December 16, 2020 Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

2020년 12월 16일 대림 제3주간 수요일 

 

제1독서

이사야서. 45,6ㄴ-8.18.21ㅂ-25
6 내가 주님이고 다른 이가 없다.
7 나는 빛을 만드는 이요 어둠을 창조하는 이다.
나는 행복을 주는 이요 불행을 일으키는 이다.
나 주님이 이 모든 것을 이룬다.
8 하늘아, 위에서 이슬을 내려라. 구름아, 의로움을 뿌려라.
땅은 열려 구원이 피어나게, 의로움도 함께 싹트게 하여라.
나 주님이 이것을 창조하였다.
18 주님께서 말씀하신다. 하늘을 창조하신 분, 그분께서 하느님이시다.
땅을 빚으시고 땅을 만드신 분, 그분께서 그것을 굳게 세우셨다.
그분께서는 그것을 혼돈으로 창조하지 않으시고
살 수 있는 곳으로 빚어 만드셨다.
내가 주님이다. 다른 이가 없다.
21 나 주님이 아니냐? 나밖에는 다른 신이 아무도 없다.

의롭고 구원을 베푸는 하느님, 나 말고는 아무도 없다.
22 땅끝들아, 모두 나에게 돌아와 구원을 받아라.
나는 하느님, 다른 이가 없다.
23 내가 나 자신을 두고 맹세한다.
내 입에서 의로운 말이 나갔으니 그 말은 돌이킬 수 없는 것이다.
정녕 모두 나에게 무릎을 꿇고 입으로 맹세하며 24 말하리라.
“주님께만 의로움과 권능이 있다.
그분께 격분하는 자들은 모두 그분 앞에 와서 부끄러운 일을 당하리라.
25 이스라엘의 모든 후손들은 주님 안에서 승리와 영예를 얻으리라.”

 

복음

루카. 7,18ㄴ-23
그때에 18 요한은 자기 제자들 가운데에서 두 사람을 불러
19 주님께 보내며, “오실 분이 선생님이십니까?
아니면 저희가 다른 분을 기다려야 합니까?” 하고 여쭙게 하였다.
20 그 사람들이 예수님께 다가와 말하였다.
“세례자 요한이 저희를 보내어, ‘오실 분이 선생님이십니까?
아니면 저희가 다른 분을 기다려야 합니까?’ 하고 여쭈어 보라고 하셨습니다.”
21 그때에 예수님께서는 질병과 병고와 악령에 시달리는 많은 사람을 고쳐 주시고,
또 많은 눈먼 이를 볼 수 있게 해 주셨다.
22 예수님께서 그들에게 대답하셨다.
“요한에게 가서 너희가 보고 들은 것을 전하여라.
눈먼 이들이 보고 다리저는 이들이 제대로 걸으며,
나병 환자들이 깨끗해지고 귀먹은 이들이 들으며,
죽은 이들이 되살아나고 가난한 이들이 복음을 듣는다.
23 나에게 의심을 품지 않는 이는 행복하다.”

 

December 16, 2020 

 Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

Daily Readings — Audio 

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

Reading 1
Is 45:6b-8, 18, 21b-25
I am the LORD, there is no other;
I form the light, and create the darkness,
I make well-being and create woe;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,
like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;
let justice also spring up!
I, the LORD, have created this.

For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,
but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Who announced this from the beginning
and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, the LORD,
besides whom there is no other God?
There is no just and saving God but me.

Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear,
Saying, “Only in the LORD
are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come
all who vent their anger against him.
In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory

of all the descendants of Israel .”

Responsorial Psalm
85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (Isaiah 45:8)  Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD ?for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps. 

R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.

Gospel
Lk 7:18b-23

At that time,
John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask,
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 
When the men came to the Lord, they said,
“John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”
At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits;
he also granted sight to many who were blind. 
And Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.

And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

 

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

 

Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other! - Isaiah 45

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. 
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” Luke 7

This year, today is the last day of the first part of Advent. Beginning tomorrow, we will follow the story of our salvation, leading up to the Nativity.

In the midst of all we are facing these challenging days, it is wonderful to hear "I am God; this is no other!" It is consoling to be invited to "Turn to me and be safe." It is such a helpful Advent message because we too often tend to turn almost anywhere else but to our God - for relief, for comfort, for compensation - in our aloneness, our insecurity, our experience of isolation, in our awareness of our limitations, and, sometimes, in the face of our awareness of our contradictions and self-defeating patters. In this season, we turn with a growing longing. We long to be saved. To long is to recognize, and feel intensely, what we are missing, what is out of balance, what is in conflict within us. We long to be saved. We say, at a deeper and deeper level, "Come, Lord, Jesus. Come into my heart, where I'm feeling more and more my need for you. For you, and not for all the other things I turn to for my security, identity, comfort or relief." With the words of the prophet, we pray, in our deep desire, "Please, Lord, do indeed let justice rain down on the earth! Please, Lord, let justice spring up!" We really can miss Advent, if we prevent ourselves to experiencing a deep longing in our heart which leads us to cry out for Jesus to come into our hearts and make they whole, to give them his life and his zeal for his desires for the whole world.

It is a good time to be reminded that while John the Baptist was in prison and facing his own death, he sent disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one?" In effect, he's saying, "I'm sitting here in jail. My preaching led to this. Are you the one? Are you our Savior?" Of course, we ask the same question when we feel like we're in trouble, or even when we get stressed or unhappy. "Are you my Savior?" Struggle can lead to debilitating doubt. Instead of revealing to us that he is our only Savior, and there is no other, our difficulties can lead us to turn away from the one who comes to save us.

Jesus answers John, and our fears. "Go tell John what you have seen and heard." Jesus reminds John that he has fulfilled the promise - all these powerful healings are happening, and "the poor have the good news preached to them." The brokenhearted have heard the Good News of his love and mercy. "And, blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." Jesus is saying there is a blessedness in not letting all the bad stuff scandalize us and turn us away from him. He is not the cause of evil in the world. Our selfishness, our greed, our lust for power is what leads to injustice and corruption and a world that no god could say, "I'm so happy this is the way things turned out." But, Jesus has come for healing, for mercy. His coming in history won the victory over sin and death. His coming to us on our Advent journey offers us freedom from what keeps us from him and from one another. The more we realize what we need, the more we desire it. The more we sense we need a Savior, the more we beg, "Come," with open hearts. The more we taste our poverty, the more we will hear the Good New proclaimed to us. He is the one; there is no other.

 

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

THE ONLY ONE

“I am God; there is no other!” —Isaiah 45:22

Does your life and Christmas depend on anyone or anything other than Jesus? The Lord says: “I am the Lord, there is no other” (Is 45:6, 18, 22). The Lord proclaims there is no other god besides Him (Is 45:21). He says: “There is no just and saving God but Me” (Is 45:21). The first of the Ten Commandments says: “You shall not have other gods besides Me” (Ex 20:3; Dt 5:7). Therefore, we should pray and live: “Only in God is my soul at rest; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Stronghold” (Ps 62:2-3).

Jesus is the only name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12) and our “only Master and Lord” (Jude 4). He is the only Way to the Father (Jn 14:6). Therefore, we should say: “Only in the Lord are just deeds and power” (Is 45:24).

Many Christians’ Christmases depend almost wholly on family, friends, presents, parties, money, food, or pleasures. While we thank the Lord for all His temporal gifts, we are not to depend on them, even slightly. Christmas and life mean Christ (see Phil 1:21). If we were like Job, if we lost everything but the Lord, if we became impoverished and starving, alone and bereaved, we could still have Christmas because nothing can separate us from Christ’s love (Rm 8:35). Jesus Christ is our only Need in life.

Prayer:  Father, thank You for loving me so much that You gave me Your only Son. May I believe in Him and love Him totally.

Promise:  “The blind recover their sight, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, dead men are raised to life, and the poor have the good news preached to them...” —Lk 7:22

Praise:  Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament keeps Katherine focused on Jesus.

 

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

 

How can we know that Jesus is who he claims to be, the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and Savior of the world? Is our faith a blind leap we must take without certainty or proof? John the Baptist sent his disciples to question Jesus about his claim to be God's anointed Messiah. Did John have doubts about Jesus and his claim to divinity? Not likely, since John had earlier revealed Jesus' mission at the River Jordan when he exclaimed, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

John saw from a distance what Jesus would accomplish through his atoning sacrifice on the cross - our redemption from bondage to sin, condemnation, and death, and our adoption as sons and daughters of God and citizens of the kingdom of heaven. John very likely sent his disciples to Jesus because he wanted them to hear and see firsthand for themselves the signs and proof that the Messiah had indeed come in the person of Jesus who was sent by the Father in heaven and anointed by the Spirit at the River Jordan.

The Messiah performs the signs of God's kingdom power
The miracles which Jesus performed and the message he proclaimed about the coming of God's kingdom in his person was a direct fulfillment of what the prophets had foretold many centuries before (see Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 61:1). Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would come in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring freedom and new life for all who were oppressed by afflictions, infirmities, sin and guilt, and demonic spirits (see Isaiah 61:1-2).

Jesus came in the power of God's kingdom to release those bound up by sin, fear, and hopelessness. His miracles and exorcisms are direct signs of God's power and presence and they confirm that the Father has sent his only begotten Son to be our Messiah (which means the Anointed One) and Savior.

Through Jesus' atoning death on the cross and through the power of his resurrection we receive the first-fruits of God's kingdom - the forgiveness of our sins, adoption as sons and daughters of God, new life in the Holy Spirit, and the promise that we will be raised to everlasting life with God in his kingdom. The Gospel is "good news" for all who receive it and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know and witness to others the joy and good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and desires.Set my heart aflame with the fire of your love and with the power of the Holy Spirit that I may boldly witness the joy of the Gospel and serve your kingdom wherever you place me.

Psalm 85:8-13

8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and make his footsteps a way.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Miracles testify that Jesus is the Messiah, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)

"'In that same hour he healed many of sicknesses and of scourges, and of evil spirits; and gave sight to many that were blind.' He made them spectators and eyewitnesses of his greatness and gathered into them a great admiration of his power and ability. They then bring forward the question and beg in John's name to be informed whether he is 'he who comes.' Here see, I ask, the beautiful art of the Savior's management. He does not simply say, 'I am.' If he had spoken this, it would have been true. He leads them to the proof given by the works themselves. In order that having accepted faith in him on good grounds and being furnished with knowledge from what had been done, they may return to him who sent them. 'Go' he says, 'tell John the things that you have seen and heard.' 'For you have heard indeed,' he says, 'that I have raised the dead by the all-powerful word and by the touch of the hand. While you stood by, you have also seen that those things that were spoken of old time by the holy prophets are accomplished: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the dumb hear, the dead rise, and the poor are preached to. The blessed prophets had announced all these things before, as about in due time to be accomplish by my hands. I bring to pass those things that were prophesied long before, and you are yourselves spectators of them. Return and tell those things that you have seen with your own eyes accomplished by my might and ability, and which at various times the blessed prophets foretold.'" (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 37)

   

More Homilies

December 14, 2016