Monday of the First Week of Advent
Lectionary: 175
Reading 1
Isaiah 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Alleluia
See Psalm 80:4
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come and save us, LORD our God;
Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Authority of God
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Matthew 8:8–9
These are words spoken by a man who is very familiar with the exercise of authority. He is a Roman centurion, and he states that he himself is “a man subject to authority” and that he also has soldiers who are subject to him. Thus, his daily life consists of following orders and giving orders that are to be obeyed.
When authority is exercised properly, it is a gift that helps to order society, family life, the life of the Church and even our personal lives. Of course, when authority is exercised improperly, in an oppressive and abusive way, it causes much damage. But the exercise of authority is, in and of itself, an act that has the potential to do much good.
Jesus Himself is quite impressed with the Roman centurion in the Gospel passage quoted above. Of him, Jesus states, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” Imagine having the Son of God say that about you! Jesus is impressed, in part, because the centurion acknowledges that he is not worthy to have Jesus come to his house. This is humility, in that the centurion clearly perceives his unworthiness. But Jesus is also impressed because the man manifests a clear and certain faith in Jesus’ authority to heal his servant from a distance. He does not hesitate to profess his belief in this authority of our Lord.
In our own lives, we are often lacking in this area. We face a difficulty (such as the illness this centurion’s servant was enduring), and instead of turning to God with full and unwavering confidence, we turn in on ourselves. We become anxious, fearful, doubtful, confused and sometimes even angry. When any of these qualities are present, it is not because of the difficult situation we face; rather, it is because of our lack of faith and our lack of confidence in the all-powerful authority of our Lord.
In the case of the Roman centurion’s servant, it was the will of God that Jesus physically heal, and so He did. But in the countless daily challenges we face in life, God’s answers might be varied. One unwavering quality we must always have is a certain conviction that God desires to exercise His loving authority in our lives, in the way He chooses, if we trust Him and invite Him to take control.
Reflect, today, upon the perfection of the authority of Christ. Do you believe that He can exercise His perfection of power in your life? Do you believe that His authority is what is needed to order your life, your family, our Church and even our world? Prayerfully submit yourself to the authority of Christ this day and allow yourself to become amazed as you witness all that He is able to do.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
AN ADVENT TO REMEMBER
“Many will come from the east and the west and will find a place at the banquet in the kingdom of God.” —Matthew 8:11
Happy Advent and new Church year! We can grow accustomed to thinking of the Christian life in terms of small gains and large difficulties (see Mt 13:31-33; 2 Cor 4:8ff; 11:23ff). While there is truth to this thinking, the Advent readings challenge us to think big because God is doing big things. We should instead be thinking of big gains and small difficulties, since we serve an almighty God.
In the readings from the first Monday of Advent, we hear that “many will come” from all directions to the Lord (Mt 8:11). They will stream toward His house in large throngs (see Is 2:2-3). They will come to the Lord’s house rejoicing and giving thanks (Ps 122:1, 4). God will cover His dwelling with clouds of glory (Is 4:5-6). This will not be small but large and widely visible.
The Church sanctuary is bare this morning — the decorations have been stripped down from the recent grandeur of the feast of Christ the King, signifying the end of the previous Church year. It could seem like Advent is about small beginnings. However, the Advent Mass Scriptures challenge us to think big. As you listen to them allow the Lord to raise your mind to the greatness of His designs for the human race. God thinks big, acts big, and loves big. He will heal your wounded heart and raise you from defeat to glory. Make this an Advent to remember. Believe the Advent Scriptures.
Prayer: Father, pour out on me an abundance of the spiritual gift of Fear of the Lord. May I never regard You as a weak God.
Promise: “I will come and cure.” —Mt 8:7
Praise: Slowly, and with much prayer, John earned the respect of his co-workers and their vulgarity diminished.
Reflection 3
Shared from Daily Liturgy
A Roman centurion asks help from Jesus. The centurion can issue commands and receive obedience because he is “under authority,” as Caesar’s agent. He recognizes Jesus’ unlimited authority to heal even from a distance. Distance-miracles are rare and they are performed only by holy men. The centurion considered Jesus a holy man and acknowledges his unworthiness. Jesus has the spiritual authority and the authority of the Father backs Him. In the sermon on the mount Jesus taught His disciples to love and pray for their enemies (5:43-45) and now this healing becomes an example for them. As a Palestinian Jew, the Roman centurion is Jesus’ enemy and being a worshiper of the Emperor, the centurion is also the enemy of the Father. To such an enemy Jesus shows his compassion and recognition.
Prayers
All-powerful Father, I entrust to You my life and every situation in my life that needs Your power and control. Please bring order and harmony to my life and to the lives of those around me. May all Your children learn to more fully entrust themselves to You as their loving God. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, you feed us daily with your life-giving word and you sustain us on our journey to our true homeland with you and the Father in heaven. May I never lose hope in your promises nor lag in zeal for your kingdom of righteousness and peace.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 336: The Riches of the World…or God?
It’s interesting how often we desire earthly possessions. Even if you had every treasure in the world all to yourself, this could not fill the longing in your heart. There is one thing and one thing alone that fills the void within you and that is the Lord and His holy Will. Nothing else suffices, yet we often work so hard at gaining more and more of the things that pass away (See Diary #1632).
Spend time today imagining that you obtained a superabundance of wealth. What would this do to your life? Would it make you happy? Perhaps it would be fun, interesting, exciting, and entertaining…at least for a while. But the truth is that nothing can fill the void in your heart except God. Yes, there is a void that needs to be filled. You feel it and are always seeking to fill it. Do so with God and His Mercy. You will find that what you have desired all along is free for the receiving.
Lord, You are my riches and wealth. You must become all that I desire in life. Give me the grace to believe this truth and to choose You as the fulfillment of all my longings. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.
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