Archive for December 14, 2013

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: December 14, 2013 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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questiononauthority

Without truth in our hearts we will not recognise the truth when we see it. We are blinded by our own ability, power and might that we recognise not the beauty and splendour of God, His creations and gifts all around us. We do not see God as a loving Father let alone King of our hearts, nor do we seek a loving relationship. Instead we may see a distortion in which God is Wrath and to be obeyed and avoided wherever possible.

In our service to the Church while we may not openly question the authority of the Church, it’s priests or leaders we often grow disillusioned, dissatisfied even resentful when we disagree.  We may even begin to draw lines on what we will do and not do. Love and service results in being disjointed.

Lord Jesus You are the Truth, the life, and the way; let us always stay focussed on You so that we may continue to be instruments of Your love for others. Make us know Your ways O Lord and teach us Your paths. Amen.

FIRST READING
Numbers 24:2–7, 15–17a

GOSPEL
Matthew 21:23–27

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.”

December 15th 2013 – Third Sunday of Advent

Posted: December 14, 2013 by CatholicJules in Sunday Reflections
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Sunday Bible Reflections with Dr. Scott Hahn

December 15th 2013 – Third Sunday of Advent

Here is Your God
Readings:
Isaiah 35:1-6,10
Psalm 146:6-10
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
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John questions Jesus from prison in today’s Gospel – for his disciples’ sake and for ours.

He knows that Jesus is doing “the works of the Messiah,” foretold in today’s First Reading and Psalm. But John wants his disciples – and us – to know that the Judge is at the gate, that in Jesus our God has come to save us.

The Liturgy of Advent takes us out into the desert to see and hear the marvelous works and words of God – the lame leaping like a stag, the dead raised, the good news preached to the poor (see Isaiah 29:18-20; 61:1-2).

The Liturgy does this to give us courage, to strengthen our feeble hands and make firm our weak knees. Our hearts can easily become frightened and weighed down by the hardships we face. We can lose patience in our sufferings as we await the coming of the Lord.

As James advises in today’s Epistle, we should take as our example the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Jesus also points us to a prophet – holding up John as a model. John knew that life was more than food, the body more than clothing. He sought the kingdom of God first, confident that God would provide (see Matthew 6:25-34). John did not complain. He did not lose faith. Even in chains in his prison cell, he was still sending his disciples – and us – to our Savior.

We come to Him again now in the Eucharist. Already He has caused the desert to bloom, the burning sands to become springs of living water. He has opened our ears to hear the words of the sacred book, freed our tongue to fill the air with songs of thanksgiving (see Isaiah 30:18).

Once bowed down, captives to sin and death, we have been ransomed and returned to His Kingdom, crowned with everlasting joy. Raised up we now stand before His altar to meet the One who is to come: “Here is your God.”