December 12, 2020 Saturday of the Second Week in Advent

2020년 12월 12일  대림 제2주간 토요일 

 

제1독서 

집회서. 48,1-4.9-11
그 무렵 1 엘리야 예언자가 불처럼 일어섰는데 그의 말은 횃불처럼 타올랐다.
2 엘리야는 그들에게 굶주림을 불러들였고
자신의 열정으로 그들의 수를 감소시켰다.
3 주님의 말씀에 따라 그는 하늘을 닫아 버리고
세 번씩이나 불을 내려보냈다.
4 엘리야여, 당신은 놀라운 일들로 얼마나 큰 영광을 받았습니까?
누가 당신처럼 자랑스러울 수 있겠습니까?
9 당신은 불 소용돌이 속에서 불 마차에 태워 들어 올려졌습니다.

10 당신은 정해진 때를 대비하여
주님의 분노가 터지기 전에 그것을 진정시키고
아버지의 마음을 자식에게 되돌리며
야곱의 지파들을 재건하리라고 기록되어 있습니다.
11 당신을 본 사람들과 사랑 안에서 잠든 사람들은 행복합니다.
우리도 반드시 살아날 것입니다.

 

복음

마태오. 17,10-13
 산에서 내려올 때에 10 제자들이 예수님께,

“율법 학자들은 어찌하여 엘리야가 먼저 와야 한다고 말합니까?” 하고 물었다.
11 그러자 예수님께서 대답하셨다.
“과연 엘리야가 와서 모든 것을 바로잡을 것이다.
12 내가 너희에게 말한다.
엘리야는 이미 왔지만, 사람들은 그를 알아보지 못하고 제멋대로 다루었다.
그처럼 사람의 아들도 그들에게 고난을 받을 것이다.”
13 그제야 제자들은 그것이 세례자 요한을 두고 하신 말씀인 줄을 깨달았다.
주님의 말씀입니다.

 

December 12, 2020

 Saturday of the Second Week in Advent 

Daily Readings — Audio 

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

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
Ps 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. 

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.  

 

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

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. If you have never read the story of what happened on Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City, on December 12, 1531, I encourage you to do so. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. Our Lady is the patroness of the Americas and has inspired many a person to meet and embrace her son, Jesus.

There are two possible first readings. The first one is addressed to “daughter Zion.” The earliest Christians believed that Mary perfectly embodied everything that daughter Zion was called to be. If daughter Zion had been like Mary, it would have been exactly what God wanted from his people. What is God’s promise to daughter Zion? The Lord is stirring forth from his holy dwelling and will come to dwell among his people. Many nations, not just Israel, will join themselves to the Lord and will be his people with God dwelling in their midst. If you have read Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles lately, you cannot help but to see this promise written all over it. God comes to dwell in the midst of his people in the womb of Mary and the Good News is taken to the nations, the Gentiles.

The second possible first reading is from the Book of Revelation and describes a woman who looks a lot like Our Lady of Guadalupe. The reading opens with God’s temple in heaven opened and the appearance of the ark of the covenant. And what is this ark of the covenant? It is “a woman clothed with the sun….” Within the ark of the covenant that resided in the Jewish temple, there were three things: manna, the stone tables of the law, and Aaron’s rod that had budded (demonstrating his authority as high priest). Within the womb of the ark of the covenant seen in the heavenly temple was a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations. Jesus, the manna of life, the Word of God, the one with all authority and power, resided in this ark of the covenant, Our Lady. Upon the birth of this child, the heavens rang out: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed.”

The psalm is from the Book of Judith and proclaims how blessed is the daughter of the Most High and then the first option for the Gospel reading tells the story of the message of the archangel Gabriel to Mary announcing to her that she will conceive, bear a son, name him Jesus, and that he will be called the Son of the Most High. He will sit on the throne of David, his father, and of his kingdom there will be no end. How can this happen? The second optional reading for the Gospel says that it is because Mary believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. That is why she is most blessed among women. That is why we celebrate her feast today. She believed, proclaimed the greatness of the Lord, and her spirit rejoiced in God her savior.

I could only hope to one day be like her.

 

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

THE STAR OF EVANGELIZATION

“Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day.” —Zechariah 2:15

Pope St. Paul VI called Mary the “star of evangelization.” Immediately after conceiving, Mary took Jesus, the baby in her womb, to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-41). Elizabeth “was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Lk 1:41) and John rejoiced in the Lord.

Throughout history, Mary has done whatever her Son has told her (see Jn 2:5) and made disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19). Probably her most fruitful evangelization took place from 1531 to 1538 at the hill of Tepeyac, near what is now called Mexico City. During those seven years, Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, led eight million people to give their lives to Christ. Over three thousand people each day for seven years were baptized into Christ. In effect, Mary, who prayed in the upper room before the first Christian Pentecost (Acts 1:14; 2:1ff), was used by the Lord to bring about new Pentecosts each day for seven years.

Mary, the star of evangelization, will make us stars of evangelization. If we also are “docile to the action of the Holy Spirit” (Toward the Third Millennium, Pope St. John Paul II, 18), we will see a new springtime of Christian life. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

Prayer:  Father, make these next two years the most fruitful years of my life.

Promise:  “Blest is she who trusted that the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled.” —Lk 1:45

Praise:  The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City contains the miraculous tilma (cloak) worn by St. Juan Diego. Our Lady’s image appears the same today as it did in 1531!

 

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

 

God gives signs to show what he is about to do. John the Baptist is one such sign, who pointed to Jesus and prepared the way for his coming. John fulfilled the essential task of all the prophets: to be fingers pointing to Jesus Christ. John is the last and greatest prophet of the old kingdom, the old covenant. The Jews expected that when the Messiah would come, Elijah would appear to announce his presence. John fills the role of Elijah and prepares the way for the coming of Jesus Christ by preaching a baptism of repentance and renewal.

As watchful servants, we, too must prepare for the Lord's coming again by turning away from sin and from everything that would keep us from pursuing his will. Are you eager to do God's will and are you prepared to meet the Lord Jesus when he returns in glory?

Lord Jesus, stir my zeal for your righteousness and for your kingdom. Free me from complacency and from compromising with the ways of sin and worldliness that I may be wholeheartedly devoted to you and to your kingdom.

Psalm 80:2-3, 15-19

2 Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
15 the stock which your right hand planted.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance!
17 But let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name!
19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: John fulfills Elijah's prophetic ministry, by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.

"They did not know this from the Scriptures, but the scribes used to tell them, and this saying was reported among the ignorant crowd, as also about Christ. Therefore the Samaritan woman also said, 'The Messiah is coming; when he comes, he will show us all things' (John 4:25). And they themselves asked John, 'Are you Elijah or the prophet?' (John 1:21). For this opinion was strong, as I said, both the one about Christ and the one about Elijah, but they did not interpret it as it should have been. For the Scriptures speak of two comings of Christ, both this one that has taken place and the future one. Paul spoke of these when he said, 'For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world' (Titus 2:11-12).
"Behold the first advent, and listen to how he declares the coming advent: 'Awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13). The prophets also mention both advents; of the one that is second they say that Elijah will be the forerunner; John was forerunner of the first, John whom Christ also called by the name Elijah, not because he was Elijah but because he was fulfilling Elijah's ministry. For just as Elijah will be the forerunner of the second advent, so John was of the first. But the scribes, confusing these things and perverting the people, mentioned that coming alone, the second one, to the people, and said, 'If this is the Christ, Elijah ought to have come first.' That is why the disciples also say, 'Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?'" (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 57.1)

   

More Homilies

December 10, 2016 Saturday of the Second Week in Advent