LECTIONARY
176
First Reading
Isaiah 11:1-10
On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land's afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.
On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Response: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 10:21-24
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Eyes of Faith
Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” Luke 10:23–24
What did the disciples see that made their eyes “blessed?” Clearly, they were blessed to see our Lord. Jesus was the One promised by the prophets and kings of old and now He was there, in flesh and bone, present for the disciples to see Him. Though we do not have the privilege to “see” our Lord in the same way that the disciples did some 2,000 years ago, we are privileged to see Him in countless other ways in our daily lives, if we only have “eyes that see” and ears to hear.
Since the time of Jesus’ appearance on Earth, in the flesh, so much has changed. The Apostles were eventually filled with the Holy Spirit and sent forth on a mission to change the world. The Church was established, the Sacraments were instituted, the teaching authority of Christ was exercised, and countless saints have given witness to the Truth with their lives. The past 2,000 years have been years in which Christ was continually made manifest to the world in countless ways.
Today, Christ is still present and continues to stand before us. If we have the eyes and ears of faith, we will not miss Him day in and day out. We will see and understand the countless ways that He speaks to us, leads us and guides us today. The first step toward this gift of sight and hearing is your desire. Do you desire the Truth? Do you desire to see Christ? Or are you satisfied with the many confusions of life that seek to distract you from what is most real and most life-changing?
Reflect, today, upon your desire. The prophets and kings of old “desired” to see the Messiah. We are privileged to have Him alive in our presence today, speaking to us and calling to us continually. Foster within yourself a desire for our Lord. Allow it to become a blazing flame which longs to consume all that is true and all that is good. Desire God. Desire His Truth. Desire His guiding hand in your life and allow Him to bless you beyond what you can fathom.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
SEEDS OF HOPE
“A Shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” —Isaiah 11:1
Out of what appears to be a dead, hopeless situation, the Lord can cause new life to sprout and rise up (see Is 11:1). Your stump might be a broken family devastated beyond reconciliation, a ruined marriage without the possibility of reuniting, or a drug-addicted child whose mind and life seem beyond rebuilding. You look at the mess and you see a dead stump. How can any life come out of this death?
David’s kingdom was splintered after his son Solomon died. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was defeated and irretrievably lost. All that remained was the tribe of Judah. All God’s promises for His people seemed lost forever. Yet out of that small remnant, a Shoot sprouted (Is 11:1) and the Messiah came forth: Jesus Christ, Son of David, King of Israel, Messiah, Lord, and God.
The Advent Scriptures proclaim that though we see a lifeless wasteland, God sees abundant life (Is 35:1, 7). We see a landscape “parched, lifeless and without water” (Ps 63:2), but God sees rivers and luxuriant trees (see Is 41:18-19). We see devastation; God sees the seeds of new life. Walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Let your heart dare to hope. Believe the Advent Scriptures.
Prayer: Father, I kneel in awe at Your merciful plan of salvation. How great is Your love; how deep are Your designs. I offer myself to You as Your servant to bring this Good News to many.
Promise: “Blest are the eyes that see what you see.” —Lk 10:23
Praise: Within a few weeks of moving into his retirement complex, Martin started a Bible study for his fellow residents.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
The Gospel writer mentions that Jesus ‘rejoiced’. The reason for rejoicing is that certain things that are hidden from wise and intelligent people are revealed to infants. Because of their intellectual pride, the wise and intelligent of Jesus’ time fail to see the divinity in Him; as a result, they miss seeing and hearing something that prophets and kings have longed for. However, infants – the ones without intellectual pride – are able to witness and hear divine things. Owing to intellectual pride, the Pharisees and scribes see Jesus as a carpenter’s son; whereas, through humility the disciples see Him as the Son of God. Can I too become a cause for Jesus to rejoice?
Prayers
My divine Lord, I know You are alive today, speaking to me, calling me and revealing to me Your glorious presence. Help me to desire You and, within that desire, to turn to You with all my heart. I love You, my Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord, I want to be a pure soul, setting my heart only on You. My heart is Yours, dear Lord. I entrust it to You with all my might. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, give me the child-like simplicity and purity of faith to gaze upon your face with joy and confidence in your all-merciful love. Remove every doubt, fear, and proud thought that would hinder me from receiving your word with trust and humble submission.
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