Friday - December 22, 2017
“Mary, who is the Virgin Most Pure, is also the Refuge of Sinners. She knows what sin is, not by the experience of its fall, not by tasting its bitter regrets, but by seeing what it did to her Divine Son.”
--Venerable Fulton Sheen
TODAY'S READINGS
December 22, 2017
Friday of the Third Week of Advent
Lectionary: 198
Reading 11 SM 1:24-28
In those days,
Hannah brought Samuel with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
"Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."
She left Samuel there.
Hannah brought Samuel with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
"Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."
She left Samuel there.
Responsorial Psalm1 SAMUEL 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD
R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
"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:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
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 remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever."
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk1:46-56
Mary said:"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:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
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 remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever."
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
******************************
We Proclaim the Greatness of the Lord!
Mary, the Blessed Mother of Christ, is our best example of how to change the world. Like her, we are called to give birth Jesus, sharing his greatness with others. It starts, as she shows us in today's Gospel reading, by proclaiming the greatness of the Lord even before that greatness has been fully birthed.
Mary's Magnificat is a powerful prayer that we can use whenever we're rejoicing in a blessing received or when we're sorrowful over a need for blessings that we have not yet received. Here is an adaptation of the Magnificat for our own lives. Pray it with me.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord: Rejoice! No matter how terrible a problem is, God is greater. Rejoice!
My spirit rejoices in God my savior: Rejoice! Even when I feel unhappy, my spirit rejoices deep inside, because I know that God is my savior. He is rescuing me even now, although I cannot yet see it nor understand how.
The Almighty has done great things for me: Rejoice! God is doing great things for me. And he will do great things for me. And he will do great things through me. I want to see my sufferings become valuable and useful, instead of futile and pointless, so that they no longer feel so terrible. Disasters have not defeated me, they have carried me to new life. I am giving birth to Jesus by taking what I've learned from my trials and using it in ministry for the benefit of others.
He has shown the strength of his arm and has scattered the proud in their conceit: Rejoice! When I handle difficult people the way Jesus did, I am revealing to them his strength and his superiority. On my own, I would get rid of these people much more quickly, but then I'd miss out on seeing a greater victory. The plans of God take longer than my own, because he's orchestrating everything and inviting everyone to conversion, new growth, and healing. Eventually, those who say yes to him will be saved by his strength, and those who reject him will stumble into their self-made pitfalls.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly: Rejoice! In my desire to place God as my highest priority and make the ways of God my only goals, he has protected me from those who have tried to put me down. No matter what they do to me, they cannot take me away from God nor from his goodness. Although they might seem to lord it over me and win battles against me, only God is my Lord, and in the final battle, Jesus will destroy all evil.
He has filled the hungry with good things: Rejoice! I have nothing eternally valuable except that which I receive from God, and when I turn to him for nourishment, he feeds me from his great abundance. I have his patience for the troubles I experience and for the wait that I'm enduring, and I have his supernatural love for the people who seem impossible to love.
He has come to the help of his servant: Rejoice! I am never alone. His love for me knows no bounds. Holy is his name!
Amen! Rejoice!
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God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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