DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Tuesday, December 9, 2014 2nd week of Advent - Psalter Week 2 (White/Violet) Feast of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin Readings: Is 40:1-11; Ps 96: 1-13; Mt 18:12-14 Response: The Lord our God comes with power. Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Verse: It is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin Birth: 1474 - Death: 1548 Beatified By: Pope John Paul II - Canonized By: Pope John Paul II Juan Diego was born in 1474 in the calpulli or ward of Tlayacac in Cuauhtitlan, which was established in 1168 by Nahua tribesmen and conquered by the Aztec lord Axayacatl in 1467; and was located 20 kilometers (14 miles) north of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). On December 9, 1531, a native Mexican named Juan Diego rose before dawn to walk fifteen miles to daily Mass in what is now Mexico City. Juan lived a simple life as a weaver, farmer, and laborer. That morning, as Juan passed Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and saw a glowing cloud encircled by a rainbow. A womans voice called him to the top of the hill. There he saw a beautiful young woman dressed like an Aztec princess. She said she was the Virgin Mary and asked Juan to tell the bishop to build a church on that site. She said, I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother . . . to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings. The bishop was kind but skeptical. He asked Juan to bring proof of the Ladys identity. Before Juan could go back to the Lady, he found out his uncle was dying. Hurrying to get a priest, Juan missed his meeting with the Lady. The Lady, however, met him on his path and told him that his uncle had been cured. She then told Juan to climb to the top of the hill where they first met. Juan was shocked to find flowers growing in the frozen soil. He gathered them in his cloak and took them at once to the bishop. Juan told the bishop what had happened and opened his cloak. The flowers that fell to the ground were Castilian roses (which were not grown in Mexico). But the bishops eyes were on the glowing image of the Lady imprinted inside Juans cloak. Soon after, a church was built on the site where our Lady appeared, and thousands converted to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the patroness of the Americas. He died on May 30, 1548, at the age of 74. Juan Diego deeply loved the Holy Eucharist, and by special permission of the Bishop he received Holy Communion three times a week, a highly unusual occurrence in those times. FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Isaiah 40:1-11 1 Console my people, console them, says your God. 2 Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and cry to her that her period of service is ended, that her guilt has been atoned for, that, from the hand of Yahweh, she has received double punishment for all her sins. 3 A voice cries, Prepare in the desert a way for Yahweh. Make a straight highway for our God across the wastelands. 4 Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be levelled, every cliff become a plateau, every escarpment a plain; 5 then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed and all humanity will see it together, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken. 6 A voice said, Cry aloud! and I said, What shall I cry? -All humanity is grass and all its beauty like the wild flowers. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of Yahweh blows on them. (The grass is surely the people.) 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God remains for ever. 9 Go up on a high mountain, messenger of Zion. Shout as loud as you can, messenger of Jerusalem! Shout fearlessly, say to the towns of Judah, Here is your God. 10 Here is Lord Yahweh coming with power, his arm maintains his authority, his reward is with him and his prize precedes him. 11 He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes. RESPONSORIAQL PSALM, Psalms 96:1-2, 3, 10, 11-12, 13 1 Sing a new song to Yahweh! Sing to Yahweh, all the earth! 2 Sing to Yahweh, bless his name! Proclaim his salvation day after day, 3 declare his glory among the nations, his marvels to every people! 10 Say among the nations, Yahweh is king. The world is set firm, it cannot be moved. He will judge the nations with justice. 11 Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad! Let the sea thunder, and all it holds! 12 Let the countryside exult, and all that is in it, and all the trees of the forest cry out for joy, 13 at Yahwehs approach, for he is coming, coming to judge the earth; he will judge the world with saving justice, and the nations with constancy. GODPEL, Matthew 18:12-14 12 Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? 13 In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. 14 Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: Lord our God, you are near to us in Jesus Christ your Son. When we go astray, you look for us until you find us. Bring us back to you, show us the way to you and to one another through him who is our way, Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ON READING 1: Isaiah 40:1-11 (Prologue: Promise of Deliverance) Is 40, 1-55:13. These chapters make up the second part of the book of Isaiah, also known as Second Isaiah or Deutero-Isaiah. Almost everything here refers to a period of history one or two centuries later than that of First Isaiah. The oppressor is no longer Assyria but Babylon, which conquered Jerusalem in 587-586 BC, and then began a series of deportations that sent the upper classes of Jerusalem and Judah into exile. Many years later (539 BC), Cyrus, king of the Persians, conquered the Babylonians and issued a decree allowing those deportees who so wished to return home. These events are echoed in Second Isaiahs oracles, songs, lamentations and denunciations, and the prophetic visions of the final, enduring deliverance and restoration of the chosen people and the city of Zion. The various literary units in this part of the book are grouped into two Is 52:7-11 sections more or less by subject. The first (40:1-48:22) implies that the Jews are still held against their will in Babylon. Their deliverance is announced, thanks to the power of the Lord, who rules the world and determines the course of human affairs; he has chosen Cyrus, king of Persia, called here his anointed, his messiah, to redeem Israel from exile (44:24-45:25). This section, too, contains the announcement that God will choose a servant, whom he will send empowered by the Spirit to establish law and justice (42:1-9, the first song of the Servant). The second section celebrates the glorious restoration of the people of God on Zion; in this, too, the Servant of the Lord will play the key role; the section contains the last three songs of the Servant (49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). Is 40, 1-48 :22. The historical background to these chapters is the time immediately after the return of the exiles from Babylon, which is depicted as a new exodus. The exodus from Egypt was the prototype of all Gods interventions on his peoples behalf: now we hear of another one, new because the power with which God, the Creator of all things, acts now surpasses that to be seen in the exodus. The news that deliverance is at hand greatly consoles the people: we are told this at the start, and it is repeated in the oracles that follow. For this reason, this part of the book of Isaiah is usually called the Book of Consolation, and it has been interpreted as an anticipation of the consolation that Christ will bring: The true consolation, balm and release from all human ills is the Incarnation of our God and Saviour (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentaria In Isaiam, 40, 3). The section opens with a song of joy over the imminent release of the exiles (40:1-11). After this a number of oracles are grouped together which describe the reason why the people should hope in the Lord who is mighty and desires to save, who is ready to do so (42:1-25), to manifest himself as the Redeemer of Israel (43:1-44:23) and bring salvation to Jerusalem (44:24-48:19). The section ends with a prophecy of the redemption of his people and a call to leave Babylon (48:20-22). Is 40:1-11. The section begins on a formal note with an anonymous voice proclaiming the Lords consolation (vv 1-5) The same voice calls on the prophet himself to proclaim that the word of God and his message of salvation will endure forever (vv. 6-11). The oracles are addressed to those people of Jerusalem who have been deported to Babylon. When they were first spoken, many decades had passed since these people and the previous generation were forced to leave the holy city. Those years of suffering and exile have more than atoned for their sins. The time comes for them, with the Lords help, to set out on the return journey. That journey is mentioned throughout this section. The voice speaking in the name of the Lord boosts their morale: it wont be a difficult journey; they will find a way opened up for them which will bring them to the glory of the Lord. As in the exodus from Egypt, on the way from Babylon to Jerusalem they will see wonderful evidence of the power of God. The words spoken by the mysterious voice, inviting them to set out, fills the returnees with hope. The four Gospels see these words fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist, who is the voice crying in the wilderness Prepare the way of the Lord (cf. v. 3). And, indeed, John, with his call to personal conversion and his baptism of repentance, does prepare the way for people to find Jesus (cf. Mt 3:3; Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4; Jn 1:23), whom the Gospels confess to be the Lord (cf. v. 3). John the Baptist is his herald, the precursor: The voice commands that a way be opened for the Word of God, the path smoothed and all obstacles removed: when our God comes, he will be able to walk without hindrance. Prepare the way of the Lord: this means to preach the gospel and to offer consolation to his people, with the desire that the salvation of God embrace all mankind (Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentana In Isaiam, 40, 366). Hence, in Christian tradition, John the Baptist is more than a prophet (Lk 7:26). In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah (cf. Mt 11: 13-14). He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the voice of the Consoler who is coming (Jn 1:23; cf. Is 40:1-3) (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 719). In the second part of the oracle, the anonymous voice asks the prophet to speak in the name of the Lord (vv. 6-8). Merely human plans can only go so far; but the word of God stands forever. In the things that the voice says there must be an allusion to the might of Babylon, which withers like the flower of the field when the breath of the Lord blows upon it, because it challenged the goodness of God. The message to be given to the people speaks of trusting in the power of God, who comes not to lay waste but to protect and recompense those in his care (vv. 9-11). Here we find for the first time the simile of the flock being applied to the people of God, one of a number of figures of speech used in Holy Scripture to describe Gods tender care of his people (cf. Jer 23:3; Ezek 34:1ff; Ps 23:4) and which Christian tradition uses to explain the mystery of the Church: The Church is a sheepfold whose one and indispensable door is Christ (Jn 10:1-10). It is a flock of which God himself foretold he would be the shepherd (Is 40:11; Ezek 34:11-31), and whose sheep, although ruled by human shepherds, are nevertheless continuously led and nourished by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and the Prince of the shepherds (cf. Jn 10:11; 1 Pet 5:4), who gave his life for the sheep (cf. Jn 10:11-15) (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 6). The words of vv. 6-8 will later be used in the First Letter of St Peter to confirm the validity of the precept of brotherly love (1 Pet 1:24-25). ON THE GOSPEL: Matthew 18:12-14 (The Lost Sheep) A parable is not a teaching to be received in a passive way or just to keep in the memory, rather it is an invitation to participate in the discovery of truth. Jesus begins by asking: “What do you think?” A parable is a question with a response which is not defined. The response depends on the reaction and participation of the listeners. Let us then, seek, the answer to this parable of the lost sheep. 12-14. This parable clearly shows our Lords loving concern for sinners. It expresses in human terms the joy God feels when a wayward child comes back to Him. Seeing so many souls living away from God, Bl. John Paul II comments: Unfortunately we witness the moral pollution which is devastating humanity, disregarding especially those very little ones about whom Jesus speaks. What must we do? We must imitate the Good Shepherd and give ourselves without rest for the salvation of souls. Without forgetting material charity and social justice, we must be convinced that the most sublime charity is spiritual charity, that is, the commitment for the salvation of souls. And souls are saved with prayer and sacrifice. This is the mission of the Church! (Homily to the Poor Clares of Albano, 14 August 1979). As the RSV points out, other ancient authorities add verse 11, For the Son of Man came to save the lost -- apparently taken from Luke 19:10. Jesus tells a very brief story and in a very simple way: a shepherd had 100 sheep, he lost one, and leaves the 99 on the mountain and goes to look for the lost sheep. And Jesus asks: “What do you think?” That is: “Would you do the same?” Which would have been the response of the shepherds and of the other persons who were listening to Jesus tell this story? Would they do the same thing? Which is my answer to Jesus’ question? Let us think well before answering. If you had 100 sheep and you lost one, what would you do? We should not forget that mountains are places which are very difficult to climb, with deep precipices, where dangerous animals live and where robbers hide. And you cannot forget that you have lost only one sheep, and therefore, you still have 99! You have lost very little. Would you abandon the other 99 on those mountains? Perhaps, would not only a person with little common sense do what the shepherd of the parable of Jesus did? Think well! The shepherds who heard Jesus’ story, perhaps thought and commented: “Only a shepherd without judgment would act that way!” Surely, they would have asked Jesus: “Jesus, excuse us, but who is that shepherd whom you are speaking about? To do that which he has done, is foolish!” Jesus answers: “This Shepherd is God, our Father, and the lost sheep is you!” In other words, the one who does this action is God moved by the great love for the little ones, for the poor, the excluded! Only a very great love is capable to do something so foolish. The love with which God loves us exceeds prudence and good human sense. The love of God commits foolish things. Thank God! If it were not like this, we would be lost! FINAL PRAYERS: Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. Sing to the Lord; bless his name; announce his salvation, day after day. (Ps 96) Life-giving God, take over my body and soul: I give you my hands to do our work today. I give you my feet to go along your way. I give you my eyes to see as you do. I give you my tongue to speak your words. I give you my mind that you may pray within me. Above all, I give you my heart that you may love within me. Blessed be your name throughout this Advent day. Amen. It is by God’s mercy that we are saved. May we never tire of spreading this joyful message to the world. -- Pope Francis Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. -- St. Jerome The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it. -- St. John of the Cross
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 20:25:05 +0000
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