Monday - December 04, 2017
'All that the beginner in prayer has to do -- and you must not forget this, for it is very important -- is to labour and be resolute and prepare himself with all possible diligence to bring his will into conformity with the will of God. As I shall say later, you may be quite sure that this comprises the very greatest perfection which can be attained on the spiritual road.'
--St. Teresa of Jesus
TODAY'S READINGS
December 4, 2017
Monday of the First Week of Advent
Lectionary: 175
Reading 1IS 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Responsorial PsalmPS 122:1-2, 3-4B, 4CD-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
AlleluiaSEE PS 80:4
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come and save us, LORD our God;
Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."
Come and save us, LORD our God;
Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum,a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."
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True Faith
When was the last time you had a mountaintop experience of faith? Faith in Jesus is what makes it possible to climb the Lord's mountain.
Advent is meant to be a time of reaching new heights in spiritual growth. Consider today's first reading. To climb the Lord's mountain and reach the top requires actively seeking the greatest peace and the fullest joy for our lives today, which only Christ can provide.
The prophet Isaiah saw this being promised for the "days to come." He had grown up praying Psalm 122 for the peace of Jerusalem. Israel had not experienced peace since the days of King Solomon's reign — and it still hasn't.
Does this mean that Isaiah's prophecy has never come true? Has the Lord's house never been established as the highest mountain?
Indeed it has: And it's in you!
God the Divine Son became the child of a human to establish on earth the greatest peace, the fullest joy, and the clearest revelation of God's instructions. Through faith in Jesus, we become the new Jerusalem, the Zion that Isaiah foresaw. Through faith in Jesus, we become the answer to the psalmist's prayer.
Without faith, we live in the valley. When life's hardships get bad enough or when we stay in sin long enough, we hit bottom. Faith in Christ raises us up to the new heights in our spiritual growth.
This kind of faith is exampled by the centurion in Capernaum in today's Gospel passage. His faith "amazed" Jesus. This Roman enemy of the Jews had climbed the Lord's mountain while the Jews were still squabbling in the valley. Amazing.
Have you ever amazed Jesus?
True faith means we trust that God is embracing us and holding us securely, even when conflicts and trials shake us up; this trust gives us peace.
True faith means we believe that God will turn every hardship into a benefit; this belief gives us joy.
True faith means we allow Jesus to be our Lord, our Teacher, our Guide; thus through his Word and his Holy Spirit we receive the best possible guidance.
Think of a conflict you're currently enduring. What sword have you been using to win the battle instead of trusting God to show you a stress-reducing way to handle it? Faith can turn your sword into a plowshare, i.e., a tool that will plow the soil of your life to make room for new growth and new fruit.
Make peace with your enemy (an "enemy" is anyone whose will is opposed to yours). Even if you're an innocent victim of the battle, do a good deed that will melt your enemy's heart.
This might feel like a difficult mountain to climb, but it is the route of faith. It is the route that leads us away from the emotional angst of the conflict to the inner peace that only Christ can provide - the only peace that lasts.
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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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