December 1
Monday

1st Week of Advent

First Reading: Is 2:1-5

The vision of Isaiah, son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In the last days, the mountain of Yahweh's house shall be set over the highest mountains and shall tower over the hills.

All the nations shall stream to it, saying, "Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in his paths. For the Teaching comes from Zion, and from Jerusalem the word of Yahweh.

"He will rule over the nations and settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not raise sword against nation; they will train for war no more.

"O nation of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!"

Responsorial Psalm:
Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Gospel Reading: Mt 8:5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum, an army captain approached him to ask his help, "Sir, my servant lies sick at home. He is paralyzed and suffers terribly." Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

The captain answered, "I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order and my boy will be healed. For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one: 'Go,' he goes, and if I say to another: 'Come,' he comes, and to my servant: 'Do this,' he does it."

When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those who were following him, "I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I say to you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven."

Commentary
The season of Advent is given to us as a means of preparing our hearts for the great celebration of the Nativity of the Lord. We turn to the Sacred Scriptures frequently during Advent so that our hearts might be open for Him to come into our lives.
The army captain's words are the very words that we say at every Mass before receiving the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you…" The Lord who came at Bethlehem and who will come again in glory visits us with His substantial presence every time the Holy Mass is offered.

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December 2
Tuesday

1st Week of Advent

First Reading: Is 11:1-10

From the stump of Jesse a shoot will come forth;
from his roots a branch will grow and bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him-
a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a Spirit of counsel and power,
a Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
Not by appearances will he judge,
nor by what is said must he decide,
but with justice he will judge the poor
and with righteousness decide for the meek.
Like a rod, his word will strike the oppressor,
and the breath of his lips slay the wicked.
Justice will be the girdle of his waist,
truth the girdle of his loins.
The wolf will dwell with the lamb,
the leopard will rest beside the kid,
the calf and the lion cub will feed together
and a little child will lead them.
Befriending each other, the cow and the bear
will see their young ones lie down together.
Like cattle, the lion will eat hay.
By the cobra's den the infant will play.
The child will put his hand into the viper's lair.
No one will harm or destroy over my holy mountain,
for as water fills the sea
the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.
On that day the "Root of Jesse" will be raised as a signal for the nations. The people will come in search of him, thus making his dwelling place glorious.

Responsorial Psalm:
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

Gospel Reading: Lk 10:21-24

Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and made them known to the little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. I have been given all things by my Father, so that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said to them privately, "Fortunate are you to see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings would have liked to see what you see but did not, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

Commentary
The disciples of Jesus were fortunate to have seen Him face to face and to have dwelt in His holy presence. Still, we must never underestimate the incredible blessing that we receive in being able to hear His Word and receive Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

The Lord loves us so much that He never wants to be far from us. Though He reigns from heaven His presence still graces the earth through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. During this beautiful season of Advent may we recall how blessed we are to be called to His supper.

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December 3
Wednesday

1st Week of Advent
Francis Xavier

First Reading: Is 25:6-10a

On this mountain Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained.

On this mountain he will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all nations, and death will be no more. The Lord Yahweh will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; he will take away the humiliation of his people all over the world:
for Yahweh has spoken.

On that day you will say: This is our God. We have waited for him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For on this mountain the hand of Yahweh rests.

Responsorial Psalm:
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Gospel Reading: Mt 15:29-37

Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee, and then went up into the hills where he sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the dumb, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many with other infirmities. The people carried them to the feet of Jesus, and he healed them. All were astonished when they saw the dumb speaking, the lame walking, the crippled healed and the blind able to see; so they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus called his disciples and said to them, "I am filled with compassion for these people; they have already followed me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they may faint on the way." His disciples said to him, "And where shall we find enough bread in this wilderness to feed such a crowd?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They answered, "Seven, and a few small fish."

So Jesus ordered the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the small fish and gave thanks to God. He broke them and gave them to his disciples, who distributed them to the people.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the leftover broken pieces filled seven wicker baskets.

Commentary
Eucharistic images fill the daily readings during this first week of the Advent season. The bread and fish multiplied on the shore of Lake Galilee prefigure the even greater miracle of the Lord changing bread and wine into His Body and Blood.

Many were fed that day by the lake and many leftover fragments were gathered together. That great feast would foreshadow the sacrificial meal of the Holy Eucharist and the everlasting banquet that awaits us in heaven. May our hearts be filled with gratitude for the first and longing for the second, especially as we prepare spiritually for Christmas.

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December 4
Thursday

1st Week of Advent
John of Damascus

First Reading: Is 26:1-6

On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city,
he himself has set up
walls and fortifications to protect us.
Open the gates!
Let the righteous nation enter,
she who is firm in faithfulness.
You keep in perfect peace
the one of steadfast mind,
the one who trusts in you.
Trust in Yahweh forever,
for Yahweh is an everlasting Rock.
He brought down those who dwell on high,
he laid low the lofty city,
he razed it to the ground,
leveled it to the dust,
Now it is trampled
the poor and the lowly tread upon it.

Responsorial Psalm:
Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Gospel Reading: Mt 7:21, 24-27

Jesus said to his disciples, "Not everyone who says to me: Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father.

"So, then, anyone who hears these words of mine and acts accordingly is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house, but it did not collapse because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible fall that was!"