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!”