December 5, 2019 Thursday of the First Week of Advent

2019년 12월 5일 대림 제1주간 목요일 

오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp 

제1독서

이사야서. 26,1-6
1 그날 유다 땅에서는 이러한 노래가 불리리라.
“우리에게는 견고한 성읍이 있네.
그분께서 우리를 보호하시려고 성벽과 보루를 세우셨네.
2 신의를 지키는 의로운 겨레가 들어가게 너희는 성문들을 열어라.
3 한결같은 심성을 지닌 그들에게 당신께서 평화를, 평화를 베푸시니
그들이 당신을 신뢰하기 때문입니다.
4 너희는 길이길이 주님을 신뢰하여라. 주 하느님은 영원한 반석이시다.
5 그분께서는 높은 곳의 주민들을 낮추시고 높은 도시를 헐어 버리셨으며
그것을 땅바닥에다 헐어 버리시어 먼지 위로 내던지셨다.
6 발이 그것을 짓밟는다.
빈곤한 이들의 발이, 힘없는 이들의 발길이 그것을 짓밟는다.”

복음

마태오. 7,21.24-27
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
21 “나에게 ‘주님, 주님!’ 한다고 모두 하늘 나라에 들어가는 것이 아니다. 하늘에 계신 내 아버지의 뜻을 실행하는 이라야 들어간다.
24 그러므로 나의 이 말을 듣고 실행하는 이는 모두 자기 집을 반석 위에 지은 슬기로운 사람과 같을 것이다. 25 비가 내려 강물이 밀려오고 바람이 불어 그 집에 들이쳤지만 무너지지 않았다. 반석 위에 세워졌기 때문이다.
26 그러나 나의 이 말을 듣고 실행하지 않는 자는 모두 자기 집을 모래 위에 지은 어리석은 사람과 같다. 27 비가 내려 강물이 밀려오고 바람이 불어 그 집에 휘몰아치자 무너져 버렸다. 완전히 무너지고 말았다.” 

 

December 5, 2019

Thursday of the First Week of Advent

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass 

Reading 1

Is 26:1-6

On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah:

"A strong city have we;
he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.
Open up the gates
to let in a nation that is just,
one that keeps faith.
A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;
in peace, for its trust in you."

Trust in the LORD forever!
For the LORD is an eternal Rock.
He humbles those in high places,
and the lofty city he brings down;
He tumbles it to the ground,
levels it with the dust.
It is trampled underfoot by the needy,
by the footsteps of the poor.

 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a

R. (26a) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, 
for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes. 
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Open to me the gates of justice;
I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD.
This gate is the LORD's;
the just shall enter it.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, grant salvation!
O LORD, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and he has given us light.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

 

Gospel

Mt 7:21, 24-27

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house. 
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house. 

And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow

 «Not everyone who says to me: Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven»

Fr. Jean-Charles TISSOT
(Freiburg, Switzerland)

Today, the Lord pronounced these words at the end of His "Sermon on the Mount" where He bestows a new and deeper meaning to the Commandments of the Old Testament, the "words" of God to men. He talks as the Son of God, and as such, He demands us “to receive what I say to you”, as very significant words: words of eternal life which must be put into practice, and not only to be heard - with the risk of forgetting them or just be satisfied admiring them or admiring their author - but without any personal involvement.

«To build a house on sand» (cf. Mt 7:26) is an image to describe a foolish behavior that leads us nowhere and ends up in a failure in life, after a long and painful effort to build up something. “Bene curris, sed extra viam", said St. Augustine, which we could translate as: “you run well, but you are out of the approved path”. What a shame reaching just there: the time of trial, of the storms and floods that inevitably fill up our life!

The Lord wants to teach us how to set up a solid groundwork, the base of which originates in our effort to act according to His teachings, living by them every day in the midst of small problems He will try to direct. Thus, our daily resolutions to live by Christ’s teachings must end up in tangible results, which despite not being definitive, can still allow us to achieve out of them joy and gratitude at night, at the time of examining our conscience. The joy of having achieved a small victory over ourselves is a preparation for other battles, and the strength will not fail us - with the grace of God — to persevere until the end.

«Not everyone who says to me: Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father»

+ Fr. Antoni ORIOL i Tataret
(Vic, Barcelona, Spain)

Today y, the Gospel invites us to meditate very seriously on the infinite distance that there is between the mere “listen-invoke” and the “do” when it comes to the message and the person of Jesus. And we say “mere” because we cannot forget that there are ways of listening and invoking that do not lead to the “doing”. Indeed, all those who, having listened to the Gospel, believe, will not remain confused; and all those who, believing, invoke the name of the Lord, will be saved: Paul preaches in his letter to the Romans (see: 10:9-13). He is referring to those who believe with authentic faith, that which «works through charity».

It is a fact, however, that many believe and do not “do”. Saint James' letter exposes it in an impressive way: «Be doers of the Word and not just hearers, lest you deceive yourselves» (1:22); «Faith without deeds: it is totally dead» (2:17); «So, just as the body is dead without its spirit, so faith without deeds is also dead» (2:26). Saint Matthew rejects such a way of going about one's faith, in an unforgettable way, when he says: «Not everyone who says to me: Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father» (7:21).

It is therefore necessary to listen and to do; in this way we build on rock and not on sand. How do I put what I listen to into action? Let's ask ourselves a few questions: —Do God and my fellow man really get my consideration? —Am I a convinced believer?; As to money —Do I share my goods out of solidarity with others?; As to culture —Do I contribute to the invigoration of human values in my country?; As to the growth of good —Do I run away from the sin of omission?; As to apostolate —Do I look for the eternal salvation of those around me? In a word: —Am I a sensible person who, with works, builds the house of my life on Christ's rock?

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

 

There is strength and confidence that grow from faith. The passage from Isaiah is a confident prayer for deliverance. The Psalm makes the point that trust should be in the Lord. The Gospel is Jesus’ call for listening and action. I find that I am better at listening and action than at confident faith and trust.

Tonight is “Saint Nicholas Eve”. In my childhood, we would hang our stockings. St. Nicholas would come during the night and fill the stockings with candy and toys. (My wife would get fruit and nuts.) As I became older, it was clear that it was my parents who were the source of these gifts. Although I still enjoyed the presents, some innocence was lost.

Today I find myself reflecting on how we choose our words. For me, “certainty” has been replaced by “knowledge.” I grew up to be a scientist. My understanding of the world grew out of inductive reasoning. I look at observations from the past and make best guesses on future outcomes. There are first principles, from which things can be deduced, but these first principles are subject to change. (Historically, Newtonian physics gave way to relativity and quantum mechanics.) In my own lifetime, the factual content which was found in some chapters of my 45-year old textbooks has changed.

My professional background makes it difficult to say anything with “certainty” in the way that I use that word. Perhaps this grows out of how people in science tend to define certainty. I had a colleague who was once asked by a journalist if he could say with absolute certainty that there would be no dangers in starting a new accelerator. He knew that everything was safe but prefaced his response with “As a scientist I cannot say anything with absolute certainty”. Of course, the paper published that this scientist could not say with certainty that the accelerator was safe. This required the commissioning of a blue-ribbon panel who would state that the accelerator was safe in words that would not carry any ambiguity to journalists (or the general public) and it delayed the accelerator’s start up by a few months. My experience seems to tell me that there is something more than the physical world, but my choice of words may be different from the authors of Isaiah or the Psalms. Although I will concede that my way of thinking does not always bring the peace and depth of confidence that these authors seemed to possess.

I know that I am much better at listening to the Gospel than to my physician. (I still need to improve my diet, get more exercise and lose weight.) I am concerned with trying to understand the message in context. Again, this leads me to consider the various ways Jesus’ message could be understood rather than a literal acceptance of the text. I do not enjoy the ambiguity that this creates or relish the extra effort that it requires.

I see the foundation in today’s Gospel as corresponding to one’s character. I see Jesus as asking, “How does one respond to challenges and difficulties?”. Does one respond with grit and resilience or is one willing to give up when faced with unpleasant demands or adversity? I recall the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They seem well matched to such an understanding of today’s Gospel

My prayer today is for a resilience in my commitment in service to the Gospel.

Dear Lord,
I find myself on a path with challenges and obstacles.
Strengthen my commitment to understanding Your call.
Allow me to have the grit needed to persevere in Your service.
Open my heart to the seven gifts of Your Spirit.

 http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

CRASH!

"The rains fell, the torrents came, the winds blew and lashed against his house. It collapsed under all this and was completely ruined." �Matthew 7:27

The stock market will tumble. Our country will destroy itself from the inside. Family life in the USA will further deteriorate. Christmas will mean little more than an empty time of self-indulgence for millions. Are these statements the fearless forecasts for the year 2020? No, they are not predictions but logical conclusions unless Americans repent. The fact is that a house built on sand will collapse (Mt 7:26-27). A building without a strong foundation will tumble. A life without a personal relationship with Jesus is not built on the Rock (1 Cor 3:11; Is 26:4). A nation not under God will be undermined and go the way of countless crumbled kingdoms throughout history (Is 26:5). A financial system not based on Biblical principles is a time bomb. A family that does not pray together will not stay together. A Christmas without Christ is meaningless at best and potentially destructive. Only those who do the will of the heavenly Father have a stable future (Mt 7:21ff).

Prayer: Lord, during this Advent, may I let You build a firm foundation for Christmas, winter, the year 2020, and life.

Promise: "A nation of firm purpose You keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in You." —Is 26:3

Praise: George learned what really mattered, God and his family, when he lost the job he had relied upon.

 http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

 "Who shall enter the kingdom of heaven?"

What's the best security against disaster and destruction? In the ancient world a strong city, an impregnable fortress, and a secure house were built on solid rock because they could withstand the forces of nature and foe alike. Isaiah speaks of God as an "everlasting rock" (Isaiah 26:4). He is the rock of refuge and deliverance (Psalm 18:2) and the rock in whom there is no wrong (Psalm 92:15). Scripture warns that destruction will surely come to those who place their security in something other than God and his kingdom. Jesus' parables invite us to stake our lives on the coming of his kingdom or face the consequences of being unprepared when the day of testing and destruction will surely come.

The only foundation that can keep us safe
When Jesus told the story of the builders he likely had the following proverb in mind: "When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm for ever" (Proverbs 10:25). What's the significance of the story for us? The kind of foundation we build our lives upon will determine whether we can survive the storms that are sure to come. Builders usually lay their foundations when the weather and soil conditions are at their best. It takes foresight to know how a foundation will stand up against adverse conditions. Building a house on a flood plain, such as a dry river-bed, is a sure bet for disaster! Jesus prefaced his story with a warning: We may fool humans with our speech, but God cannot be deceived. He sees the heart as it truly is - with its motives, intentions, desires, and choices (Psalm 139:2).

There is only one way in which a person's sincerity can be proved, and that is by one's practice. Fine words can never replace good deeds. Our character is revealed in the choices we make, especially when we must choose between what is true and false, good and evil. Do you cheat on an exam or on your income taxes, especially when it will cost you? Do you lie, or cover-up, when disclosing the truth will cause you pain or embarrassment? A true person is honest and reliable before God, neighbor, and oneself. Such a person's word can be taken as trustworthy.

Christ is the only rock that can save us
What can keep us from falsehood and spiritual disaster? If we make the Lord Jesus and his word the rock and foundation of our lives, then nothing can shake us nor keep us from God's presence and protection. Is the Lord Jesus and his word the one sure foundation of your life?

"Lord Jesus, you are the only foundation that can hold us up when trials and disaster threaten us. Give me the wisdom, foresight, and strength of character I need to do what is right and good and to reject whatever is false and contrary to your will. May I be a doer of your word and not a hearer only."

Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27

1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever!
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed be he who enters in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar!

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Turn your vision to the Savior, by Verecundus (died 552 AD)

"When Hezekiah, the king of Judah and son of Ahaz, was gravely ill and had learned of his coming death by the prophecy of Isaiah, he turned his face to the wall and wept bitterly (2 Kings 20:1-3). Immediately the Lord in his mercy not only averted the destruction of imminent death but also added fifteen years to the man's life. Then, at last, Hezekiah sang this song (Isaiah 38:10-20). Hezekiah, a holy man who reigned at that time over all of Israel, displayed the Lord's form: clearly he had every movement of body, soul and mind in subjection to himself, and he accepted the consequences of his infirmity and weakness. He knew without doubt through the prophetic message that the end of his life was approaching. For the longer we seem to live, the more indubitably is our future death foreknown to us. And if we turn our face to the wall when struck by the fear of death, that is, if we direct the vision of our hearts to the Savior, who is here represented by the wall because he is elsewhere called 'a wall,' we will be saved, inasmuch as he saves the faithful who dwell within him from a great many attacks. 'In the city of our strength,' says Isaiah, 'is the Savior established as a wall and a fortress' (Isaiah 26:1). Behold, the Savior is said to be a wall." (excerpt from COMMENTARY on THE CANTICLE OF EZEKIEL 5.1-2)   [Verecundus was an African Christian writer and bishop in the 6th century AD.]

  

More Homilies

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December 3, 2015