December 16 - Monday, 3rd Week of Advent

Theme: A Star From Jacob

Readings:
Num 24:2-7,15-17; Mt 21:23-27

Introduction

“We want to be liberated from those illusions, frustrations, injustices and repression to which the modern world has subjected us in violation of its promises – this is what the young are saying, the disinherited, the automatons of modern technology: we want to be free persons, real persons, people rescued from hunger and from the spiral of incurable inferiority. Yes, answers the Man of people: come to me all you who are in tribulation and I will console you. I am with you, with the power of the Spirit, not with violence and passion. Wisdom alone liberates the world.” Paul VI, Christmas Message, Dec. 25, 1970.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
in a world of injustice, war and exploitation,
in which more and more people
have the means to live
but not many reasons to live for,
you promise us a star to follow,
Jesus, your Son.
God, keep in us the hope alive
that he will come today
and that, if we are willing
to take the demands of the Gospel seriously,
we can become indeed a new people
completely renewed in Christ,
our Savior for ever and ever.

Scripture Readings

First Reading: Num 24:2-7,15-17

All the people grumbled against Aaron and Moses; and the whole congregation said to them, "Would that we had died in Egypt or died in the wilderness. Why is Yahweh bringing us to this country where we shall fall under the sword, and our women and little children become part of the plunder? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" And they said to one another, "Let us choose a leader and return to Egypt."

Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the Israelite community. Joshua, son of Nun, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh from those who had explored the country, tore their clothes and then spoke to the whole community of Israel, saying, "The land we went through to explore is, indeed, a very good land. And now you would destroy this people at one stroke!

Then the nations that have heard of you will say: Yahweh was not able to bring this people to the land he had promised them in oath, so he slaughtered them in the desert.

Now let your power be seen, my Lord. For, according to your words,

Gospel Reading: Mt 21:23-27

Jesus had entered the Temple and was teaching when the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the Jewish authorities came to him and asked, "What authority have you to act like this? Who gave you authority to do all this?"

Jesus answered them, "I will also ask you a question, only one. And if you give me an answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. When John began to baptize, was it a work of God, or was it merely something human?"

They reasoned out among themselves, "If we reply that it was a work of God, he will say: Why, then, did you not believe him? And if we say: The baptism of John was merely something human, beware of the people: since all hold John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know."

And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what right I do these things."

(Commentary)

General Intercessions

–   Lord Jesus, make your Church be a star that proclaims that you are present among your people when we love one another and have a sense of justice, we pray:

–   Lord, let those who wander about without knowing where they are going discover in the gospel something that gives meaning to their lives, above all the person of Jesus, we pray:

–   Lord, as we prepare for Christmas, may you become closer and more real to us these days, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, in these signs of bread and wine
your Son Jesus gives himself to us.
May we learn from him
that we have to give up
our selfish interests and our attitudes of superiority
if we want to reshape this world
into a place where all can live in peace
and into the sign of the higher reality
where you will be everything to all,
for ever and ever.

Prayer after Communion

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son has been with us
in this eucharistic celebration.
May our unity here in you be the promise
of his presence among us in life
as our God-with-us.
Let him go with us all the way,
that our hope may never die,
for he is the way, our way
to a life and a future
that will last for ever and ever.

Blessing

I see the Lord Jesus as close to us; I see him as the star of our lives. May we see him as our Savior and friend. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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Gospel Commentary (Monday)

Did Jesus speak and act in the name of God? Is the gospel presentation of Jesus faithful to him? Was Jesus raised to new life? Did God send the Spirit so that in all times and places people can be in a personal relationship with the risen Jesus, God-with-us? There are only three answers: "yes," "no," or "don't know," And supposing it were true, would I be willing to open my life to the implications of engaging with Jesus? Am I willing to take the risk of seeking relationship, through Jesus, with the One in whom, perhaps, we live and move and have our being? "At some moment I did answer Yes to Someone - or something - and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that therefore, my life, in self-surrender, had a goal." (Markings, by Dag Hammarskjold.)

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December 17

Theme: Jesus Christ, “Son of Man”

Readings:
Gen 49:2, 8-10; Mt 1:1-17

Introduction

The liturgical readings of today call our attention to Christ in his human reality: human like us in everything – except for sin, clarifies St Paul – a descendant of sinners, who, as Church Fathers stress, are even singled out in Matthew’s family tree of Christ, a man born of a woman, a baby in a crib, a child growing up to manhood, a man walking the roads of Palestine, who could weep and be angry, had friends, had a sense of humor, attended marriage feasts. Indeed, he was fully human, God in human form.

Opening Prayer

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son came among us as one of us,
a human being among other people,
simple, accessible,
yet your human face
and the measure of what a human person is.
Lord, make us discover ourselves in his mirror:
that we are born to be free,
to be unselfish, available, committed.
Free us from our selfishness,
our cowardice and attitudes of conformism,
that we may become a bit
what you want us to be, like your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Intentions

–   For the Jewish people, who gave us Jesus our Savior, that God may bless them and give them peace, we pray:

–   For people who have erred, that they may not give up on themselves but keep seeking reconciliation with God and neighbor, we pray:

–   For all of us, that we may keep growing in humanity in the likeness of Christ, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior,
gives himself to us
in the simplicity of a piece of bread
and a cup of wine.
May we learn from him
to give ourselves in all simplicity.
Do not allow us to be resigned
to evil and misfortunes in the world,
but challenge us to be responsible with Jesus
for our brothers and sisters
and with him to exist for others,
today and every day, for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Loving Father,
because Jesus, our Lord and Savior,
became one of us long ago,
we can believe that he is still one of us today,
sharing our destiny, going all the way with us.
Accept us then in your Son as we are:
stumbling and fumbling and plodding,
yet full of good will and hoping
in a future of justice and reconciliation,
for Christ is our Lord for ever.

Blessing

A theme dear to the Church Fathers is that Christ became one of us as a human person to make us children of God and to show us in himself what it means to be a son or daughter of God. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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Introduction

When the kings of God’s people had not fulfilled their mission of guiding the people to God, the prophet Jeremiah announces that God would do away with them and become himself the shepherd of his people. But he will make this new beginning through a human, a virtuous shoot of the house of David. Through him, God would become his people’s integrity, the cause of our fidelity.

In the New Testament, as Matthew tells us, Jesus is this Son of David through Joseph and Mary and at the same time God’s own Son. He is indeed “God our integrity,” and Immanuel, “God-with-us,” Jesus, whose name means “Savior.”

Opening Prayer

Lord, faithful God,
in Jesus you have given us someone
taken from our human flesh and blood,
a man, yet your Son,
through whom you want to restore
integrity and fidelity among us.

Help us to give with him,
to you and also to one another,
the proper and adequate response
of faithful, serving love,
which you expect from your people.
Be our God for ever
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Intentions

–   Lord Jesus, give us the integrity and the sense of justice that keeps escaping us, we pray:

–   Lord, may we learn from you to have pity on the weak and the needy, as you are good to us and merciful, we pray:

–   Lord, as you are with us, make us also stand by the side of our brothers and sisters in their spiritual and materials needs, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Father,
only someone untouched by sin
could love you as you deserve
and make us, sinful people, capable
of responding to your love
as your sons and daughters.
Let these offerings be the sign
that we expect your Son with hope
and that we are willing to follow him
on his loyal way of obedience to your will
and commitment to your justice and love.
Accept us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord, saving God,
we give you thanks for accepting us
in your Son Jesus Christ.
In him you make us both
those who are saved
and those who have to save
themselves and their brothers and sisters.
Make us fully aware
that we are your messianic people.
Help us to respond to your initiative of love
with all our cooperation,
that one day all humanity may belong to you
and honor you as the Father of all
through our brother, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

Do not be afraid, God is with you. We live in his hands, for he has given us Jesus, our Savior and friend. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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Introduction

People chosen by God for a special mission in his plan of salvation are constantly presented in the Bible as chosen and loved before birth, with their birth announced in a special way; they are moved by the Spirit of God; their mission demands sacrifices. Witness the call of Samson in his folkloric saga, or that of John the Baptist. The silence of Zechariah comes probably from the joy of an overwhelming message, too great to be put into words.

Underlying these vocation stories is that people are weak, that salvation is gratuitously given by God, that barrenness (the barren women) gives way to fertility, that sacrifices are demanded. And so, people are to be moved by the Spirit of God. All this holds true also for us as we are called to prepare the way of the Lord.

Opening Prayer

Lord, mighty God,
no angel announced our birth,
but we know that you loved us
even before we were born,
and that you call us to prepare
the fuller coming of your Son among people.
Reveal your strength in our weakness,
keep us hoping in your future,
that we may overcome all obstacles
to establish the kingdom
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Intentions

–   For married couples who expect a child, that they may welcome the child as a present from God, we pray:

–   For parents, that they inspire their children to put their talents at the service of people, we pray:

–   For prophets of our day, that the Holy Spirit may move them to awaken us with God’s word from our lack of concern for the good of the community, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Father,
you had prepared your chosen people
to welcome your Son as the Savior
and yet his coming took them by surprise
and they did not recognize him.
Wake us up with the cry
of present-day prophets
to recognize and welcome him
not only in these signs of bread and wine
but also in the poor and the misfits
who hunger and thirst for food,
for justice and peace
and, perhaps without knowing it,
for the dignity of your children.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord, God of hope,
we are your people today
and yet we often hide
the presence of Jesus, your Son,
by our compromise and conformity.
Let your Son pour for us
the young wine of hope,
to rupture with our settled ways
and to make us new people
who reveal in our littleness and fragility
the presence in our midst
of someone much greater than we are,
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

Christmas is near. Let our prayers become more insistent that we may become more committed to bring the love and justice of Christ into our cold and harsh world. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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December 20

Theme: The Virgin Mother

Readings:
Is 7:10-14;  Lk 2:26-38

Introduction

The two beautiful texts of today correspond to each other as promise and fulfillment of the promise.

The child to be born of a young maiden as a sign of Israel’s salvation probably spoke directly of a son to be born to the king; yet in later tradition and particularly in the Christian understanding, the text came to be understood as a messianic prophecy, which was fulfilled in Mary and the child born from her.

Noteworthy is also the spirit of the fulfillment. The incarnation of Christ was the beginning of a real turning upside down of values, for example: salvation comes to the poor and humble, expresses itself in obedience and humble service, God’s power and majesty shows itself in his unostentatious approach to people, God becomes near in people, even death becomes a way to life.

Opening Prayer

God of the poor and the humble,
we thank you today for choosing Mary
as the Virgin Mother of Jesus, your Son.
Her faith and willing service
opened the way to your new world.
Dispose us to seek your will
and to cooperate with your plans,
that we too, like Mary,
may give to the world its Savior,
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.

Intentions

–   Lord our God, make us aware of our poverty, that you may fill it with your riches, we pray:

–   Lord, that like Mary we may accept and deeply believe in your word and live by it, we pray:

–   Lord, let your Spirit awaken in us great aspirations of goodness and service, that we may bring people closer to Christ, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God of mercy and love,
by the power of the Holy Spirit
your Son became man
and was born of the Virgin Mary.
By the power of this same Spirit,
let your Son come among us
in these signs of bread and wine
and gather us together in love,
that we may become to the world today
the presence and the message
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord, mighty God,
you spoke your word to the Virgin Mary
and she accepted it readily in faith;
you committed your Son to her
and she gave him to all humankind.
May the good news you have spoken to us
stir our hearts to share it with all
as a liberating message
and may the bread of life we have eaten
make us free for the life you give us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

God keeps his promises. He is trustworthy and loving. Do we too keep our promises? May we become reliable and worthy of trust, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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December 21

Theme: The Joy of Encounter

Readings:
Song 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Lk 1:39-45

Introduction

Few things, if any, are more beautiful on the human – and the divine – level than the encounter between persons. An encounter is a great joy and a grace. The first reading (from the Song of Songs) speaks of the encounter between a suitor and the young woman he loves; this is probably an image of the love between God and Israel. The second option (from Zeph) describes the joy of Jerusalem because God stays with his people.

In the gospel, Elizabeth encounters Mary; even the unborn John the Baptist encounters the Savior and his mother. Deeper than meetings between people in business, science, politics, or their jobs, are the understanding, love and sharing of real human encounters. This is the kind of encounter that awaits us with the Lord on Christmas and in this eucharist. Encounters are even deeper when God is a partner of them.

Opening Prayer

God, we tend to lose ourselves
in the bustle and stir of the day,
in our work and our petty worries.
Give us the freshness of heart
to look for the things that matter,
those that make our lives deeply human
and at the same time open us
to your world and to your values.
Make us long to encounter you with joy,
that we may discover again the quality
of gratuitous giving, of respect,
and of carefree, self-forgetting love,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Intentions

–   That the deeper coming of Christ to us on Christmas fill us all with gratitude and joy, we pray:

–   That God may give us the gift of having many friends, we pray:

–   That we may learn to appreciate people and rejoice in their gifts and talents, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, loving Father,
in this eucharist you encounter us again
through your Son Jesus Christ.
In these signs of bread and wine
may we really meet him
from person to person.
Let him set our hearts afire with his Spirit,
that we give up our self-made securities
and dare with him to become
your people and your world
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God, our Father,
we have encountered your Son
in his word and his body.
Let him go with us now
to speak through us your word
of courage and lasting hope
and to make us his body to the world,
that every encounter among people
may from now on become
a blessing and a grace and a joy,
and a commitment to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

The coming of Christ has brought joy to the world. With him, there is hope. No more room for sadness and fear! Even the cross can lead to joy! May almighty God make you people of joy and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Thank You, Lord!

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THANK YOU, LORD!                         December 22 (1 S 1:24-28; Lk 1:46-56)

Introduction

Today is a celebration of thanks to the Lord, who does great things to humble people who trust in God. In the Old Testament Hannah gives thanks to God because he has given her a son. She dedicates him to God. Samuel will be a very great prophet of the Lord. And Mary, a young, humble, unassuming girl boldly sings out her joy and thanks to God who will upset the world’s values through Jesus, the Son to be born from her. With Hannah and Mary we sing out our joy and thanks to God.

Opening Prayer

God of the little ones,
with Mary we rejoice and give you thanks
that you let Jesus Christ become one of us
and let him bring us the dignity
of your sons and daughters.
May we live up to that dignity
and to the joy that says
that we are deeply loved by you.
Like you, may we also learn to care
for all that is little and brittle
and bring your justice to the poor
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Intentions

–   For all the good things we have experienced in life we ask the Lord to accept our gratitude: Lord, all thanks to you.

– For all who have received from God many talents and goods, that out of gratitude they may share them with others, we pray:

–   For our faith, for our brothers and sisters in our Christian communities and for the presence of Christ among us, we give thanks:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
we can bring before you no more
than the humble gifts of bread and wine,
which are, after all, gifts coming from your hand.
But do great things in them,
and let them become Jesus,
your Son among us.
Let him stay with us,
so that he too can do great marvels
in us and through us,
for he is our Lord now and for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God, God of hope,
accept our thanks and joy
for your love and justice
that come to us, however poor we are.
Let your Son liberate us
from our selfishness and cold greed
Weak as we are, let him give us the strength
to make love and service
the foundation of the new world
he wants to begin with us.
Thank you, Lord, for all this joy
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

With Mary we say: “the almighty has done great things for us. Holy be his name.” May almighty God keep blessing you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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December 23

Theme: God is Gracious  

Readings:
Mal 3:1-4, 23-24; Lk 1:57-66

Introduction

Indeed, “God is gracious.” This is the meaning of the name John. We are told today about the birth of the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist. We remember the coming of the Savior and how a special messenger of God had to prepare the hearts of people for the coming of the Savior. But our Savior Jesus came long ago. How much are we living as people who are saved? How much do we enter into God’s plan to save our world? How much do we prepare Jesus’ coming into the hearts of people today?

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
in this time of waiting
you must still be waiting for us
how we respond to the coming of your Son Jesus
in our hearts and in our world.
Make us people of hope,
not people of the past,
but men and women,
the young and children too
who want to see Jesus our Savior
alive and active among us.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Intentions

–   Lord Jesus, give the grace of faith to people who keep groping in the dark for something or someone like you to give meaning to their lives, we pray:

–   Lord Jesus, give the grace of peace to the country and the people where you where born and where the center is the city of peace, Jerusalem, we pray:

–   Lord Jesus, give the grace of liberation to people captive in their evil and in oppression, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
you are always coming
to renew us, to be gracious to us.
Make us attentive and eager
to keep welcoming your Son Jesus Christ
as one of us, here and now,
living in us, active in us,
going with us our pilgrim way
as our Lord who leads us to you,
our living God for ever and ever.

Prayer after Communion

God of our hope,
when we hear the word of your Son
and sit at his table,
we realize how deaf we often still are
to his word of life and his love.
Make us hear him
when he knocks at the door of our hearts,
dispose us to let him enter
and to let him make us
messengers of his integrity and peace.
For he is our Lord for ever.

Blessing

At the birth of John the Baptist his Father Zechariah praised God for giving him a son who was to do great things for God. We too give praise to God for giving us his Son Jesus, and in him the grace of forgiveness and life. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and  the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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December 24

Theme: The Lord Is Here to Set Us Free

Readings:
2 S 7:1-16; Lk 1:67-79

Introduction

The promise made by the Lord was finally fulfilled with the birth of Jesus… God would set his people free by no less than his own Son. Was the promise finally fulfilled? It was the beginning of the fulfillment. Everything was there to make it real and effective, except the people who would have to put it into practice. For God created us free, and that means he relies on us, on our acceptance and cooperation, on our love. We have to let God make his peace and love come true among us. With and through Jesus. That’s why he came among us as one of us. Here I am, human like you. Look at me and see how it is to be done. Do it with me. I am with you and stay with you to give you the strength. Come, let’s begin. Now.

Opening Prayer

Lord, loving and mighty God,
you fulfilled your promise to save us
when Jesus, your Son, became one of us.
We are no longer in the dark,
for you let your light shine on us.
Bring us your salvation now,
set us really free from our sins,
let us become fully human with Jesus
and go with him in your way of peace and love.
Let him be our strength,
our constant companion on the road,
that through him and growing in his humanity,
we may be your beloved sons and daughters.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Intentions

–   For people who are hard and demanding, that God may make us sensitive to others and compassionate, we pray:

–   For those who feel especially these days how lonely and fearful they are, that their brothers and sisters in the Lord may bring them support and warmth, we pray:

–   For people who feel how empty their lives are, that they may find the Lord and learn from him how love and service can enrich them, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, our Father,
we join Jesus your Son in his feast meal
of the bread and wine of himself,
that we may become more and more like him
and live the way he lived.
Let a new era begin now;
let this food and drink make us free
to create peace among people,
to bring justice and love to our world,
and to walk together on the way
to your home of joy without end.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God, our merciful Father,
we have heard the Good News of your Son
and we ask you to fulfill it in us today.
Do not allow us to be still afraid
of committing ourselves to your dream
of a new heaven and a new earth.
Let the Spirit of Jesus be alive in us,
that everywhere there may be light instead of the dark,
justice where there is discrimination and inhumanity,
love where there is hatred.
Let your Son live and stay with us,
now and till we safely reach your home,
for Jesus is our Lord for ever. Amen.

Blessing

Blessed be the Lord our God who shows us his mercy and takes us up into his covenant of love. All praise to him. You, and all who are dear to you, receive the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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