December 4
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intention
9:00 AM – For Vocations To Priesthood, Diaconate & Religious Life / Joyce Kotch
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.
Readings
First Reading
Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. On that day your flock will be given pasture and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows; The oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat silage tossed to them with shovel and pitchfork. Upon every high mountain and lofty hill there will be streams of running water. On the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall, The light of the moon will be like that of the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times greater like the light of seven days. On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people, he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (see Isaiah 30:18d) Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Isaiah 33:22
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The LORD is our Judge, our Lawgiver, our King;
he it is who will save us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
“Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.”
Reflection
Such a profound message of hope for us in our first reading. It picks up where yesterday’s reading from Isaiah left off. A message of redemption and restoration for God’s remnant flock. By keeping the Lord’s name holy, continuing to offer him silence and room for him to speak to the innermost depths of our being, we can trust that “out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” It can be discouraging striving in our discipleship day after day facing the reality that life united to Christ is not without the pain of the Cross. It can be difficult to see through the gloom around us. Yet we should cling to the Word of the Lord that comes through Isaiah for us today that reassures us that the Lord will bind up our wounds, and that a voice shall sound in [our] ears to direct our feet on the right path.
We may, in fact, know well that God will heal all our ills, but the challenge is that in reality, this happens in God’s time. Hence, our responsorial psalm: Blessed are all who wait for the Lord. If you are looking for spiritual renewal this Advent season, remember it is not simply your initiative or you who are looking for new life—God himself desires to bestow this abundant grace upon you first. The desire in your heart for renewal comes from Him. Every day God longs to invite us deeper in relationship. There is much grace for us to receive the moment we surrender our control, our timeline, and give freedom over to the Lord to guide us. When he gives us the grace of patience, our time of prayer, our discernment, and our service will always bear fruit.
Peace,
Fr. Foley
Would you like to receive Readings & Reflections, and a link to join us for Mass? Subscribe to The Daily Bread newsletter.