December 11
Friday of the Second Week of Advent
First Reading
Isaiah 48:17-19
Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go. If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea; Your descendants would be like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, Their name never cut off or blotted out from my presence.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. (see John 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord will come; go out to meet him!
He is the prince of peace.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 11:16-19
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.”
Give a Mass Offering
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
“Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.”
Readings & Reflection
Sometimes no matter what you do, you may find yourself misunderstood or condemned for your actions.
In Matthew’s Gospel, the people thought of John the Baptist as possessed by a demon because he fasted. When Jesus came and dined with his followers, they called him a glutton and a drunkard. Sometimes it seems you just cannot win!
As Christians, we have to realize that not everyone is going to agree with us or understand our faith in and commitment to Jesus, and that is all right! The gift of faith may not be given to everyone. That, however, does not mean that we have license to fail to carry out our mission of pointing the way toward Christ, even if it means we are condemned for doing so. Both John the Baptist, as well as Christ, dealt with doubt and criticism during their ministry and continued to spread the news of the coming Messiah, and the existence of the Kingdom of God.
May we have the same fortitude to continue to be bearers of the good news of Christ to the world!
Peace,
Fr. John Kurgan
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