SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY - Sunday - December 02, 2018

Sunday - December 02, 2018

We should love God because He is God, and the measure of our love should be to love Him without measure.

-- St Bernard

 

December 2, 2018

 

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First Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 3

Reading 1JER 33:14-16

The days are coming, says the LORD, 
when I will fulfill the promise 
I made to the house of Israel and Judah.
In those days, in that time, 
I will raise up for David a just shoot ; 
he shall do what is right and just in the land.
In those days Judah shall be safe 
and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; 
this is what they shall call her: 
“The LORD our justice.”

Responsorial PsalmPS 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
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,
and for you I wait all the day. 
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way. 
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction. 
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.

Reading 21 THES 3:12—4:2

Brothers and sisters:
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you, 
so as to strengthen your hearts, 
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father 
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.

Finally, brothers and sisters, 
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us 
how you should conduct yourselves to please God
and as you are conducting yourselves
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

AlleluiaPS 85:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Show us, Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 21:25-28, 34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, 
and on earth nations will be in dismay, 
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright 
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, 
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man 
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen, 
stand erect and raise your heads 
because your redemption is at hand.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy 
from carousing and drunkenness 
and the anxieties of daily life, 
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times 
and pray that you have the strength 
to escape the tribulations that are imminent 
and to stand before the Son of Man.”

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Faith that gives hope and victory

Today's world needs Christians who truly understand that faith gives us hope and victory in the midst of any and all difficulties.

Taking this even further, today's world needs Catholics who truly understand that going to Mass means having faith in miracles -- especially the miraculous transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Are you changed by the presence of Christ in the Eucharist? If so, then after you exit the church, others see evidence of this faith -- right?

There's a difference between "knowing" the truths of our faith and authentically living these truths.

What prayer requests have you made in which you're still waiting for God to provide his help? When you offer them to Jesus during the prayers of Mass, do you feel the hopefulness that comes from faith?

During the consecration of the Eucharist, if we do not have faith in God's ability to change bread and wine into Christ -- an ability that does not rely on the how holy the priest is -- we won't have faith to recognize that Jesus is ministering to us in the Eucharist.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of his Second Coming, but we can also relate it to our daily lives today. We all have new tribulations looming in the future, unknown and unpredictable. That's life on earth! And Jesus wants to help us through them. Faith in this gives us hope and victory.

However, when our focus is on our troubles instead of on Christ, we are not living in faith. Jesus warned us about our hearts becoming spiritually drowsy. This is when we lose faith. We forget to remain centered in Christ. We neglect to listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But when we ask Jesus to restore us to a life of faith, we become vigilant, expectant, and aware that we can rely on God to help us in whatever comes our way.

Our tribulations make us fearful. Faith gives us reasons to hope in Jesus and to live in joy instead of fear. It's not easy! It takes conscious effort. But spiritual drowsiness is a miserable way to live.

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God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”