Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord

Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

Reading 1 Isaiah  52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,"Your God is King!"

Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry, together they shout for joy, for they see directly, before their eyes,
the LORD restoring Zion. Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem. The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.

Reading 2 Hebrews 1:1-6

Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things
and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say: You are my son; this day I have begotten you? Or again:
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me? And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.

Gospel John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision
but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said, 'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'" From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him.

“What if she said no?”

Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent                                      

 December 18, 2011

                                                

                  

 Of all the ways that God could have saved us, ever wonder why He choose to come into the world as a little baby?  No matter His reason, we are nonetheless faced with the reality that God humbled Himself and not only became man, but His entire mission of salvation was placed in the hands of a woman, a young woman in Nazareth named Mary.  Our Gospel this Sunday brings us to the Angel Gabriel, who was sent by the Lord to announce to Mary her special calling in God’s plan of salvation.  Mary was the instrument God chose to come into the world and be like one of us.  After Gabriel’s initial greeting (which should sound very familiar to you), St. Luke describes Mary’s reaction as ‘greatly troubled’.  Who in their right mind wouldn’t be troubled by a visit by an angel?  We’d all be a little scared.  Then Gabriel announces God’s plan for Mary, that she will conceive a child in her womb, and that this child will be God Himself.  St. Luke emphasizes that the conception of this child had no earthly father, rather God the Father was to bring forth this child.  Mary’s response shows us the depth of her faith: She is the Lord’s servant, and He can use her as He sees fit.  This is the response that we are all to have to God.  It is not for us to question God in the sense that we question our trust of Him, but rather we are called to live for Him and conform our actions to His will.  The Blessed Mother, Mary, is our model in faith and our spiritual mother, and this Christmas we should thank her for everything that she did for us.  The question that we should ponder is, “What if she said no?”  Did God have a back-up plan in place?  We have no evidence that He did.  The same is true of the invitation God gives us to share our faith with others.  If we say ‘no’ to inviting someone back to Mass, or to living our faith in trying circumstances, then we may be dropping the ball on the only plan that God has to reach a particular person.  So don’t ever let yourself say that it doesn’t matter if you share the Gospel or not: Christ is counting on you to be His voice to everyone you meet.                               Summary of the Gospel by YM Central

Discussion Questions
1. Describe the scenario of the angel visiting Mary:  What did the angel look like?  Why was Mary so afraid?  What went through Mary’s mind as the angel was presenting her this mission?  What other answers could Mary have given?
2. Using this Gospel, how would you respond to a person who said the ‘Hail Mary’ was not Scriptural? As a group, or on your own, take time to pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary (added bonus if you can find the Scriptural roots to each of these mysteries).
3.  (As we did last week…and this is the last time I’m gonna ask you) Make it a point this week to invite a fallen-away Catholic back to Mass, and/or to invite a non-Catholic to Christmas Mass. Make a list of at least three people you could invite this week to church.  Have you been able to invite anyone back to Church this Advent? Why/why not? Did they come back to Church? (What happens if you don’t invite these people back to Church?)

Reading 1 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

              When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” Nathan answered the king, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.” But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus  says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in?’
            “It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.”

Reading II Romans 16:25-27

Brothers and sisters:  To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen. 

Gospel Luke 1:26-38

           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. 

Readings for Sunday December 11 2011

Third Sunday of Advent

Ever struggle with having meaning and purpose in your life?  This Gospel passage shows us a person who was confident and sure of his purpose in life.  Now that we are just over a week away from celebrating Christ’s birth at Christmas, the Church continues to focus us on the message of St. John the Baptist, a man who found his identity completely in Christ. St. John is a model for all of us that by our actions and words our lives should point to Christ, not ourselves.  St. John obviously caused a stir among the religious leaders of his day.  He had the big-wigs from Jerusalem visit him to find out what he was doing.  There were priests, Levites, and Pharisees who came to him, and if St. John was drawing their attention, then he was doing something noteworthy.  These religious leaders must have been a little disappointed by the responses St. John gave them.  He didn’t talk about himself, nor did he offer anything that was going to make the 5 o’clock news.  He simply put the focus on the one coming after him, Jesus.  St. John is doing what all the Old Testament prophets did in pointing people to God, not to their own work as prophets.  In turn, he teaches us what we need to do with our lives, that is to put the focus on Christ and please Him above all things.  This is certainly an ‘easier said than done’ issue, because often times we struggle with being a Catholic 24/7, being a Catholic all the time and in all places, not just at Mass on Sunday.  St. John shows us that our entire lives are about Christ, and we can have true joy if we point ourselves in the direction of Christ.  This is difficult in our world today because we are pulled in so many different directions. We must constantly order our priorities to Christ so that other things in life won’t take away our love for Him.  Preparing for Christmas is ultimately about getting our hearts turned to Jesus, not spending excess time in holiday preparations.  Our prayer and challenge this Christmas is to turn over to Jesus all the areas in our lives that don’t point to Him, that don’t give Him glory and honor.  For some of us, that might require drastic change; for others, it is just a matter of some daily tweaking.  Whatever our case, we must trust that God wants the best for our lives and invites us to be people of action, people who are willing to take a stand for Christ, even if that makes us look unpopular.  So let us ask Christ for the strength to be more like St. John the Baptist, testifying with our lives that Christ is the light, the One to whom we are invited to commit our lives.  If we ignore this invitation, then we will fail to prepare for Christmas.

Discussion Questions

1. St. John the Baptist challenges us to always have our actions and words point to Christ and His glory.  How can you apply this challenge to your daily life, in your family, on the job, at school, etc.?

2. When was the last time that someone asked you to give a reason for your faith in Christ?  Describe.

3.  (As we did last week:) Make it a point this week to invite a fallen-away Catholic back to Mass, and/or to invite a non-Catholic to Mass.  Make a list of at least three people you could invite this week to church.  Have you been able to invite anyone back to Church this Advent?  Why/why not?  Did they come back to Church?

              

The first reading is taken from the book of Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11. They were uttered to the exiles in Babylon as consolation and promise which were fully and truly realized only when Christ the Messiah came. Christ applied the first two verses of this text to himself when he first preached in the synagogue of Nazareth.

1^st Reading               Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God. I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.

Question for discussion:

1. Who does “me” refer to in verse one?
2. What good news is the prophet bringing to the lowly, broken hearted, and grief stricken?

The second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 5:16-24. He exhorts his converts to thank God always for the gift of faith which they have received. They must respect, while testing, the gifts of the Spirit.

2^nd Reading              1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil. May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it. 

Question for discussion:

Of the various commands, which are most relevant to your parish? Your youth group?  Your

School?  You? Which do you feel you are already practicing well? Which one will you work on

this week? How?

Gospel                        John 1:6-8, 19-28

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent.  They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Question for discussion:

1. Have you ever been embarrassed by mistaking a stranger for an acquaintance? What happened?
2. Who “Makes Straight the Way of the Lord in your Life”?
3. What does Baptism mean to you?
4. Who can I turn to for support when I am attacked for living like John the Baptist?

IHN,  I remain your friend in Christ, tommyk

     Do You Know John the Baptist?                                                     

        

The Second Sunday of Advent takes us to the beginning of the Gospel of St. Mark.  Note how St. Mark doesn’t begin with an account of the birth of Jesus.  (Trivia question: Which Gospels contain the accounts of the birth of Jesus?)  St. Mark begins his Gospel by looking at the preparation to the active ministry of Jesus.  As we know, Jesus’ ministry was announced by His cousin, St. John the Baptist.  St. John’s place in Jesus’ ministry is clear: St. John is there to prepare people to receive Jesus.  Just imagine what St. John looked like out there: Clothed in camel’s hair, eating insects – it’s a surprise that anyone took him seriously.  What would a modern St. John the Baptist look like?  Would he be dressed the same way?  Probably not, yet God gave us a prophet who echoed His message of repentance to the world.  That man was our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II.  Although many people tried to make fun of him and criticize him, he kept going at an astonishing rate, until he could go no further.  While many accused him of being out of touch, no one had a larger following among the youth than John Paul II.  John Paul II’s prophetic ministry continues in that of Benedict XVI.  St. John the Baptist prepared the people by focusing them on the heart of the Christian message, repenting and seeking the forgiveness of our sins.  The message of John Paul II was the same as the original St. John the Baptist: We must turn away from sin in order to meet Christ.  Sin is very important to God because He knows that it is the only thing that can separate us eternally from Him.  Therefore, God will do anything to help us be freed from sin.  God offers us His greatest gift in Jesus so we can know a life free of sin.  Jesus became one of us so that He would reconcile us to the Father, inviting us to turn away from sin and all of sin’s empty promises so we can have the fullness of love that God desires in our lives.  Today, we have a decision to make, a decision to turn away from sin and turn our love toward Jesus.  May we have the strength to live up to that commitment, no matter the cost.                                      Summary of the Gospel by YM Central

Discussion Questions

1. Scripture Search: St. Mark quotes the book of the prophet Isaiah.  Where is that quote found in Isaiah?  What passages surround the Isaiah quote?  Read these verses from your Bible.

2. How are you called to be a ‘John the Baptist’ in your daily life?  How can you prepare people to meet Christ without forcing Jesus on them?  Who has been a ‘John the Baptist’ person in your life?

3.  (As we did last week:) Make it a point this week to invite a fallen-away Catholic back to Mass, and/or to invite a non-Catholic to Mass.  Make a list of at least three people you could invite this week to church.

1^st  Reading  Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11

Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.

A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.

2^nd Reading 2Peter 3:8-14

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay," but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

Gospel Mark 1:1-8

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."