Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 184
Reading 1
Isaiah 41:13-20
I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, "Fear not,
I will help you."
Fear not, O worm Jacob,
O maggot Israel;
I will help you, says the LORD;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, and double-edged,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off
and the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the desert into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
I will plant in the desert the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
I will set in the wasteland the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab
R. (8) The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Alleluia
See Isaiah 45:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the clouds rain down the Just One,
and the earth bring forth a Savior.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 11:11-15
Jesus said to the crowds:
"Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Attacking the Enemies of the Soul
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” Matthew 11:12
Are you among those who are “violent” and are taking the Kingdom of Heaven “by force?” Hopefully you are!
From time to time, Jesus’ words are difficult to understand. This passage above presents us with one of those situations. Of this passage, Saint Josemaría Escrivá states that the “violent” are Christians who have “fortitude” and “boldness” when the environment they find themselves in is hostile to the faith (See Christ is Passing By, 82). Saint Clement of Alexandria says that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs “to those who fight against themselves” (Quis dives salvetur, 21). In other words, the “violent” who are taking the Kingdom of Heaven are those who vigorously fight against the enemies of their soul so as to obtain the Kingdom of Heaven.
What are the enemies of the soul? Traditionally, we speak of the world, the flesh and the devil. These three enemies have caused much violence within the souls of Christians who are striving to live within God’s Kingdom. So how do we fight for the Kingdom? By force! Some translations say that the “attackers” are taking the Kingdom by force. This means that the Christian life cannot be one that is purely passive. We cannot simply smile our way into Heaven. The enemies of our soul are real, and they are aggressive. Therefore, we must also become aggressive in the sense that we must directly take on these enemies with the fortitude and boldness of Christ.
How do we do this? We take on the enemy of the flesh by fasting and self-denial. We take on the world by remaining grounded in the Truth of Christ, the Truth of the Gospel, refusing to conform to the “wisdom” of the age. And we take on the devil by becoming aware of his malicious plans to deceive us, confuse us and mislead us in all things so as to rebuke him and reject his actions in our life.
Reflect, today, upon your call to grow in fortitude and boldness so as to combat those enemies that attack within. Fear is useless in this battle. Confidence in the power and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ is the only weapon we need. Rely upon Him and do not give in to the many ways that these enemies seek to rob you of the peace of Christ.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
IN THE “I” OF THE STORM
“I am the Lord, your God, Who grasp your right hand.” —Isaiah 41:13
As long as the great I AM is Lord of your life, you have no reason to fear the storms of life (Is 41:13-14). Even if you feel as weak and worthless as a worm or maggot, the great I AM can make you so powerful that you will crush mountains (Is 41:14-15). If you submit your “I” to the I AM, He will open up rivers and springs in the desert to remove your afflictions and provide for your needs (Is 41:17-18). The desert of the “I,” ego, and self will be transformed into the life-giving forest of the I AM (see Is 41:19) — if we die to “I” to live for Him (Lk 9:23).
The main problem in life is that many of us try to solve our problems ourselves. Without Jesus, the great I AM (Jn 8:24, 28, 58), we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not” (Prv 3:5). “Rely not on your wealth; say not: ‘I have the power.’ Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart” (Sir 5:1-2). “Commit to the Lord your way; trust in Him, and He will act” (Ps 37:5). The worst mistake you can make is to try to “do it yourself.” The best thing you can do is to “let it be done” to you according to God’s Word (Lk 1:38). The “I’s have it,” that is, the problems. The I AM alone has the answers. Die to “I”; live for the I AM.
Prayer: Father, not my will but Yours be done (Mt 26:39).
Promise: “I solemnly assure you, history has not known a man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer. Yet the least born into the kingdom of God is greater than he.” —Mt 11:11
Praise: Once St. John heard Jesus ask him what reward he desired for his works of faith. John replied: “Lord, I ask no other recompense than to suffer and be condemned for Thy love.”
Reflection 3
By Fr. Ignasi FABREGAT i Torrents
(Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain)
“The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force”
Today, the Gospel speaks of John the Baptist, the Messiah's Precursor, he who has come to prepare the paths of the Lord. He will stay with us until the sixteenth day, when the first part of Advent comes to an end.
John is a resolute man, who is very aware of the value of things, who is conscious of the fact that struggle is necessary to improve and be holy. That's why Jesus says: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” (Mt 11:12). The “unyielding” ones are those who are unyielding to themselves: Do I struggle to believe that the Lord loves me too? Do I sacrifice myself to “make myself small”? Do I make the effort to be conscious of the fact that I am my Father's son and live accordingly?
Saint Therese of Lisieux refers to these words from Jesus saying something which can help us in our personal and intimate conversation with the Son of Man: “It is you, oh poverty!, my first sacrifice; I'll be together with you until I die! I know that the athlete, once at the stadium, rids himself of everything in order to run. You, worldly people, can savor the pity and anguish that come from the vanity of your bitter fruits; I, joyous, will get the prize of triumph from poverty”. And me, why do I complain as soon as I sense that I lack something I consider necessary? I wish I could see things as clearly as Therese in all aspects of my life!
In a very mysterious way, Jesus says to us today: “And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Mt 11:14-15). What does He mean? He wants to make it clear to us that John was his true forerunner, who carried out the same mission as Elijah, according to the belief, which people at that time had that the prophet Elijah was supposed to come back before the Messiah.
Prayers
My glorious and victorious Lord, I trust in You to pour forth Your grace so that I may stand strong against the world, the temptations of my flesh and the devil himself. Give me courage, boldness and fortitude so that I can fight the good fight of faith and never waver from seeking You and Your most holy will for my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord, to whatever You call me I say “Yes.” If Your Will is that I live a quiet hidden life, offering my daily duties as a sacrifice to You, I say “Yes.” If it is Your Will that my life become very public and that You use me in this way for the good of the Church, then I say “Yes.” Lord, my life is Yours, do with me what You will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, by your cross you have redeemed the world. Fill me with joy and confidence and make me a bold witness of your saving truth that others may know the joy and freedom of the Gospel of your kingdom of peace and righteousness.
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