Wednesday - December 27, 2017
Bethlehem! The city where Jesus was born in fulfilment of the Scriptures, in Hebrew means “house of bread.” It was there that the Messiah was to be born, the One who would say of himself: “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35, 48). In Bethehem was born the One who, under the sign of broken bread, would leave us the memorial of his Pasch. On this Holy Night, adoration of the Child Jesus becomes Eucharistic adoration. We adore you, Lord, truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar, the living Bread which gives life to humanity. We acknowledge you as our one God, a little Child lying helpless in the manger!
– St. John Paul II
TODAY'S READINGS
December 27, 2017
Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
Lectionary: 697
Reading 11 JN 1:1-4
Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life —
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life —
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
Responsorial PsalmPS 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Alleluia See Te Deum
R. Alleluia, alleluia.We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 20:1A AND 2-8
On the first day of the week,Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
******************************
Let's use today's first reading as a Christmas meditation.
What have you "seen and heard" from God this Christmas?
How has Christ's life become visible to you?
How has this Christmas been a time of experiencing fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ?
No matter what went wrong this Christmas -- what went imperfectly, what was frustrating, what tested your faith or your strength of character, what was lonely or dissatisfying -- you were in fellowship with the Christ child and his heavenly Daddy.
Whatever happened that was good and right and a source of joy, this too occurred in the fellowship of God's wonderful company.
Can you see the good news in your experience of such a holy fellowship? Can you hear the presence of God?
Today's responsorial psalm beckons us to rejoice in the Lord. It says that "the mountains melt like wax before the Lord." Whatever mountain of difficulty you witnessed this Christmas (or whenever problems seem insurmountable), it's really nothing (zilch, zero, nada) compared to the greatness of the Lord! Give him time, let him finish working the plan he's doing, and you will witness those mountains melting. Guaranteed! It's a sacred promise!
Christmas is the season of hope, peace, and good will toward all; therefore we expect the ideal but are disappointed by the real. We want Christmas to be better than the rest of the year. However, Christmas is much more than a holiday that happens in the outside circumstances. It's a new birth of Jesus in our hearts so that God, who loves us immeasurably, can joyfully fellowship with us and extend his friendship out to others through us.
That is the only true source of peace and good will. That is what is really real. The mountains/problems are not real; they are only temporary. The higher reality is God's eternal fellowship with us.
This is why Mary Magdalene and the other disciples got so excited over the empty tomb (today's Gospel reading). Others who saw the empty tomb or heard about the resurrection had an opposite reaction. The only ones who were happy about it were those who had let their fellowship with Christ penetrate into an interior relationship of mutual love.
And that, my friends, is the good news of Christ's life becoming visible. And it needs to be proclaimed! As St. John said, our joy is made complete by sharing the good news with others.
If we merely reflect on the good news privately, our spirits are lifted for a moment. But if we seek someone who will listen as we vocalize our experiences of fellowshipping with the Lord, we birth Jesus more fully into the world.
By sharing the good news, we multiply the good news. We are blessed. Others are blessed. God is blessed.
------------
God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
No comments:
Post a Comment