Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 11-30-03

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 11-30-03 | New American Bible

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November 30, 2003
First Sunday of Advent

Psalm: Sunday 51 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Reading II Gospel

Reading I
Jer 33:14-16

The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will fulfill the promise
I made to the house of Israel and Judah.
In those days, in that time,
I will raise up for David a just shoot;
he shall do what is right and just in the land.
In those days Judah shall be safe
and Jerusalem shall dwell secure;
this is what they shall call her:
"The LORD our justice."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior,
and for you I wait all the day.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.

Reading II
1 Thes 3:12--4:2

Brothers and sisters:
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God
--and as you are conducting yourselves--
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

Gospel
Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man."

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FEAST OF THE DAY

This year, the feast of St. Andrew is not observed. It is suppressed in
favor of the celebration of the First Sunday of Advent.

St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter and is considered the first
Apostle to be called to follow Jesus. This distinction gives Andrew
the title Protoclete. After Andrew's call, he went to bring the Good
News to his brother, Peter. There is little specifically known about the
life of Andrew other than the fact that he was one of the twelve
apostles and preached the Resurrection after Jesus ascended into
heaven.

In the Gospel of St. John, Andrew is portrayed as a disciple of St.
John the Baptist before he is called to be one of Christ's apostles.
The call of Andrew is told several different ways. In the Gospel of
Matthew, Jesus approaches Andrew and Peter and calls them to be
fishers of men. In the Gospel of John, Andrew and another disciple
follow Jesus to find out if he is the true Messiah, and when they
catch up with Jesus, they are invited to join Him.

After the Ascension of Jesus, Andrew evangelized in Greece and
Turkey. He was martyred on a cross-shaped like an "x" near the city
of Petras in Greece. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Russia,
of the Greek Church and of fishermen.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother, Andrew, casting a net
into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after me,
and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and
followed him. -Mt 4:18-20


TODAY IN HISTORY

306 St Marcellus I begins his reign as Pope
1215 The Fourth Lateran Council closes
1554 Catholicism briefly restored to England under the reign of Mary Tudor


TODAY'S TIDBIT

Protoclete is derived from two Greek words meaning first and called.
It literally means first called and is applied to St. Andrew because he
is considered to be the first one of the Apostles to be called by
Jesus.


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of St. Andrew, for the Church
in Russia and everywhere it is trying to grow after persecution.

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Advent Reflections for All -- 2003

The Advent Wreath

The Jesse Tree

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The Word Among Us

Sunday, November 30, 2003 Meditation Luke 21:25-28,34-36 One day, while tending to his garden, St. Francis of Assisi was asked, “If Jesus were to return to earth today, what would you do?” Without pause, Francis replied simply, “I would continue my gardening.” Do you think you would be so calm if you found out that Jesus was coming to visit you after Mass today? Or would you scramble to get your life, duties, morals, and relationships in order? Or maybe you would at least clean your home! Wouldn’t it be a relief to feel confident enough, like Francis, to carry on your regular Sunday routine without interruption? Today begins the season of Advent, a time when we are encouraged to prepare for Jesus’ coming, both as a baby at Christmas and as the glorious Lord at the Second Coming. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his Second Coming” (CCC, 524). Today’s Gospel reading may seem to stand in sharp contrast to the sense of hope and expectancy we are called to have as we prepare for Christmas. But the heart of Jesus’ message here is not gloom and doom. Instead, the message is, “Your redemption is at hand” (Luke 21:28). Jesus wants us to be always ready to meet him! While today’s readings may be a warning to the unprepared, those who are alert and strive to stay close to Jesus have nothing to fear. God is for us, not against us! Just remember that being prepared doesn’t mean being perfect, just humble and trusting enough to welcome Jesus into our daily lives. May we all be open to receive the blessings he has for us this Advent season! “Jesus, I eagerly await your arrival in my life not only at Christmas and at your Second Coming but right now—today! Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!”

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The Advent Calendar

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One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, November 30, 2003 >>

First Sunday of Advent

Jeremiah 33:14-16
1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2

Psalm 25
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

View Readings

THE NECESSITY OF ADVENT

“May He strengthen your hearts, making them blameless and holy before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus.” —1 Thessalonians 3:13

Happy New Year! This is the first day of the Church’s year and the beginning of the Advent season. “This holy season teaches us that Christ’s coming was not only for the benefit of His contemporaries; His power has still to be communicated to us all” (from a pastoral letter by St. Charles Borromeo, read at the Office of Readings for Monday of the first week of Advent). The purpose of Advent is to prepare us for a deep, personal, life-changing, world-shaking encounter with Christ this Christmas season.

For thousands of years, people have been preparing for Christ’s coming and for almost seventeen hundred years have been celebrating Advent. The Holy Spirit has taught the Church that to prepare for Christ, we must:

• Pray the Mass with so much love that Mass becomes the center of our lives. Thus, we have the word, “Christ-Mass.”
• Be immersed in repentance and express this by Advent Confession(s) (see Lk 3:3ff).
• Abide in God’s word (Jn 8:31) and share His word. This is the origin of Christmas cards.
• Do penance, especially fasting. This is the connotation of the Advent color, purple.
• Do good deeds, especially almsgiving. This is the origin of Christmas gift-giving.

Christ is coming in a new way this Christmas. Get ready this Advent.

Prayer: Jesus, I accept You as Lord of my life and of my Advent.

Promise: “Be on guard lest your spirits become bloated with indulgence and drunkenness and worldly cares. The great day will suddenly close in on you like a trap.” —Lk 21:34

Praise: Praise the incarnate, crucified, and risen Jesus coming soon! Come, Lord Jesus!

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Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	The Present
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Sunday, November 30, 2003

Lk 21:25 - 36

I have a little verse for you, just four lines. So listen closely.

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why we call it the present!

+ + + + +


So what are we going to do with this marvelous present that God keeps giving us? Will we fritter it away? Will we let it slip through our hands? Will we have nothing left when our present is all used up?

Just four weeks from now, on the day after Christmas, as we take down the tree, pack up the ornaments, clean up the mess, and look with incredulous eyes at the mountain of bills, will our hearts feel empty? Will we feel disappointed and somehow betrayed? Will we be wondering what all that shopping and cooking, decorating and dressing up was for?

The answer to all that is not for fate to decide. It's for us. Because what happens to us on December 26th and how we feel then hinges on our remembering now what all the shopping, cooking, and decorating is about. And what it's about is building communion!

All the work of Christmas is about renewing the bonds that bind us to one another and to the Lord, reweaving the ties that have been strained or broken, and reaching out with open hearts to build new bonds, new ties.

If we remember that we'll know inside how to handle "The Present" these next four weeks. The gifts we buy will make sense in the larger scheme of things. How we decide to spend these days and how we decide not to spend them will make sense. And so will the way we are hosts, and the way we are guests — reaching out and pulling everyone inside the circle of our care and concern. It will all make sense; if only we remember.

The calm we keep at our center during these busy days will tell all who see us that we know what "Our Present" is about, that we know what matters and what does not. And because of that, we ourselves will be a special gift to those who know us.

Today is a gift, and that is why we call it "The Present". May none of us forget that as this wonderful season begins to unfold!

 

 

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Salvation,Mass bump.

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Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

God bless!

[fatima]

Salvation,I know you had a wonderful Thanksgiving,we choose to be at my daughter Sherry's,it is always nice to be with our family.So many kids,so many dinners,what's a Mother to do.