December 22, 2020Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

2020년 12월 22일 대림 제4주간 화요일 

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

제1독서
사무엘기 상. 1,24-28

그 무렵 사무엘이 24 젖을 떼자 한나는 그 아이를 데리고 올라갔다.
그는 삼 년 된 황소 한 마리에
밀가루 한 에파와 포도주를 채운 가죽 부대 하나를 싣고,
실로에 있는 주님의 집으로 아이를 데려갔다. 아이는 아직 나이가 어렸다.
25 사람들은 황소를 잡은 뒤 아이를 엘리에게 데리고 갔다.
26 한나가 엘리에게 말하였다.
“나리! 나리께서 살아 계시는 것이 틀림없듯이,
제가 여기 나리 앞에 서서 주님께 기도하던 바로 그 여자입니다.
27 제가 기도한 것은 이 아이 때문입니다.
주님께서는 제가 드린 청을 들어주셨습니다.

그래서 저도 아이를 주님께 바치기로 하였습니다.
이 아이는 평생을 주님께 바친 아이입니다.”
그런 다음 그들은 그곳에서 주님께 예배를 드렸다.

복음
루카. 1,46-56
그때에 46 마리아가 말하였다. “내 영혼이 주님을 찬송하고
47 내 마음이 나의 구원자 하느님 안에서 기뻐 뛰니
48 그분께서 당신 종의 비천함을 굽어보셨기 때문입니다.
이제부터 과연 모든 세대가 나를 행복하다 하리니
49 전능하신 분께서 나에게 큰일을 하셨기 때문입니다.
그분의 이름은 거룩하고
50 그분의 자비는 대대로 당신을 경외하는 이들에게 미칩니다.
51 그분께서는 당신 팔로 권능을 떨치시어
마음속 생각이 교만한 자들을 흩으셨습니다.
52 통치자들을 왕좌에서 끌어내리시고 비천한 이들을 들어 높이셨으며
53 굶주린 이들을 좋은 것으로 배불리시고
부유한 자들을 빈손으로 내치셨습니다.
54 당신의 자비를 기억하시어 당신 종 이스라엘을 거두어 주셨으니
55 우리 조상들에게 말씀하신 대로
그 자비가 아브라함과 그 후손에게 영원히 미칠 것입니다.”
56 마리아는 석 달가량 엘리사벳과 함께 지내다가 자기 집으로 돌아갔다.

December 22, 2020

Tuesday of the Fourth 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

1 Sm 1:24-28

In those days,
Hannah brought Samuel with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh. 
After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
“Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. 
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”
She left Samuel there.

Responsorial Psalm
1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Gospel  

Lk 1:46-56

Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.

 

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

 

In this season of Advent, we have been awaiting the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem. Among the images that come to mind for me as I ponder the absolute wonder of what we await is a picture of a mother - and father-to-be. I imagine them, carrying in their hearts the uncertainty and exceptionality of what had entered into their lives. And yes, of course, I imagine a nativity scene with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. 

These images, though predictable for the liturgical season, are a departure for me from what I typically envision when I think of Jesus. Usually, I imagine him as a man. I am sitting with him, listening to him, and seeing him in his ministry. I imagine myself as his companion. This is why today's reading from Luke is so striking for the season. It shows Mary as Jesus' companion; indeed, his first companion. As Mary proclaims God's greatness to Elizabeth, Jesus is there. Though still carrying him in her womb, Mary has already been transformed by Jesus' presence within her. Invoking God's promise, her trust is complete. 

Such unwavering trust in God can be difficult, especially during challenging times. In this, Mary (and my wife, I might add) are my models. But to be a companion of Jesus is to have such trust in both good times and in bad. Mary would need such trust, especially as Jesus fulfilled his mission here on earth in his final hours. I give thanks for her example and for the many ways Jesus left us whereby we are invited to build and demonstrate this trust in him. I speak here of the sacraments. In baptism, we place our trust in him. In confession, we place our trust in him. In the Eucharist, we place our trust in him and, like Mary, can also be transformed by Jesus' presence within us. 

As we await Jesus' coming at Christmas, let us pray that such trust enters into our hearts as it did for Mary. Let us pray, further, that we demonstrate and share the joy that this trust brings to those we meet, just as Mary shared with Elizabeth. Let us share this joy with one another. 

 

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

THE SECOND PRESENTATION

“Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.” —1 Samuel 1:28

Because Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birthday, we should be thinking of what to give Him for a birthday and Christmas present. Since “the Lord’s are the earth and its fullness” (Ps 24:1), the Lord has almost everything. Therefore, it is difficult to give Him a present. However, we can give Him our lives, wills, days, future, and love. Like Hannah, we can also give our children to Jesus.

Hannah presented Samuel to the Lord forty days after his birth. Later, when Samuel was three years old, Hannah presented him a second time. By this second presentation, Samuel was given as a minister to the Lord (1 Sm 3:1).

Parents, seek God’s will about giving your children to the service of the Lord as priests and religious. If you believe the Lord wants your child to become a priest or religious, present your child to the Lord in this way after Communion at one of the Masses of the Christmas season. It remains for your child to accept this vocation, but, by your prayer of presentation, you have opened much wider the door to a priestly or religious vocation for them. You have given God, the Church, your child, and yourself a wondrous Christmas gift.

Prayer:  Father, show parents the unique power of their prayers for their children.

Promise:  “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior.” —Lk 1:46-47

Praise:  “O King of all the nations, the only Joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature You fashioned from the dust.”

 

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

 

Do you know the mercy and favor of the Lord? Those who hunger for the Lord will not be disappointed. The Lord himself will fill them with the fruits of his peace, joy, and righteousness. We see God's boundless love manifested in the promise of a Redeemer. As the events leading to the birth of our Savior unfold we see all the prophecies, promises and prayers of the Old Testament being fulfilled because "God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son" (John 3:16).

Those who are humble and hungry for God receive his Spirit
The Gospel of Luke reveals the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in Mary's life. When Elizabeth and Mary greeted one another they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfillment of God's promise to give a Savior. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us.

The Holy Spirit fills us with the joy and hope of heaven
Mary accepted her mission with uncompromising faith and obedience. She acted with unwavering trust and faith because she believed that God would fulfill the word he had spoken. Her great hymn of praise echoes the song of Hannah (see 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and proclaims the favor of the Lord: God exalts the lowly and he fills the hungry with good things. Hannah like Mary had been without child and God in a marvelous way gave her a son, named Samuel, whom she dedicated at an early age to the service of the Lord (1 Samuel 1:24ff.) Mary, too, would lose her son to a servant ministry that would take him to the cross. Christmas is a time for renewing our faith and hope in God and in his promises and for deepening our love for God and for neighbor. Do you seek the Lord Jesus and the power of his Holy Spirit so that you may be renewed in faith, hope, and love?

Lord Jesus, help me to earnestly seek you with humility and confidence. Increase my faith in your promises, strengthen within me the hope of heaven and eternal life, and set my heart on fire with burning love for you and for your kingdom. May I always praise and magnify your great mercy and glory.

Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29

2 For your steadfast love was established for ever, your faithfulness is firm as the heavens.
3 You have said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant:
4 `I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.'" [Selah]
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
27 And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth.
29 I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Mary preaches the new kingdom, by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD)

"[Mary] revealed to Elizabeth what the angel spoke to her in secret, and that he called her blessed because she believed in the realization of the prophecy and the teaching that she heard (Luke 146-55). Then Mary gently brought forth the fruit of what she heard from the angel and Elizabeth: 'My soul bless the Lord.' Elizabeth had said, 'Blessed is she who has believed,' and Mary replied, 'From henceforth all generations will call me blessed.' It was then that Mary began to preach the new kingdom. 'She returned home after three months,' so that the Lord whom she was carrying would not begin service before his servant. She returned to her husband to clarify the matter, for if she had become pregnant through human fruit, it would have been appropriate for her to flee from her husband." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 1.28)

   

More Homilies

December 22, 2018