Reading 1 Is 40:1-11

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
The rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

A voice says, "Cry out!"
I answer, "What shall I cry out?"
"All flesh is grass,
and all their glory like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower wilts,
when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.
So then, the people is the grass.
Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,
the word of our God stands forever."

Go up onto a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
Cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Catholic Culture

Advent: December 11th

Optional Memorial of St. Damasus I, pope

MASS READINGS

December 11, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may constantly exalt the merits of your Martyrs, whom Pope Saint Damasus so venerated and loved. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: St. Damasus, pope and confessor

St. Damasus was Supreme Pontiff from 366 to 384. He was a very learned man, well versed in the Scriptures. He commissioned St. Jerome to complete the translation of the Bible into the Latin language. Shortly after his reign the 72 books of the Bible, hitherto scattered in different parts of the Orient, were collected into one volume. He defended the rights of the Holy See, and beautified the Roman resting places of the Christian dead and of the saints. He also confirmed the practice of singing the Psalms day and night in the churches and adding a Glory Be at the end of each Psalm.

Jesse Tree ~ Moses

St. Damasus
On Liberius' death, riots broke out over the election of a successor. The majority favored Damasus, who was born in Rome of Spanish descent. He had served as a deacon under Liberius and upheld the Nicene Creed. In less than a month, Damasus was installed in the Lateran palace. A minority, however, refused to accept the decision; they set up the antipope Ursinus. As the violence continued, Emperor Valentinian, who now ruled the West, was compelled to intercede and expel the antipope.

Pope Damasus fostered the development of the Church during this period of peace by publishing a list of the books of both the Old and New Testaments. He also encouraged his longtime friend and secretary, St. Jerome, to translate the Bible into Latin. This Vulgate edition continues to serve the Church usefully. Damasus himself composed eloquent verse which he had inscribed on marble slabs and placed over the tombs of martyrs and popes alike. But Damasus is best known for his devoted project in the catacombs. He ardently searched for the tombs of martyrs which had been both blocked up and hidden during previous persecutions. He lighted the passages and stairwells of the catacombs, encouraging pilgrimages to the martyrs. He did much to beautify existing churches, such as building the baptistery in St. Peter's and laying down marble pavement in the basilica of St. Sebastian.

Damasus was a vigorous defender of the orthodoxy, as well. He condemned the heresies of such men as Macedonius and Apollinaris and continued the march against Eastern Arians. Although Emperor Valentinian was a Catholic, his less capable brother Valens was under the Arian influence. Valens kept the Eastern bishops in turmoil until his death in 378 by the determined Goths. Emperor Theodosius, who succeeded Valens, supported the orthodox and convened the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 381. The council settled the dispute by recondemning Arianism and adopting the pope's teachings.

The chair of St. Peter was never more respected than during the pontificate of Damasus. He tirelessly promoted the Roman primacy, successfully persuading the government to recognize the Holy See as a court of first instance, although it declined to give the pope himself any particular immunity against the civil courts. Next in hierarchy came Alexandria, founded by St. Mark, and then Antioch, where Peter reigned before leaving for Rome.

Pious Pope Damasus died in December of 384 after a reign of eighteen years.

— The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett

Patron: Archeologists.

Things to Do:

Learn more about St. Damasus.
Read about the Catacombs of St. Callistus where Pope St. Damasus wrote an inscription on the tomb of Pope St Cornelius.
St. Damasus I commissioned St. Jerome to revise a translation of Scripture. Spend some time reading the Bible.
See Celebrating the Feast of St. Damasus for ideas.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 18:12-14

Saint Damasus I, Pope (Optional Memorial)

He rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine. (Matthew 18:13)

More rejoicing over finding one lost sheep than the ninety-nine that stayed where they were supposed to be? That sounds backwards. Doesn’t Jesus expect us not to stray? Doesn’t he want us to follow him faithfully and obediently?

Of course he does! And of course he rejoices over our faithful obedience. But Jesus also wants to do for us what he was trying to do for Israel’s religious leaders when he first told this parable: he wants to turn our vision upside down in order to teach us how to value what he values.

Of course Jesus loves and values every one of us. But when it comes to the unsettled, the confused, or those mired in sin—these people tug at his heart in a special way. He doesn’t want to see any of these people get lost or left behind. And neither does he want us, his disciples, to turn away from them. He wants us to share our love, our faith, and our material resources with them.

This call to care for those who are wandering often requires two shifts in our perspective. First, we need to take on Jesus’ vision so that we actually “see” people who have strayed. It’s easy to live in a world of our own making, safely cut off from anyone who is different from us. How can we care for someone if we don’t notice them?

Second, we need to take on Jesus’ heart by moving from judgment to compassion. We can be tempted to look at those wandering and search for character flaws that may have caused them to take a wrong turn. But unless we replace our judgmental attitudes with respect and goodwill, we won’t be able to help them or lead them back to the Lord.

Take a look today at your disposition toward the people you tend to judge harshly. It could be a group of people, like the tax collectors, who upset many of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. Or it could be just one or two people you know. Ask God to forgive you for any negative attitudes you might have toward them, and tell him you want to learn how to love them. Let Jesus open your eyes. Let him soften your heart.

“Jesus, turn my thinking upside down. Teach me how to seek and save the lost.”

Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
Religious Sister
Diary, § 1589 (©Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy)

"Will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?"

The soul awaiting the coming of the Lord :

I do not know, O Lord, at what hour you will come. And so I keep constant watch and listen As your chosen bride. Knowing that you like to come unexpected. Yet a pure heart will sense you from afar, O Lord.

I wait for you, Lord, in calm and silence, With great longing in my heart And with invincible desire. I feel that my love for you is changing into fire, And that it will rise up to heaven like a flame at life's end, And then all my wishes will be fulfilled.

Come then at last, my most sweet Lord And take my thirsting heart There, to your home in the lofty regions of heaven, Where your eternal life reigns everlasting.

Life on this earth is but an agony Since my heart feels it is created for the heights. The lowlands of this life hold no interest for it For my homeland is in heaven – this I firmly believe.

Regnum Christi

December 11, 2018 – There’s No Shepherd like the Good Shepherd

11 Dec 2018

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Matthew 18:12-14

Jesus said to his disciples: “What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

Introductory Prayer: Dear Jesus, my Lord and God, I open my heart to your infinite love. I wish to listen and respond to the inspirations that you wish to give me this morning. I believe in you. I hope in you. I love you. Lord, you are my shepherd and the true meaning of my life.

Petition: Jesus, Good Shepherd, give me the grace to open my heart to your mercy.

Not All Shepherds Are the Same: In today’s society, the image of the shepherd doesn’t say as much as it did in Jesus’ time. Psalm 23 was probably one of Christ’s favorite psalms, for he uses the image of the shepherd frequently: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” Sheep have a trusting relationship with their shepherd. Instinctively they know that the shepherd will care for them. Christ is our shepherd who loves us. In our lives, other people or material possessions can seem to promise to bring us happiness, causing us to follow after them as if they were our shepherd. But when the real trial comes, they abandon us just as a hired hand leaves the sheep when the wolf appears. Let us renew our commitment to Christ, the Good Shepherd, since he is the true shepherd of our souls.

Searching Out the Lost Sheep: In every group of animals there is at least one that seems to get distracted and eventually lost. In our lives we, too, can get distracted and stray from the security of Christ and his way. Sin is what separates us from Christ. If we are not careful, we can be easily seduced by the world, by the fascination of material goods or pleasures, and then mistakenly place our security in them. Then, when we experience the emptiness and spiritual hunger that comes from wandering from the Good Shepherd, we need only to recall that he is waiting for us, his wayward sheep, to carry us back into the safety of his fold. It is comforting and heartening to know that he longs for us to be reconciled with him, just as a shepherd goes out in search of the lost sheep.

Let the Celebration Begin! Anyone who has children and has temporarily “lost” one of them can empathize with the joy God experiences when one of us is found once again and reunited with him. We may try to outdo him in love and generosity, but that cannot happen. His love surpasses all our imagining. Today, let us take a moment to talk to God about our state in life and resolve to let him be actively present in our everyday living. Could there be any better way to prepare for Christmas than to open the doors of our hearts? Christ is there, knocking, asking to be allowed inside so he can heal us and make us whole again. It’s almost shocking to discover that we can please him simply by turning to him and letting him pick us up from where we’ve fallen and restore us to full friendship with him. Shouldn’t we permit Our Lord that pleasure, especially when the only cost is admitting our tremendous need for him, confessing our sins and inviting him back into our hearts, where he belongs?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know my countless falls provide me countless occasions to encounter you as the Good Shepherd, since without fail you come to pick me up again. Instead of wallowing in a sterile self-pity at the misery of my sinfulness, I intend to delight more in your tender mercy. I know this trusting attitude will please you.

Resolution: Each time I fall today, I will get back up again immediately, because I will have confidence in my Good Shepherd’s loving mercy.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 1

<< Tuesday, December 11, 2018 >>

Pope St. Damasus I

Isaiah 40:1-11
View Readings

Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13

Matthew 18:12-14
Similar Reflections

Please read: Donations appeal letter for 2018

TWICE AS NICE

"Indeed, she has received from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins." Isaiah 40:2

The prophet Isaiah addresses Jerusalem, the holy city of God. Jerusalem had turned its back on the Lord, despite all the great blessings He had showered upon it for centuries. Finally, in 587 B.C., Babylon invaded Jerusalem, conquered the city, razed it to the ground, and forced all its inhabitants into exile in Babylon (see 2 Chr 36:15-21). This is the "double" punishment which Isaiah refers to in today's first eucharistic reading (Is 40:2).

Yet now God speaks a word of "comfort" to the exiles through Isaiah (Is 40:1). Their time of punishment is over; their "guilt is expiated" (Is 40:2). They received a double punishment, but now God will return a double-blessing; "since their shame was double...they shall have a double inheritance in their land" (Is 61:7). The Lord tells the exiles: "This very day, I return you double for your exile" (Zec 9:12).

God poured out "a double portion" of the Spirit upon the prophet Elisha (2 Kgs 2:9). He also pours out a double portion upon each of us at every Mass. Each time we attend Mass, we receive the double blessings of the Liturgy of the Word and also the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Jesus has come that we "might have life and have it to the full" (Jn 10:10). Let Him pour out His love upon you. Receive everything Jesus has for you, even twice as much.

Prayer: Father, may I never limit You in anything. I allow You to give me anything You desire.

Promise: "Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever." —Is 40:8

Praise: Pope St. Damasus I both taught the Truth and refuted falsehood, particularly by commissioning the translation of the Bible into Latin, the common language of his day.

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December 11, 2018

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Reading 1 Is 40:1-11

Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13

Alleluia

Gospel Mt 18:12-14

Advent: December 11th

Optional Memorial of St. Damasus I, pope

MASS READINGS

COLLECT PRAYER

Recipes (1)

Activities (2)

Prayers (7)

Library (2)

Meditation: Matthew 18:12-14

December 11, 2018 – There’s No Shepherd like the Good Shepherd

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Matthew 18:12-14

One Bread, One Body

TWICE AS NICE