December 7, 2020
Memorial of Saint
Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 181
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
Then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water;
The abode where jackals lurk
will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.
A highway will be there,
called the holy way;
No one unclean may pass over it,
nor fools go astray on it.
No lion will be there,
nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it.
It is for those with a journey to make,
and on it the redeemed will walk.
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
Responsorial Psalm PS 85:9AB AND 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (Isaiah 35:4f) Our God will come to save us!
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Our God will come to save us!
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Our God will come to save us!
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Our God will come to save us!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold the king
will come, the Lord of the earth,
and he himself will
lift the yoke of our capacity.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 5:17-26
One day as Jesus was teaching,
Pharisees and teachers of the law,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,
were sitting there,
and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.
And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
“As for you, your sins are forgiven.”
Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
“Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
“What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,
and, struck with awe, they said,
“We have seen incredible things today.”
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What's Your Lifeless Desert?
As we nurture our spiritual lives to grow closer to Christ this Advent and Season of Christmas, we can use today's first reading to see what still needs healing or repentance:
1. How is your life like a desert, dry and lifeless except for a few prickly cactuses?
2. Are you thirsty for more of God? In what area of your life do you feel parched?
3. Are you feeble in your attempts to become more like Jesus?
4. Are your knees weak as you travel the difficult road of holy living?
5. Are you controlled and paralyzed by fear? Any fear -- even the smallest one -- paralyzes us from moving ahead into the life that God wants for us.
6. How are you blind? Are you unable to see the good that's coming from a bad situation or the hand of God working in your life or in the life of someone who's causing you to worry? Are you blind to the presence of Jesus in others because he's hidden under the garbage of their sins? Are you blind to how very, very much God loves you and wants to help you?
7. What has God been telling you that you can't hear? Maybe it's his guidance? Or his love song that he sings to you? Or his dreams for you?
8. What part of your journey toward heaven is too difficult for you? What lame excuses are you using for permission to sit down on the curb?
9. How has fear kept your tongue silent when you should be speaking up? Or what have you been saying that's so unlike Jesus that you sound horrible instead of singing of God's glory?
10. In what areas of your life are the jackals who tempt you still lurking, keeping you in sin?
11. In what ways do you act foolishly? What the world considers wise the Lord knows to be foolish. What worldly wisdom are you trusting?
12. How are you like a lion? Is there anyone you've been devouring with unkind words or impatience or contempt or bullying?
Well, the Good News is, as Isaiah points out: The Lord has ransomed us! We can escape from these faith-destroying maladies.
Today's Gospel passage shows us that Jesus was overflowing with God's power so that he could minister to people. He wants to minister to you, too. We all need this help to stay on the highway that's called the holy way. It's Jesus who strengthens the hands that are feeble and the knees that are weak.
We are like the paralytic who allowed his friends to lower him to Jesus for a healing. He had faith in his friends' love for him. If we allow our own Christian friends to help us, our faith in their love increases our faith in the loving power of Christ.
That's when Jesus says to us, "My friend, you are forgiven." With that Word, we are healed. With that Word, all the good things that Isaiah prophesied are becoming true for us.
Today's Prayer
Praised be to You, Lord, because Your love wants to work wonders through our faith in You. Thank You for Your merciful power that restores us in body, soul and spirit. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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