (v. 16), prayer (v. 17) and thanksgiving.
“There is no one”, St Bernard says, “who, if he just thinks about it a little, cannot
find very good reasons to express his gratitude to God” (”Sermon on the Sixth
Sunday after Pentecost”, 2, 1). In addition to life itself and all the natural gifts we
have received, there are the fruits of the Redemption wrought by Christ, and even
“the natural order of things requires that he who has received a favor should, by
repaying it, turn to his benefactor in gratitude” (”Summa Theologiae”, II-II, q. 106,
a. 3). It follows that gratefulness should be a permanent attitude of the children
of God, whether they find themselves in pleasant or disagreeable circumstances,
for they know that “in everything God works for good with those who love him”
(Rom 8:28). “If things go well, let us rejoice, blessing God who makes them pros-
per. And if they go badly? Let us rejoice, blessing God who allows us to share in
the sweetness of his Cross” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 658).
19-22. No one should smother the graces and charisms the Holy Spirit grants as
he wishes (cf. 1 Cor 13 and 14); and the gift of prophecy (v. 20) should be held in
special regard. The “prophets” referred to in the New Testament were Christians
to whom God gave special graces to encourage, console, correct or instruct o-
thers. They did not constitute a special class or group, as was the case in the
Old Testament. Some of them may at times have abused their gifts and tried to
impose their counsel on others, but that does not mean that those who had this
gift were not to be held in high regard, for thanks to this charism they were a
great asset to the Church.
“It is only through the sacraments and the ministrations of the Church that the
Holy Spirit makes holy the people of God, leads them and enriches them with
his virtues. Allotting his gifts according as he wills it (cf. 1 Cor 12:11), he also dis-
tributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts he makes
them fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and buil-
ding up of the Church, as it is written, ‘to each is given the manifestation of the
Spirit for the common good’ (1 Cor 12:7). Whether these charisms be very remar-
kable or more simple and widely diffused they are to be received with thanksgiving
and consolation since they are fitting and useful for the needs of the Church. Ex-
traordinary gifts are not to be rashly desired, nor is it from them that the fruits of
apostolic labors are to be presumptuously expected. Those who have charge over
the Church should judge the genuineness and proper use of these gifts, though
their office is not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold
fast to what is good (cf. 1 Thess 5:12 and 19-21)” (Vatican 11, “Lumen Gentium”,
12).
21. This verse refers directly to charisms and the discernment of charisms; but
it can be taken as advice to reflect prudently before taking any decision, so as
always to do the right thing.
23. “Spirit and soul and body”: three aspects which go to make up a well-inte-
grated human person. Spirit and soul are in fact two forms of the same principle.
Here soul refers to the principle of sensitive life, whereas “spirit” is the source
of man’s higher life; his intellectual life derives from his spirit, and this intellectual
life, once enlightened by faith, is open to the action of the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom
1:9).
In this verse God is being invoked to “sanctify” believers, to preserve the purity
of the human person at all levels (spirit, soul and body). Given that even after Bap-
tism man has an inclination towards sin and often does offend the Lord (even if
not gravely), he needs to practice penance in order to stay unsullied. Moreover,
the “sanctification” which God brings about in man affects his entire being. In the
last analysis, Christian holiness is the fullness of the order established by God at
the Creation and reestablished after man’s sin. And so the Apostle invokes God
as “the God of peace”, for peace is, according to theological definition, “tranqui-
llity in order”. Sanctity gives all man’s faculties, physical as well as spiritual, their
perfection and wholeness, thereby rounding off and perfecting the natural order,
without superseding it.
Sanctification is the joint work of God and man. God’s action begins at Baptism
and develops thereafter (cf. 3:13); but for a person to attain lasting sanctity he
needs to make a constant effort to second God’s action. “Conversion is the task
of a moment; sanctification is the work of a lifetime. The divine seed of charity,
which God has sown in our souls, desires to grow, to express itself in deeds, to
yield results which continually coincide with what God wants. Therefore, we
must be ready to begin again, to find again—in new situations—the light and the
stimulus of our first conversion” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 58).
24. “He who calls you”: the Greek text conveys the idea of continuous action.
The calling which God addresses to a person is not an isolated event occurring
at a single point in his life; it is a permanent attitude of God, who is continually
calling us to be holy. Therefore, vocation is not something which can be lost; but
man’s response can cease. Faithfulness is an attitude of God: he always keeps
his promises and never ceases in his salvific purpose: “He who began a good
work in you will bring it to completion” (Phil 1:6); so holiness depends on divine
grace (which is always available) and on man’s response. Final perseverance is
a grace but it will not be denied to anyone who strives to do good. “Buoyed up
by this hope,” St Clement of Rome comments, “let us bind our souls to him who
is true to his word and righteous in his judgments. He who has forbidden us to
use any deception can much less be a deceiver himself” (”Letter to the Corin-
thians”, 1, 27).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: John 1:6-8, 19-28
Prologue
The Witness of John
[24] Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. [25] They asked him, “Then
why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
[26] John answered, “I baptize with water; but among you stands One whom
you do not know, [27] even He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal
I am not worthy to untie.” [28] This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
6-8. After considering the divinity of the Lord, the text moves on to deal with his
incarnation, and begins by speaking of John the Baptist, who makes his appea-
rance at a precise point in history to bear direct witness before man to Jesus
Christ (Jn 1:15, 19-36; 3:22ff). As St Augustine comments: “For as much as he
[the Word Incarnate] was man and his Godhead was concealed, there was sent
before him a great man, through whose testimony He might be found to be more
than man” (”In Ioann. Evang.”, 2, 5).
All of the Old Testament was a preparation for the coming of Christ. Thus, the
patriarchs and prophets announced, in different ways, the salvation the Messiah
would bring. But John the Baptist, the greatest of those born of woman (cf. Mt
11:11), was actually able to point out the Messiah himself; his testimony marked
the culmination of all the previous prophecies.
So important is John the Baptist’s mission to bear witness to Jesus Christ that
the Synoptic Gospels stage their account of the public ministry with John’s testi-
mony. The discourses of St Peter and St Paul recorded in the Acts of the Apos-
tles also refer to this testimony (Acts 1:22; 10:37; 12:24). The Fourth Gospel
mentions it as many as seven times (1:6, 15, 19, 29, 35; 3:27; 5:33). We know,
of course, that St John the Apostle was a disciple of the Baptist before beco-
ming a disciple of Jesus, and that it was precisely the Baptist who showed him
the way to Christ (cf. 1:37ff).
The New Testament, then, shows us the importance of the Baptist’s mission,
as also his own awareness that he is merely the immediate Precursor of the
Messiah, whose sandals he is unworthy to untie (cf. Mk 1:7): the Baptist stres-
ses his role as witness to Christ and his mission as preparer of the way for the
Messiah (cf. Lk 1:15-17; Mt 3:3-12). John the Baptist’s testimony is undimi-
nished by time: he invites people in every generation to have faith in Jesus, the
true Light.
19-34. This passage forms a unity, beginning and ending with reference to the
Baptist’s “testimony”: it thereby emphasizes the mission given him by God to
bear witness, by his life and preaching, to Jesus as the Messiah and Son of
God. The Precursor exhorts people to do penance and he practices the auste-
rity he preaches; he points Jesus out as the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world; and he proclaims him boldly in the face of the Jewish authori-
ties. He is an example to us of the fortitude with which we should confess
Christ: “All Christians by the example of their lives and the witness of the word,
wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they put
on in Baptism” (Vatican II, “Ad Gentes”, 11).
19-24. In this setting of intense expectation of the imminent coming of the Mes-
siah, the Baptist is a personality with enormous prestige, as is shown by the
fact that the Jewish authorities send qualified people (priests and Levites from
Jerusalem) to ask him if he is the Messiah.
John’s great humility should be noted: he is quick to tell his questioners: “I am
not the Christ”. He sees himself as someone insignificant compared with our
Lord: “I am not worthy to untie the thong of His sandal” (verse 27). He places
all his prestige at the service of his mission as precursor of the Messiah and,
leaving himself completely to one side, he asserts that “He must increase, but
I must decrease” (John 3:30).
25-26. “Baptize”: this originally meant to submerge in water, to bathe. For the
Jews the rite of immersion meant legal purification of those who had contracted
some impurity under the Law. Baptism was also used as a rite for the incorpo-
ration of Gentile proselytes into the Jewish people. In the Dead Sea Scrolls
there is mention of a baptism as a rite of initiation and purification into the
Jewish Qumran community, which existed in our Lord’s time.
John’s baptism laid marked stress on interior conversion. His words of exhorta-
tion and the person’s humble recognition of his sins prepared people to receive
Christ’s grace: it was a very efficacious rite of penance, preparing the people for
the coming of the Messiah, and it fulfilled the prophecies that spoke precisely of
a cleansing by water prior to the coming of the Kingdom of God in the messianic
times (cf. Zechariah 13:1; Ezekiel 36:25; 37-23; Jeremiah 4:14). John’s baptism,
however, had no power to cleanse the soul of sins, as Christian Baptism does
(cf. Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:4).
“One whom you do not know”: Jesus had not yet publicly revealed Himself as
Messiah and Son of God; although some people did know as a man, St. John
the Baptist could assert that really they did not know Him.
27. The Baptist declares Christ’s importance by comparing himself to a slave un-
doing the laces of his master’s sandals. If we want to approach Christ, whom St.
John heralds, we need to imitate the Baptist. As St. Augustine says: “He who
imitates the humility of the Precursor will understand these words. [...] John’s
greatest merit, my brethren, is this act of humility” (”In Ioann. Evang.”, 4, 7).
28. This is a reference to the town of Bethany which was situated on the eastern
bank of the Jordan, across from Jericho—different from the Bethany where Laza-
rus and his family lived, near Jerusalem (cf. John 11:18).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
|
First reading |
|
Isaiah 61:1-2,10-11 © |
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring good news to the poor,
to bind up hearts that are broken;
to proclaim liberty to captives,
freedom to those in prison;
to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord.
‘I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul rejoices in my God,
for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bridegroom wearing his wreath,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.
‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow,
as a garden makes seeds spring up,
so will the Lord make both integrity and praise
spring up in the sight of the nations.’
|
Canticle |
|
Luke 1:46-50,53-54 © |
My soul rejoices in my God.
My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
He looks on his servant in her nothingness;
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
My soul rejoices in my God.
The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear him.
My soul rejoices in my God.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant,
remembering his mercy.
My soul rejoices in my God.
|
Second reading |
|
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 © |
Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.
Never try to suppress the Spirit or treat the gift of prophecy with contempt; think before you do anything – hold on to what is good and avoid every form of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he will not fail you.
|
Gospel Acclamation |
Is61:1(Lk4:18) |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel |
|
John 1:6-8,19-28 © |
A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak for the light,
so that everyone might believe through him.
He was not the light,
only a witness to speak for the light.
This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied:
a voice that cries in the wilderness:
Make a straight way for the Lord.’
Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, ‘I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary
By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+
From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"
PLEASE JOIN US -
|
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of December is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first moment of her conception, by a singular privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior and hers, was preserved from all stain of original sin. This age-old belief of the Church was defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 as an article of revealed truth.
Mary was in need of redemption and she was indeed redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The manner of Mary's redemption, however, was unique. Instead of being freed from original sin after having contracted it, she was preserved from contracting it. This was a most fitting favor for the Mother of the Redeemer.
INVOCATION
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
The Immaculate Conception from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.” The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.
Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.
The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”. The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.
The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”. By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.
PRAYER OF POPE PIUS XII
This prayer, dedicated to Mary Immaculate, was composed by the Pope for the Marian Year (December 8, 1953-December 8, 1954), which was proclaimed to mark the centenary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
Enraptured by the splendor of your heavenly beauty, and impelled by the anxieties of the world, we cast ourselves into your arms, 0 Immacuate Mother of Jesus and our Mother, Mary, confident of finding in your most loving heart appeasement of our ardent desires, and a safe harbor from the tempests which beset us on every side.
Though degraded by our faults and overwhelmed by infinite misery, we admire and praise the peerless richness of sublime gifts with which God has filled you, above every other mere creature, from the first moment of your conception until the day on which, after your assumption into heaven, He crowned you Queen of the Universe.
O crystal fountain of faith, bathe our minds with the eternal truths! O fragrant Lily of all holiness, captivate our hearts with your heavenly perfume! 0 Conqueress of evil and death, inspire in us a deep horror of sin, which makes the soul detestable to God and a slave of hell!
O well-beloved of God, hear the ardent cry which rises up from every heart. Bend tenderly over our aching wounds. Convert the wicked, dry the tears of the afflicted and oppressed, comfort the poor and humble, quench hatreds, sweeten harshness, safeguard the flower of purity in youth, protect the holy Church, make all men feel the attraction of Christian goodness. In your name, resounding harmoniously in heaven, may they recognize that they are brothers, and that the nations are members of one family, upon which may there shine forth the sun of a universal and sincere peace.
Receive, O most sweet Mother, our humble supplications, and above all obtain for us that, one day, happy with you, we may repeat before your throne that hymn which today is sung on earth around your altars: You are all-beautiful, O Mary! You are the glory, you are the joy, you are the honor of our people! Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
|
Lord, have mercy on us |
In Defense of the Immaculate Conception: Part 2
The Immaculate Conception: 8 things to know and share . . .
Prayer to the Immaculate Conception
Catholic Caucus: The Immaculate Conception of Mary helps us to see how God’s grace is revealed
Fr Paul Schenck: Immaculate Conception Tells us Who Mary Is and Who We Are (Catholic Caucus)
[Catholic Caucus] On the Immaculate Conception (Angelus)
Pope's Immaculate Conception Address At The Spanish Steps (Catholic Caucus)
Why Catholics Believe in the Immaculate Conception
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION NOVENA [Prayer]
Essays for Lent: The Immaculate Conception
"I Am The Immaculate Conception"
The Corona of the Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Caucus: Immaculate Conception Novena Prayer Thread
New chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon at National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the The Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos December 9th
On the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Mary: "Trust Jesus, he will save you" (Catholic Caucus)
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception
LAND OF MARY IMMACULATE [Ecumenical]
Mary as the New Eve - St. Irenaeus
Mary - the Immaculate Ark of the New Covenant [Catholic Caucus]
THE LIFE OF BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS, Defender of the Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
An Unfathomable Marian Richness [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: The Immaculate Conception of Mary
History of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - December 8 [Catholic Caucus]
Preserved Sinless from the Moment of Humanity (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception) [Catholic Caucus]
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
Father Marquette's Devotion to the Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
St. John Neumann and the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
Our Jewish Roots: The Immaculate Conception [Ecumenical]
And It Was Night. The Real Story of Original Sin [Ecumenical]
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception
Mary Immaculate: Patroness of the United States [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Catholic/Orthodox Caucus: The Immaculate Conception: A Marvelous Theme - Novena Starts Nov. 30
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION - Satan's Mighty Foe(Catholic Caucus)
Ark of the new covenant
Historian reveals how Pius IX decided to proclaim dogma of Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
The Immaculate Vs. the Proud
Immaculate Conception Novena -- starts November 30th [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Blessed John Duns Scotus Champion Of Mary's Immaculate Conception (CATHOLIC CAUCUS)
The Crusade of Mary Immaculate - St. Maximilian Kolbe (Catholic Caucus)
The Early Church Fathers on the Immaculate Conception - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Three Reasons the Church’s ... The Immaculate Conception
Her saving grace - the origins of the Immaculate Conception
Mary Is a Model Who Works With Us and in Us
U.S. Catholic bishops to renew consecration of nation to Immaculate Conception
Catholic Meditation: To the Immaculate Conception on this Election Day
Saint Bernadette of Lourdes (Sermon from 1934)
My visit to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
On Solemnity of Immaculate Conception - "In Mary Shines the Eternal Goodness of the Creator"
The Belief of Catholics concerning the Blessed Virgin: the Second Eve
Pope makes pilgrimage to Mary statue in Rome, marking the feast of the Immaculate Conception
Pope: Mary the Immaculate Conception... (text of BXVI speech)
"Tota pulchra es, Maria, et macula originalis non est in te" (The Immaculate Conception)
The Immaculate Conception — Essential to the Faith
"Who Are You, Immaculate Conception?"
TURKEY Ephesus: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception at Mary’s House
Coming Dec 8th. Feast of the "Immaculate Conception"
Why the Immaculate Conception?
Catholic Encyclopedia: Immaculate Conception (The Doctrine and Its Roots)
The Immaculate Conception of Our Lady December 8
Mary's Immaculate Conception: A Memorable Anniversary
Ineffabilis Deus: 8 December 1854 (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception)
Why do we believe in the Immaculate Conception?
John Paul II goes to Lourdes; reflections on the Immaculate Conception
Your Praises We Sing--on the Dogma of the Proclamation of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8th
Eastern Christianity and the Immaculate Conception (Q&A From EWTN)
Memorandum on the Immaculate Conception [Newman]
Pope's Intentions
Universal: That the birth of the Redeemer may bring peace and hope to all people of good will.
For Evangelization: That parents may be true evangelizers, passing on to their children the precious gift of faith.
Third Sunday of Advent - Year B
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermons on the Gospel of Saint John, no.2, §5-7
“He came for testimony to testify to the Light”
In what way has Christ come? He appeared as man. But because he was a man such that God was concealed within him, a special kind of man was sent before him to make known that he was more than man, that he was the Messiah... Who was he, this man who had to give testimony to the Light in this way? The man John was truly remarkable, of great merit and outstanding grace, high above all others. Admire him in the way we would admire a mountain: the mountain would remain in shadow so long as the light did not come to envelop it – “He was not the Light”. Don't take the mountain for the light; don't break yourself against it, far less find help in it.
So what should we admire, then? The mountain, but only as a mountain. Rise up as far as him who lights up this mountain, which was erected to become the first to receive the sun's rays and to reflect them back to your eyes... We say of our eyes, too, that they are lights and yet, if we don't light the lamp at night or if the sun does not rise by day, our eyes are open in vain. John himself was in the dark before he was enlightened; he only became light through this enlightenment. If he had not received the rays of this Light he would have remained as dark as other are...
And what about the Light itself? Where is it? “The true Light which enlightens everyone coming into the world”? (Jn 1,9). If he enlightens everyone then he also enlightened John, through whom he wished to be manifested... He came for the sick of mind, for wounded hearts, for souls whose eyes are weak..., people unable to see aright. He covered John with his beams. By testifying that he himself had been enlightened, John made known He who enlightens, He who gives clarity, He who is the source of every gift.
1) The joy for the coming Christmas.
The Birth of Jesus has a special fascination for everyone and in the entire world. I’ve seen "Noel, Christmas, Navidad, Natale” written also in countries and towns where Christians are a small minority. Maybe it's an excuse to increase spending, however a charm and a longing for peace and joy remain. It is as if, remembering the birth of Jesus, the God with us, we enter into a life of hope almost predicting that the song of the Angels over the stable of Bethlehem "Peace on earth to those whom he loves" can really revive hope in a time in need to feed on consolation, security and a true, deep and rediscovered joy.
Just before Christmas, today the Church gives us a taste of the great joy that God has given us with Jesus. In his letter to the Thessalonians (second reading of the Roman Rite), the Apostle Paul invites us to go back to being brothers and sisters always happy, to pray continuously , and give thanks in everything, because this is the will of God for us. The Apostle continues with the wish: "May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will also accomplish it” 1 Thessalonians 5.16 to 24).
Of course there is the risk to attempt to stifle the need of the joy of Christ and of his Christmas. Unfortunately, this risk has become a reality that has turned everything into a noisy and fleeting moment of superficial joy, which then leaves emptiness of heart. It is a big risk and it is difficult to escape because strong is the attraction of' something fashionable '.
To counteract this fashion it would be enough to fill the heart with the feelings of the prophet Isaiah, who thus expressed his joy "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me, he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release the prisoners, to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God.. I will rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in the mantle of justice like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels "(Is 61: 1-11 - the first reading of the Roman Rite).
The words of Isaiah are indeed words of deep joy. The prophet, at the thought of seeing God coming near, exclaims: "I will rejoice heartily in the Lord." Christian joy comes not from a simple emotion, but from an encounter. An encounter that has transformed our lives.
2) The encounter with the Witness and Forerunner.
This encounter can and should happen again and again especially at the coming Christmas. John the Baptist, the Witness and Forerunner, can help us with his example and with the intercession to renew this meeting.
"John preceded Christ both in birth and in the announcement, but he preceded him as a humble obedient servant without getting on top of him" (St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 66.19). He is the voice of the Word of joy, he is the torch that indicates the Light of love, he is the Witness of Jesus, he baptizes waiting for His Baptism, and he is completely tied to Him. Without Jesus, the Baptist cannot live, because without Christ his life would make no sense, namely it would be without meaning nor purpose.
John came as a witness, sent by God to bear witness to the Light. He does not bear witness to the greatness, the majesty, the power of God, but to the Light of Love, to the light of a Presence.
John testifies that the world is based on a principle of light, so that it is much more worthy to light a lamp than to curse the night thousand times.
We, too, even in our weakness and smallness, are called to testify that history is a way of the Cross which becomes the way of Light when we have the strength to fix the gaze on the dawning light of the Christ child. Apparently Christ, whom in a few days we will contemplate in the crib of Bethlehem, is small, fragile and helpless, yet he is a winner, and from the City of Bread (= Bethlehem) he will move the first steps of goodness and justice that he will realize in the City of Peace (= Jerusalem).
To each one of us is given the prophetic ministry of the Baptist, to be announcer not of the degradation and the collapse of sin which beset the world, but of the light that illuminates the world and saves it. We must be -as St. John- witnesses of hope and future, of a God who is Light, a God of love and so near that is among us, healer of our life and of the one of all the brothers and sisters in humanity.
We must be witnesses because we asked that He covers us with his mantle and makes us sprout a Spring of Justice, a Spring that without him is impossible.
By the intercession of St. John we could imitate him who is the image of a true man that knows his limits and is open to the novelty of the encounter. Like the Precursor we must be aware of being flesh, but we must also live of the desire of God imprinted on him from the creative Word and the promise made to Israel. We will be disciples saved by the Redeemer, because like him (St. John) we search, we meet, we recognize and we accept Jesus as the Son of God, bearing witness to others saying "Behold the Lamb of God." We too are poor voice of a Word, which creates and elevates gently. "Then the Lord will make a gift of his sweetness and our land will yield its fruit" (St. Augustine, En. in Psalmos, 84,15).
3) The Witness of a Presence.
The Gospel of John says: "It was a man sent from God" (Jn 1, 6). Each one of us is a person sent by God, called to be a witness to the light.
The strength of John is not to shine for himself, but to spend his life so that the light can be seen. And God is light that enlightens even the greatest darkness. John shouts to proclaim the Gospel, and proclaims it pointing to Christ Jesus. He doesn’t draw attention to himself following a leading role so overbearing and normal. His voice indicates someone who is already "among you" (Jn 1, 26), "one who is coming after me, to which I am not worthy to untie the thong sandals" (Jn 1, 27).
The greatness of John is that he had been able to recognize God in Jesus and therefore showed the presence of God among humanity.
The Baptist does not attract the attention on an absent Messiah who will come, but on a Messiah already among us and that we do not know: "There is one among you whom you do not recognize ". (Jn 1:26). John is the witness of a God already here. His presence is already among us, but it is to be discovered and not everyone sees it, therefore there must be a prophet that points it out.
It is now up to us as a person and as a Christian community, to imitate the Baptist showing to the world a Christ already present in the world.
A particular way to show Christ is the one of the Virgins consecrated in the world. The total offering of themselves to Christ the Bridegroom, indicates that He deserves everything. To be vigilant in prayer indicates that Advent is the wait of the Beloved clinging to Him who is already present in the heart that they have entrusted completely to Him in total abandonment, loving trust and joy. In this world they, and we with them, experience that "when the Lord calls us to be saints, He is not calling us to something burdensome and sad. It is an invitation to share his joy, to live and to offer with joy every moment of our lives, making it at the same time a gift of love for the people around us "(Pope Francis, Catechesis at the Audience general November 19, 2014).
We, ordinary people, are called to make known to many the One who is among us. Weak, we are strong. Sad, we are happy. Because the Lord comes, make the earth sprout, making it again a garden where freedom, fraternity and mercy are not only announced, but practiced, lived and shared.
--
Roman Rite
3rd Sunday of Advent - Year B - December 14, 2014 - Gaudete Sunday
Is 61, 1-2.10-11; Ps Lk1:46-48, 49-50,53-54; 1Th 5.16 to 24; Jn 1, 6-8.19-28
From God, for testimony
Fr. Paul Scalia
“A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony ...” (Jn 1:6-7) When we first hear about John the Baptist in the Gospel of John, we learn precious little about him. Unlike Luke, John says nothing about the Baptist's family or the circumstances of his birth. The Baptist just appears on the scene. Indeed, John's sparse account seems to tell us more about who the Baptist is not than who he is. Not the Messiah, not the prophet, and not one who will describe himself in any way other than “the voice of one crying out in the desert” (cf. Jn 1:19-23). And yet, if John's Gospel gives us little biographical information, its first words about the Baptist really tell us all we need to know: “from God ... for testimony.”
“A man named John was sent from God.” The Baptist's appearance at the Jordan was not a random occurrence or a happy coincidence. He was not just another itinerant preacher or self-proclaimed prophet. He came from God as the necessary precursor to the Christ. His coming was foretold by the prophets to Israel and by the Archangel to Zechariah. His arrival is an essential part of God's plan of salvation.
“He came for testimony ...” When Whittaker Chambers — the former Soviet spy who testified heroically against Alger Hiss — wrote his autobiography, he gave it a simple title: Witness. No other word could summarize all that he had done and all that he had become. The same holds true for John the Baptist — indeed, truer for him as his purpose was greater than Chambers'. He came for testimony — witness — not only to bear witness but to become a witness.
He came for testimony — to give it and to become it. His entire life was so shaped around this purpose as to make the mission and the man just one thing: testimony. Or, viewed in another direction, he bore witness because he himself was first a witness. The Greek word for witness or testimony is martyr. As John the Baptist bore witness by his words and actions so in the end he became that witness — that martyr — in giving his life.
The mission of John the Baptist continues in the church today. The words his father Zechariah uses to describe his mission apply also to the church and her members: We are to “go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Lk 1:76-77). Having a share in John's mission, we should likewise have a keen sense of our origin and purpose — of where we come from and what we are for.
We are from God. No, not in the exceptional way as John the Baptist. There was only one precursor, after all. But we are no less loved into being by God. “We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary” (Pope Benedict XVI). Like John, we have bios that could be given — dates and times and places and ancestors, etc. But the most profound and important story of our origin is captured in two words: from God.
Likewise, we are for testimony, made to be witnesses. Not just to bear witness or to give testimony, but to be ourselves that testimony. Witness must be what we are. Indeed, our primary testimony is something not done but lived — to “exist for the praise of His glory” (Eph 1:12). The more this testimony is integrated into our lives, the stronger and more credible it is. Bearing witness is not a part-time thing. It is not just a segment of our lives that can be exercised and then boxed up and placed back on the shelf for the next time. The world immediately perceives the weakness of such a witness — it is the worthless witness of “I am Catholic, but ...”
From and for ... origin and purpose. We all want to know where we come from and where we are going — in short, why we are here. What we hear about John the Baptist — a man from God and for testimony — holds true also for us.
Fr. Scalia is Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde’s delegate for clergy.
Year B - Third Sunday of Advent
Baptism with water - Baptism with the fire of Holy Spirit
John 1:6-8.19-28
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah."
21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No."
22 Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' " as the prophet Isaiah said.
24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.
25 They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"
26 John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know,
27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal."
28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
John the Baptist was a man sent by God to serve as the last prophet before the coming of the promised Messiah.
He was not the light and yet he came to shine as a bright light in preparation for my coming as the light of the world. He attracted the attention of the Pharisees who became very jealous of his crude preaching and his baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
He testified of my presence among the Jewish people, by declaring humbly that his baptism of repentance was only a preparation for the great baptism of fire and the Holy Spirit which I bring to all those who are baptized with water. Here, there was a man who pleased God by his humility before me, the Son of the Living God.
He insisted in repentance, which consists in the departing from the crooked ways, to prepare a straight way for my coming,
His message is always perfect for all time until the death of the last man on earth. Repent, the kingdom of heaven is very near to you, make a straight path for the Lord with your repentance, and accept the Lord with humility.
All prophets were put to death, including me, the one who gave them the words for their preaching. All of them felt the urge to proclaim the need to repent and come to God.
Anyone who bears my word and lives by it becomes a little prophet, by his example he will preach to others and by his words he will echo my teachings and procure the salvation of souls.
The message of repentance is alive and full of power; my call never stops. I call everyone to change and be saved; I knock at the door of every heart until I am heard. I am the savior of the world, repent and be saved by me.
Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
