ADVENT MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Monday - November 28, 2022

 

Monday - November 28, 2022

Pray, and pray more. It may seem odd to say that now when you are taking examinations and working harder. But you need prayer, and not only the habitual prayer as an exercise of devotion; you also need to pray during odd moments, to pray between times, instead of allowing your mind to wander on stupidities. It does not matter if, in spite of your effort, you do not manage to concentrate and be recollected. That meditation may be of greater value than the one you made, with all ease, in the oratory.

~~St. Josemría Escrivá

November 28, 2022

Monday of the First Week of Advent

Lectionary: 175

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Is 4:2-6

 

On that day,

The branch of the LORD will be luster and glory,

and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendor

for the survivors of Israel.

He who remains in Zion

and he who is left in Jerusalem

Will be called holy:

every one marked down for life in Jerusalem.

When the LORD washes away

the filth of the daughters of Zion,

And purges Jerusalem's blood from her midst

with a blast of searing judgment,

Then will the LORD create,

over the whole site of Mount Zion

and over her place of assembly,

A smoking cloud by day

and a light of flaming fire by night.

For over all, the LORD's glory will be shelter and protection:

shade from the parching heat of day,

refuge and cover from storm and rain.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  Ps 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 brothers 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                                              Phil 2:8          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

 

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."

 

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

True Faith

When was the last time you had a mountaintop experience of faith? Faith in Jesus is what makes it possible to climb the Lord’s mountain.

 

Advent is meant to be a time of reaching new heights in spiritual growth. Consider today’s first reading. To climb the Lord’s mountain and reach the top requires actively seeking the greatest peace and the fullest joy for our lives today, which only Christ can provide.

 

The prophet Isaiah saw this being promised for the “days to come.” He had grown up praying Psalm 122 for the peace of Jerusalem. Israel had not experienced peace since the days of King Solomon’s reign — and it still hasn’t.

 

Does this mean that Isaiah’s prophecy has never come true? Has the Lord’s house never been established as the highest mountain?

 

Indeed it has: And it’s in you!

 

God the Divine Son became the child of a human to establish on earth the greatest peace, the fullest joy, and the clearest revelation of God’s instructions. Through faith in Jesus, we become the new Jerusalem, the Zion that Isaiah foresaw. Through faith in Jesus, we become the answer to the psalmist’s prayer.

 

Without faith, we live in the valley. When life’s hardships get bad enough or when we stay in sin long enough, we hit bottom. Faith in Christ raises us up to the new heights in our spiritual growth.

 

This kind of faith is exampled by the centurion in Capernaum in today’s Gospel passage. His faith “amazed” Jesus. This Roman enemy of the Jews had climbed the Lord’s mountain while the Jews were still squabbling in the valley. Amazing.

 

Have you ever 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 gives us peace.

 

True faith means we believe that God will turn every hardship into a benefit; this belief gives us joy.

 

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 guidance.

 

Think of a conflict you’re currently enduring. What sword have you been using to win the battle instead of trusting God to show you a stress-reducing way to handle it? Faith can turn your sword into a plowshare, i.e., a tool that will plow the soil of your life to make room for new growth and new fruit.

 

Make peace with your enemy (an “enemy” is anyone whose will is opposed to yours). Even if you’re an innocent victim of the battle, do a good deed that will melt your enemy’s heart.

 

This might feel like a difficult mountain to climb, but it is the route of faith. It is the route that leads us away from the emotional angst of the conflict to the inner peace that only Christ can provide – the only peace that lasts.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, I am not worthy of You! But it is Your love that heals me, saves me, and justifies me. I believe, Lord, but increase my faith in You! 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!”