Saturday - December 14, 2019
Our body has this defect that,
the more it is provided care and comforts,
the more needs and desires it finds.
~~Saint Teresa of Avila
Our body has this defect that,
the more it is provided care and comforts,
the more needs and desires it finds.
~~Saint Teresa of Avila
December 14 2019
Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 186
Reading 1SIR 48:1-4, 9-11
In those days,
like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah
whose words were as a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
and who falls asleep in your friendship.
like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah
whose words were as a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
and who falls asleep in your friendship.
Responsorial PsalmPS 80:2AC AND 3B, 15-16, 18-19
R.(4) Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
AlleluiaLK 3:4, 6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:
All flesh shall see the salvation of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:
All flesh shall see the salvation of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 17:9A, 10-13
As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
the disciples asked Jesus,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
******************************
How to Improve Our Faith Life
In Saturday's Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of Elijah because the disciples were curious about an ancient Jewish belief about Elijah returning to announce the arrival of the Messiah. Perhaps they wondered: Would Elijah come back from the dead? Or be reincarnated perhaps? Neither of these ideas are scriptural. And so Jesus explained the truth behind the prophecy.
It wasn't about the person (Elijah) returning, but the purpose (Elijah's role in salvation). As we see in the first reading, Elijah's purpose was to turn people's hearts back to God, back to a right relationship (i.e., friendship) with God.
Shortly before Jesus began his public ministry and for a short while afterward, John the Baptist did the same thing. He announced the arrival of the Messiah by preaching repentance and restoring people's relationships with God so that they could recognize him in Jesus.
God is still sending us Elijahs and Johns today. Perhaps you are one of them. How are you being an Elijah or a John the Baptist or Jesus for someone today? The more you share the faith, the more your faith will grow.
When God's people turn away from him, the voice of restoration goes out through modern-day prophets. When Christians sin, the voice of the Church goes out through its teachings that explain the truth. When scandals inflict our parishes and dioceses, the voices of victims and those who stand up for them cry out with the call for repentance and remedy.
A prophet, remember, is not a fortune teller; a true prophet is the mouth of God addressing the circumstances of the present, calling for change and healing and growth. The message might contain information about the future, but that's not the main point.
God can speak through anyone. His voice might come through a friend or a priest in the confessional or a stranger we unexpectedly bump into, but the message always involves an invitation to turn back to God, to change whatever will improve our unity with Christ, and to be reconciled with the Body of Christ, which is the Church.
Jesus wants to increase your faith through the restoration of your soul. None of us are fully united to the will of God yet. We all need to turn back to God -- or turn more completely his way -- in something we're doing today.
With Christmas fast approaching, consider what needs healing in your relationship with God so that your faith will grow stronger. Are you so busy getting ready for the holiday that you're not making faith a priority? If your Christmas preparations are not distracting you from the Savior whose birth we celebrate, that's wonderful, but slow down! Advent is not supposed to be like running a marathon race and grabbing a bottle of liquid refreshment as you dash past Jesus in the Communion line at church on your way to the next activity.
Take time today to refocus on your friendship with God and locate something that needs healing and restoration, then decide what changes you will make to improve your faith life.
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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!”
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