December 19, 2013

Read It:
In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.

Once when he was serving as priest
in his division's turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord."

Then Zechariah said to the angel,
"How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
And the angel said to him in reply,
"I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time."
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.

Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.

After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
"So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others."

Reflect on It: In yesterday's gospel, we see the announcement of Christ's birth and today, the announcement of John the Baptist's birth. Both Zechariah and Mary have exchanges with the angel that are similar, except for Zechariah doubts the angel and is stricken with silence because of his disbelief. When Mary says, how can this be? It is not a statement of doubt, more a statement of wonder. Here, Zechariah, isn't quite ready to hear the truth. Jesus, the Lord of the Universe is coming. Will we be like Mary who is in wonder or Zechariah, who doubts?

Pray about It: Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.


Live It! Challenge: Re-read yesterdays gospel and today's gospel and see how they are similar and how they differ.

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December 22, 2013

Read It:
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

Reflect on It: The savior of the world is coming on Sunday. Are you ready? The story of the Annunication, tells us of Christ's birth and shows us Mary's yes. Her yes here paved the way for the coming of the Savior. Get ready, He's almost here!


Pray about It: Sweet Jesus, I am ready for you to come into the world. Help my heart to be ready this week!

Live It! Challenge: Be ready for the Lord's coming by praying about the yesses He is asking you to make.

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Read It:
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.

Reflect on It: Today, we see Joseph's tenderness. Pope Francis has spoken a lot of tenderness and the importance of tenderness in Christians. Joseph doesn't want to cause Mary shame, he plans on divorcing her quietly. An angel appears to him and tells him that Mary is bearing the Holy Spirit's child. Imagine the humility and humbleness of heart Joseph had to have in that moment. We often hear of Mary's fiat, her yes to the Lord for bearing the Christ child, but Joseph also has a yes. In this moment, Joseph says yes to God to be the earthly Father of his son. Imagine the pressure: You have the Immaculate Conception and the Incarnation to take care of. St. Joseph's docility and humility made him able to do this. Also, if an angel of the Lord appears to you in a dream, you should probably listen ;).


Pray about It: Father in Heaven, you sent a messenger to Joseph and helped him to be ready to love your son with your heart. Help me to see how you break through the day today! I love you and want to say yes to the things you're asking of me! Amen!

Live It! Challenge: Today, say yes to something that you know the Lord is asking of you, even if it's hard.

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December 17, 2013

Read It:
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.

Reflect on It:
In Genesis, the Lord promises Abraham that his descendants will number like the stars in the sky, because Abraham is faithful to the Lord. In this second genealogy,  we see again that the Gospel writers are tracing Jesus to David, a king. This helps to show Jesus' roots as a man and where he came from. Jesus knew the importance of family and knowing where he came from. Are we caring for our family and feeling a bit of pride about where we came from this Advent?

Pray about It: Lord, I know your son Jesus is of royal blood. Help me to live that royalty as his adopted son or daughter. Amen.

Live It! Challenge: Help your parents do a task today around the house.

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December 16, 2013

Read It:
When Jesus had come into the temple area,
the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him
as he was teaching and said,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
And who gave you this authority?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John’s baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd,
for they all regard John as a prophet.”
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
He himself said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Reflect on It:
Again, we see that today we can't be of both worlds, serving two masters. Really, we're called to just love one master and to serve him. Jesus asks them boldly whether the origin of John's Baptism was earthly or heavenly. The crowd doesn't want to answer, scared to get it wrong and to be outcasts. Today, we're called to be all in. We can't serve two masters. So, who will you serve today?

Pray about It:
Sweet Jesus, I want to live in a way in which I am all in. Help me to do that today! Rejoice!

Live It! Challenge: Today, find something in your life you've been unwilling to give over to the Lord and give it to him.

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Third Sunday of Advent: Gaudete! Joy!

Read It:
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
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.”

Reflect on It: Today’s Gospel is one of great expectation, rejoicing. This Sunday we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. This Third Sunday of Advent is one of great joy. In the midst of our preparation for the coming of the Lord, this is the Sunday where our heart just bursts with love and anticipation of the King. John the Baptist had come to prepare the world for the coming of Christ and soon, he will be here. I think that as we look at the joy that comes today, we should check in with how our Advent is going. Are we truly bursting with a full heart for our Lord or for the gifts we’ll get? What if we had nothing at all on Christmas morning but the Christ child? Today is a day of joy, of anticipation of all the things that are true and beautiful and good. Christ is coming, are you readying your heart the way that we’ve readied our homes?

 

Pray about It: Emmanuel, you are God with us. We wait today with joyful hope for your coming, both at Christmas and in the second coming. Help my heart to be ready for you and the good news you bring. You are our life and fulfillment. I love you! Amen.

 

Live It! Challenge: Today, spread joy wherever you go. Be the bearer of the goodness of God!

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December 14, 2013:

Read It:
Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

Reflect on It: This gospel always makes me chuckle a little bit, because it's as if Jesus can't win. John the Baptist comes and they reject him because his life is set apart. Jesus comes and does that they ask and they reject him. He just can't win. Poor guy. I think that this shows how our lives are marked...sometimes, we're just not going to be able to win...What I love at the same time is the last line, Wisdom is vindicated by her works...we know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that eventually, in the Kingdom of heaven, we are vindicated. Are you willing to be rejected today for Christ?

Pray about It: God our Father, you teach us to be like you in all things. Help us to be willing to live for you, even when it's hard and makes us unpopular.

Live It Challenge: Today, think about one way that you can live more boldly for Christ and act upon it.

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