MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Wednesday - December 01, 2021

Wednesday - December 01, 2021

“At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God's own love and concern.”

― Mother Teresa

December 1, 2021

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Lectionary: 177

 

Reading 1                                                     Is 25:6-10a

On this mountain the LORD of hosts

    will provide for all peoples

A feast of rich food and choice wines,

    juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.

On this mountain he will destroy

    the veil that veils all peoples,

The web that is woven over all nations;

    he will destroy death forever.

The Lord GOD will wipe away

    the tears from all faces;

The reproach of his people he will remove

    from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.

 

    On that day it will be said:

“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!

    This is the LORD for whom we looked;

    let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”

For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

 

R.    (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

    In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

Beside restful waters he leads me;

    he refreshes my soul.

R.    I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

He guides me in right paths

    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley

    I fear no evil; for you are at my side

With your rod and your staff

    that give me courage.

R.    I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

You spread the table before me

    in the sight of my foes;

You anoint my head with oil;

    my cup overflows.

R.    I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Only goodness and kindness follow me

    all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

    for years to come.

R.    I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

 

Alleluia                                                                     

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, the Lord comes to save his people;

blessed are those prepared to meet him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 15:29-37

At that time:

Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,

went up on the mountain, and sat down there.

Great crowds came to him,

having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,

and many others.

They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.

The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,

the deformed made whole,

the lame walking,

and the blind able to see,

and they glorified the God of Israel.

 

Jesus summoned his disciples and said,

“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,

for they have been with me now for three days

and have nothing to eat.

I do not want to send them away hungry,

for fear they may collapse on the way.”

The disciples said to him,

“Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place

to satisfy such a crowd?”

Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.”

He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.

Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,

gave thanks, broke the loaves,

and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied.

They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.

 

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WHAT'S ON YOUR CHRISTMAS WISH LIST?

Remember when you were a child, how you felt about the approach of Christmas? If you were raised in a Christian home, you associated the excitement of the season with Jesus' birthday. But a big part of Advent, for most of us, was focused on our Christmas wish lists. We spent a lot of time hoping to get everything we wanted.

 

Today as adults, we understand that we should focus more on the needs of others than on ourselves. However, before we put coal in our stockings as penance for selfishly making wish lists again, let's look at the psychological reasons for greed.

 

There's nothing wrong with hoping for gifts. God wants us to be open to receive more than we actually have, because he is so very generous and has such great love for us. However, to desire materialistic gifts without wanting to share them with others is greed.

 

And greed is a reaction to unmet needs. The cure for this is faith -- the faith that God meets all our needs.

 

No parents, no friends, no spouses can ever give us all that we need. We wish they did, but we must place our hope in God. Only God can be all that we need for all that we need. But unless we turn to God and ask him to fill us -- unless we rely first and foremost on him for everything -- we will continue to have selfish desires springing from unmet needs.

 

God wants us to give him our Christmas "hope lists" and then trust him to take care of us in his perfect way, in his perfect time, in his perfect generosity.

 

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus has just finished giving a three-day seminar. His message was so captivating that most people forgot to go home and eat.

 

Jesus understood their needs. He cared about them so much that he worked a miracle, taking what was insufficient and converting it into a generous heaping of more than what was necessary. Do you realize that Jesus wants to give to you more than is necessary?

 

Today's first reading says, "The Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples." The responsorial Psalm says, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing."

 

Jesus understands your needs! Jesus cares about you! He can and wants to give you more than you need!

 

Why do we find this so hard to believe? Because first we have to turn to him and trust him rather than demand it from the people around us.

 

Jesus often provides for us through our own talents and through the people he has placed in our lives, just as he provided for the crowd on the mountainside using the fish and bread of the people, but we must let him decide the best way to take care of us. He really enjoys taking what is too little and multiplying it into too much.

 

Give God your "hope list" and let him do something surprising with it. Have no expectations of what he will do. Make no demands on him. Let him do it his way, and the results will be better than you could ever imagine!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Thank You, Lord, because You take my smallness and do great things with me for the glory of Your kingdom and as a testimony of Your love for humankind. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

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

MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Tuesday - November 30, 2021

Tuesday - November 30, 2021

Perfect love leads a man on to perfect fear. Such a man fears and keeps to God's will, not from fear of punishment, not to avoid condemnation, but because he has tasted the sweetness of being with God; he fears he may fall away from it.

-- St. Dorotheos of Gaza

November 30, 2021

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
Lectionary: 684

 

Reading 1                                                     Rom 10:9-18

Brothers and sisters:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

For one believes with the heart and so is justified,

and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

The Scripture says,

No one who believes in him will be put to shame.

There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;

the same Lord is Lord of all,

enriching all who call upon him.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?

And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone to preach?

And how can people preach unless they are sent?

As it is written,

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!

But not everyone has heeded the good news;

for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?

Thus faith comes from what is heard,

and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

But I ask, did they not hear?

Certainly they did; for

 

    Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,

        and their words to the ends of the world.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              19:8, 9, 10, 11

 

R.    (10)  The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

or:

R.    (John 6:63)  Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

 

The law of the LORD is perfect,

    refreshing the soul;

The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,

    giving wisdom to the simple.

R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

or:

R.    Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The precepts of the LORD are right,

    rejoicing the heart;

The command of the LORD is clear,

    enlightening the eye.

R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

or:

R.    Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The fear of the LORD is pure,

    enduring forever;

The ordinances of the LORD are true,

    all of them just.

R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

or:

R.    Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

They are more precious than gold,

    than a heap of purest gold;

Sweeter also than syrup

    or honey from the comb.

R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

or:

R.    Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Mt 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come after me, says the Lord,

and I will make you fishers of men.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,

casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.

He said to them,

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

At once they left their nets and followed him.

He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,

James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.

He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father

and followed him.

 

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HOW TO EVANGELIZE OUR FAMILIES

We all have the vocation of revealing the Gospel of Joy so that others feel attracted to Christ. Through baptism, we have been joined to the ministry and purposes of Christ. We are called and empowered by his Spirit to give others the joy that heals. The world becomes a better place because we are apostles of joy.

 

In today's Gospel reading, we see Jesus calling people into apostleship. Saint Andrew was the first Apostle (see John 1:40-42), and although he would later lead many others to Christ, the first person he evangelized was his brother, Simon (who later became Peter our first pope). Can you see the joy he shared with his brother?

 

The most difficult people to evangelize are usually our own family members. We're too close. We care so much about them that we're too hard on them. And since no one likes to believe that they need to change, we don't have much credibility when we invite them to change.

 

Apostleship means being sent forth to do whatever God calls us to do. Remember that whatever he calls us to do he gifts us and empowers us to do. The first reading describes why God gives us apostolates: The message must go out! And it describes our importance: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!

 

Being good apostles and terrific evangelizers does not mean that we're going to be successful at changing the hearts and minds of family members. "Not everyone has heeded the good news." But it's at home where we learn to love others unconditionally. It's at home where we become good at forgiving. And it's at home where we're tested and strengthened in serving others with joy.

 

Fulfilling our vocation of joy in the home does not mean preaching conversion and debating the need to go to Mass. We can evangelize them by treating them the way Christ wants to treat them. Consider every interaction as an opportunity for them to meet Jesus, even if they stubbornly refuse to recognize him in you. And when they ask questions and show an openness to learning from us, then we can evangelize through words.

 

They already know that you follow Christ and that you go to Mass because you believe that participation in church community makes an important difference. You don't need to remind them. Simply concentrate on bringing more of Christ's joy into the relationships.

 

Today's Prayer 

Lord, give me a docile heart and alert ears to Your calling, to send me whenever and wherever You want. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

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

MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Monday - November 29, 2021

Monday - November 29, 2021

"Avoid idleness and idle people; carry out your duties. Whenever you are idle you are in serious danger of falling into sin, because idleness teaches us all kinds of vice."

- St. Don Bosco

November 29, 2021

Monday of the First Week of Advent
Lectionary: 175

 

Reading 1                                                     Is 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!

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              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.

 

Alleluia                                                                      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.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 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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THE LUSTER AND GLORY OF CHRIST IN US

In today's first reading, the prophet Isaiah proclaims that "the branch of the Lord will be luster and glory." Think about how our Christmas decorations reflect this description of Christ. But Isaiah isn't just talking about the Messiah; the "branch" of the Lord are followers of Christ.

 

When we spend time daily to attach our lives to Christ's so that we stay close to him and improve in imitating him, we join ourselves to his luster and glory. We shine with his light. When others observe us, they should be seeing the glory of God.

 

That's what it means to be holy. It's what it takes to be a true Christian. And you probably are revealing the glory of God more than you realize! Of course, our sins block that light, and for this reason we should take time this Advent to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But also think about how your life reveals Christ to the world.

 

By following Jesus and imitating him, we become the branch of the Lord that Isaiah foresaw. By giving Jesus to the world through our actions and attitudes, we reveal the luster and glory of God.

 

True faith in Jesus means we believe in living the way he taught us to live. We deeply want to imitate him. We yearn to help others grow in the faith, too, because we know the value of faith.

 

Notice the kind of faith exhibited by the centurion in today's Gospel reading. His love for someone else -- a servant! -- motivated him to go to the source of love for a miracle. His faith "amazed" Jesus. It was not only his trust in Jesus that proved he had true faith; it was his compassion for others.

 

How have you 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 becomes a light for others -- a revelation of the glory of God -- when we pass the love and forgiveness of God onto those who caused the problems.

 

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 instructions for dealing with our problems.

 

And then, the good deeds that we do in partnership with Christ will change the world! His glory, shining through us, will spread the light of faith into the darkness around us.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Thank You, Lord, because You call us to unite ourselves to the love of Your Sacred Heart. You only ask us to believe in You. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

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