Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 12-15-03

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 12-15-03 | New American Bible

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December 15, 2003
Monday of the Third Week of Advent

Psalm: Monday 1 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading I
Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a

When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe,
the spirit of God came upon him,
and he gave voice to his oracle:

The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,
the utterance of a man whose eye is true,
The utterance of one who hears what God says,
and knows what the Most High knows,
Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,
enraptured, and with eyes unveiled:
How goodly are your tents, O Jacob;
your encampments, O Israel!
They are like gardens beside a stream,
like the cedars planted by the LORD.
His wells shall yield free-flowing waters,
he shall have the sea within reach;
His king shall rise higher,
and his royalty shall be exalted.

Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle:

The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,
the utterance of the man whose eye is true,
The utterance of one who hears what God says,
and knows what the Most High knows,
Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,
enraptured, and with eyes unveiled.
I see him, though not now;
I behold him, though not near:
A star shall advance from Jacob,
and a staff shall rise from Israel.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9

R (4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
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.
R Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Gospel
Mt 21:23-27

When Jesus had come into the temple area,
the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him
as he was teaching and said,
"By what authority are you doing these things?
And who gave you this authority?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John's baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?"
They discussed this among themselves and said,
"If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,' he will say to us,
‘Then why did you not believe him?'
But if we say, ‘Of human origin,' we fear the crowd,
for they all regard John as a prophet."
So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know."
He himself said to them,
"Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things."

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For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments and discussion.

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Advent Reflections for All -- 2003 -- #45 and 46

The Advent Calendar -- #35

The Advent Wreath

The Jesse Tree

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Alleluia Ping!

Please notify me via Freepmail if you would like to be added to or removed from the Alleluia Ping list.

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From: Matthew 21:23-27

The Authority of Jesus is Questioned

---

[23] And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders
of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what
authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"
[24] Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you a question; and if you
tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do
these things. [25] The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or
from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,'
he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' [26] But if we
say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John
was a prophet." [27] So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he
said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these
things."

---

Commentary:

23-27. When the chief priests and elders ask "By what authority are you
doing these things?" they are referring both to his teaching and to his
self-assured public actions--throwing the traders out of the Temple,
entering Jerusalem in triumph, allowing the children to acclaim him,
curing the sick, etc. What they want him to do is to prove that he has
authority to act in this way or to admit openly that he is the Messiah.
However, Jesus knows that they are not well-intentioned and he declines
to give them a direct answer; he prefers to put a question to them that
forces them to make their own attitude clear. He seeks to provoke them
into examining their consciences and changing their whole approach.

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

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FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Mary di Rosa was born in Brescia, Italy in 1813 and received an
education from the Visitandine nuns who lived in the area. At the age
of seventeen, she had to leave school in order to help manage the
estate of her widowed father.

Her education by the Visitandine nuns had planted the seed of a
vocation in Mary's heart and she resisted many suitors because of
this growing call to the religious life. While Mary cared for her family's
estate, she also worked in her community to care for the spiritual
needs of young girls and to care for the sick in the hospital. Later in
her life, this care for the spiritual needs of young girls caused Mary to
found a home for them. Mary also founded a school for deaf children.

In 1840 with guidance of her spiritual director, Mary became superior
of a group of religious dedicated to caring for the sick. The religious
group was named Handmaids of Charity if Brescia and was
approved by the bishop of the diocese in 1843. Mary died twelve
years later and was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

As iron is fashioned by fire and on the anvil, so in the fire of suffering
and under the weight of trials, our souls receive that form which our
Lord desires them to have. -St. Madeline Sophie Barat


TODAY IN HISTORY

687 Pope St. Sergius I begins his reign


TODAY'S TIDBIT

The Communion of Saints is the communion of all the faithful of
Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being
purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church;
in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always
attentive to our prayers. (Paul VI, Creed of the People of God)


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all the poor and homeless

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Thought for the Day

In order to avoid discord, never contradict anyone except in case of sin or some danger to a neighbor; and when necessary to contradict others, do it with tact and not with temper.

 -- King St. Louis

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The Word Among Us

Monday, December 15, 2003 Meditation Numbers 24:2-7,15-17 Recently, an interesting bumper sticker began appearing on some cars in North America. It reads, Too Blessed to Be Stressed. In a way, that bumper sticker captures the essence of the story of Balaam and the Israelites in today’s reading. Despite the forty years of wandering in the desert and the evil intentions of its enemies, Israel was too blessed by God to be stressed by its enemies—or even by its own previous unfaithfulness! Let’s recall the basic story (Numbers 22-24). After wandering in the desert, the people of Israel stood ready to enter the Promised Land. However, fearing the power of the Israelites, Balak, King of the Moabites commissioned a sorcerer named Balaam to place a curse on the Israelites. Thus did Balak hope to destroy them through magic. But contrary to Balak’s desires—or Balaam’s intentions—God used this pagan soothsayer to declare his love for his people. As Balaam traveled nearly four hundred miles to curse Israel, God even used Balaam’s donkey to proclaim blessings for the chosen people. So when Balaam opened his mouth, he pronounced blessings and not curses! Balak’s plan failed miserably. Nothing could keep God’s love from fulfilling his promises. Often, we can be tempted to believe that God curses us for our failures and sins, or that he holds back blessings because we are unworthy. But that’s not the God who loves us like a Father. That’s not the God who gave his Son for us when we were sinners. Advent is a time to think about, and experience, the immense blessings that God wants to give us. He wants to shower us with his love just as powerfully as a cloudburst showers the earth below. He wants to shine his light into our hearts—a light that is a thousand times brighter than the sun. So let’s live in joyful anticipation of his blessings. Let’s stand under the cloudburst and turn our faces to the sun! “Father, I love you. Thank you for all the blessings that you bestow upon me. Thank you most of all for Jesus.”

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One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, December 15, 2003 >>

Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17

Psalm 25

Matthew 21:23-27

View Readings

A DESCENDING SPIRAL

“Then why did you not put faith in it?” —Matthew 21:25

Many of the chief priests and elders did not believe in John’s baptism. Thus, they were not prepared to accept Jesus. So they crucified Him.

Many people are so ignorant of history or disobedient to God that they do not take Advent seriously. Thus, they are not prepared to meet Christ at Christmastime. So they miss out on Christmas.

When Christmas is a far cry from what the Lord wants it to be, many do not realize that “the trouble is in their set.” Rather, they think their mediocre, watered-down Christmas is the true meaning of Christmas. With this view of Christmas, they do not expect much for the next Christmas. Therefore, they see little need for Advent, since things that do not mean much (like Christmas) do not need much preparation. So they have another poor Advent, leading to another substandard Christmas, leading to a poorer Advent and Christmas next year, etc.

Are you in a descending spiral of Advents and Christmases? This is very bad for your life, death, and afterlife. Throw your heart into Advent now before you miss out on Christmas again.

Prayer: Father, give me Your kind of Advent.

Promise: “A Star shall advance from Jacob, and a Staff shall rise from Israel.” —Nm 24:17

Praise: Anna made a promise to pray the Liturgy of the Hours every day in Advent in order to prepare for Christmas.

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Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Don’t Let Fear Close Your Mind or Your Heart
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Monday, December 15, 2003

Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17 / Mt 21: 23-27

In a world filled with too much talk, the art of listening is one of the most valuable habits we can ever acquire. Listening can give us access to ideas we’ve never conceived of and insights that might never have occurred to us in a thousand years. And it can open for us the innermost doors of many hearts.

However, despite its manifest and myriad advantages, listening is a skill in short supply. And that is so for many reasons. Sometimes we’re just too full of our own ideas and agendas to make room for anyone else’s. Sometimes we’re too distracted by all the “noise” inside our own heads to listen attentively and peacefully. But worst of all, sometimes we’re afraid to listen, afraid we might hear some valid challenge to our way of living and thinking. We might hear something that would require us to move, to change, to give up one thing and take on something else quite different.

It was that kind of fear that closed the ears and the hearts of the chief priests and elders to whom Jesus spoke. They didn’t want to change, so they attacked Jesus, plotted against Him, and ultimately killed Him.

It’s a dire warning to us all, to see the lengths to which fear can drive ordinary human beings. And it poses an important question: Is fear of any sort causing me to close my mind or my heart to anyone? If it is, it’s time to give that fear to God, so that my heart may be free and open and listening to every single one of God’s creatures, and, indeed, to God Himself.

 

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From: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a

Balaam's Third Oracle (Continuation)

---

[2] And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and saw Israel encamping tribe by tribe.
And the Spirit of God came upon him, [3] and he took up his discourse, and
said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye
is opened, [4] the oracle of him who bears the words of God, who sees the
vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes uncovered: [5] how
fair are your tents, 0 Jacob, your encampments, 0 Israel! [6] Like valleys
that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like alose that the Lord has
planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. [7] Water shall flow from his
buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, his king shall be higher than
Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted."

[15] And he took up his discourse, and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son
of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, [16] the oracle of him
who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who
sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes
uncovered: [17] I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: a star
shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel."

---

Commentary:

24:3-9. This third oracle consists not so much in words placed by God on
Balaam's lips, as in the vision given to him, which shows the splendor of
Israel (expressed in images of luxuriant scenery); it also alludes to a
victorious king and recalls, once more, deliverance from Egypt.

24:15-24. The three blessings are followed by four oracles about
nations--Israel, Amalek, the Kainites and Asshur. The first tells about the
coming of a king symbolized by a star and a scepter (v. 17). In the ancient
East stars were considered to be gods and goddesses. This passage of Numbers
may contain a reference to David and his star: in fact, from very early on
this text was given a messianic interpretation; Jewish traditions link the
coming of the Messiah with the appearing of a star--cf. some Aramaic
translations ("targumin") of this text. In St Matthew's Gospel there is
mention of a star in the episode of the Magi who came to adore Jesus (cf. Mt
2:1-12). And in the second Jewish revolt against Rome (132-135 AD), a famous
Jewish teacher, Rabbi Akiha, changed the name of the Jewish leader of the
rebellion from Ben Kosheba, to Bar Kokheba, that is, "son of the
star"--another indication of the connection between the star and the
expected Messiah.

The Fathers interpreted the star that Balaam speaks about, as being the one
the Magi saw. From this they went on deduce that the Wise Men came from
Mesopotamia, which was where Balaam came from.

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.