MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - December 11, 2021

Saturday - December 11, 2021

December 11, 2021

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
Lectionary: 186

 

Reading 1                                                     Sir 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.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              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.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Lk 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.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 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.

 

**************************************

Modern-day Prophets

In this Saturday's Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of Elijah because the disciples were curious about an ancient Jewish expectation that Elijah would return 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 were 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 today's first reading points out, Elijah's purpose was to turn people's hearts back to God, back to a right relationship (i.e., a true friendship) with God -- which is exactly what John the Baptist did, as Jesus pointed out.

 

God is still sending out Elijahs and Johns today. In fact, there are more of them than ever today. Who comes to your mind when you think of bold people who dare to speak the truth -- loudly and clearly -- despite risking their reputation? The call to repentance, restoration, and counter-cultural resistance is going out through these modern-day prophets.

 

If they make us uncomfortable, or if they contradict what we believe about any situation, we need to stop being so sure of ourselves. Next, we need to humbly ask the Holy Spirit what is motivating their adamant message. And then we need to ask Jesus what he wants us to know about it. Even if they are not speaking as a true prophet, what does God want us to learn from it?

 

Worldly false prophets are easy to identify because their messages contradict scripture, Divine Law, and the sacredness of life. Catholic false prophets are recognizable when they additionally contradict Church teachings, i.e., true Church teachings, not what moral relativists claim them to be.

 

What evils are disturbing you? God's even more upset about them than you are. And therefore, you, too, are called to be a bold and daring prophet. It's part of the divine package you received when you were baptized. None of us can righteously ignore this part of our Christian calling. And now the world needs us more than ever before.

 

A prophet, remember, is not a fortune teller; a true prophet is the mouth of God. A successful prophet is an empathetic prophet. Many of us (myself included) need to repent from letting cowardice close our mouths. Martyrdom has become a very real possibility for us today in one form or another. We must repent of our reluctance to be rejected and persecuted. Such repentance leads to supernatural joy, which the Holy Spirit gives us so that we can be strong and courageous like Elijah and John the Baptist.

 

Of course, there's a time to be God's voice and a time to be quiet. When we repent of cowardice, we are free to become aware of God's timing. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak and the passion to speak them. Similarly, we need to repent from impatience, judgmentalism, or forcefulness so that we can be motivated only by love -- love of God, love of his ways, and love for the person whose soul is in danger.

 

The prophetic message always involves an invitation to turn back to God, to repent from whatever works against unity with Christ, and to be reconciled with the earthly Body of Christ, which is the Church. What message is on your heart that others need to hear? If the message is motivated by love, God has placed it in you because he intends to speak up about it through you.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, I submit to You all my prejudices and my points of view. I want to give room for the freedom of Your Holy Spirit in me. Amen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!”