MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Thursday - December 30, 2021

Thursday - December 30, 2021

ON THIS DAY, LET US ASK FOR THE INTERCESSION OF THE HOLY FAMILY THAT WE MAY HAVE THE STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO STAND AGAINST ALL THOSE WHO SEEK TO DESTROY THE LIFE OF TRADITIONAL FAMILIES. LET US ALSO PRAY FOR THE INTERCESSION OF ST. JOSEPH, WHO WAS THE PROTECTOR OF THE CHILD JESUS AND MARY, AND IS THE PROTECTOR OF THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH. AMEN.

– ST. JOHN PAUL II

December 30, 2021

The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

Lectionary: 203

 

Reading 1                                                                 1 Jn 2:12-17

 

I am writing to you, children,

because your sins have been forgiven for his name’s sake.

 

I am writing to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

 

I am writing to you, young men,

because you have conquered the Evil One.

 

I write to you, children,

because you know the Father.

 

I write to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

 

I write to you, young men,

because you are strong and the word of God remains in you,

and you have conquered the Evil One.

 

Do not love the world or the things of the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world,

sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life,

is not from the Father but is from the world.

Yet the world and its enticement are passing away.

But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10

 

R.    (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

 

Give to the LORD, you families of nations,

    give to the LORD glory and praise;

    give to the LORD the glory due his name!

R.    Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Bring gifts, and enter his courts;

    worship the LORD in holy attire.

Tremble before him, all the earth.

R.    Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Say among the nations: The LORD is king.

He has made the world firm, not to be moved;

    he governs the peoples with equity.

R.    Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

 

Alleluia                                                                     

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A holy day has dawned upon us.

Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.

Today a great light has come upon the earth.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Lk 2:36-40

 

There was a prophetess, Anna,

the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.

She was advanced in years,

having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,

and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.

She never left the temple,

but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.

And coming forward at that very time,

she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child

to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

 

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions

of the law of the Lord,

they returned to Galilee,

to their own town of Nazareth.

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;

and the favor of God was upon him.

 

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How to Belong to God's Holy Family

The scene in the Gospel reading today takes place when Mary and Joseph carried the baby Jesus into the temple to consecrate his life to God. After his consecration, a Jewish prophetess, named Anna, is moved by the Holy Spirit to recognize that this child is the long awaited Messiah. She rejoices and gives thanks and tells others about his arrival.

 

Has anyone ever told others that they recognized Jesus in you? When you and I were baptized, we too were consecrated to God, and the Messiah arrived yet again -- in us. We received the life of the Father so that we now belong to his family. We received the Holy Spirit so that we can recognize Jesus like Anna did. And we received Jesus so that we can continue his ministry of redemption in a world that still needs a Messiah.

 

The verses of our first reading today tell us what it means to belong to the Father. To remain in the family, the word of God has to remain in us. Since Jesus is the Word made flesh (see John 1:14), we must not push him out of our hearts by denying the Word through self-centered decisions and lifestyles. And we must rely on the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to embrace the Word and serve as the word of God in and for the world today.

 

In order not to divorce ourselves from God's family, we have to know God's will and do it. We have to realize that the enticements of the world are not going to help us in the long run, that they're harmful to our eternal souls and to our eternal relationship with the Holy Family.

 

Baptism is not a moment in time that guarantees eternal life for us. To continue to reap the benefits of its saving grace, we have to consecrate our lives to God every time the world entices us with something that would draw us away from the Father. Belonging to the Holy Family is a daily decision, sometimes even a moment-by-moment renewal of that decision.

 

This requires being in a constant state of prayer, communicating with God no matter how busy we are. It means staying awake spiritually.

 

It means filling our lives with the church family and learning God's will by educating ourselves in scripture and the teachings of the Church.

 

It means identifying which worldly enticements make us vulnerable to sin and asking the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in holiness.

 

It means yearning to be purged of our sins, because we truly desire to remain united to God's family forever.

 

To renew your baptismal graces, you can use this prayer:

 

"Lord Jesus, help me to live the consecrated life each and every moment. Holy Spirit, make me aware of the times I fail to do this and show me how to re-consecrate my life to You. Loving Father, accept my desire to be consecrated to You, and help me to know how precious and loved I am as your child. Amen!"

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, help me to prepare my heart and all my being to grow in the wisdom of Your love and in the plan in which You want me to serve 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!”