1st Week of Advent, Saturday, Dec 5

 Isaiah 30:19-21, 25-26 / Matthew 9:35 - 10:1, 6-8

 When you cry out, he will answer you. The harvest is great, "Send workers to gather it in. "

Kate Drexel came from a wealthy Philadelphia family. While riding about the city, she saw the tragic plight of black children living in hideous slum conditions. In her reading she learned about the plight black children in the South and of Native American children in the West. Moved to pity, Kate founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to work among these children. Before Mother Katherine Drexel died at age 97, she spent nearly $20 million of her own personal fortune to care for and educate blacks and Indians. Today, her order continues her work.

Vatican Dossier - Dec 3

 

GENERAL AUDIENCE Pope: God Continually Blesses Life, Always; We Must Respond to God’s Blessings (FULL TEXT) Deborah Castellano Lubov At General Audience, Stresses Jesus Christ Was God’s Greatest Blessing to Humanity

Matters India - Dec 3

 

Council of Cardinals studies Vatican constitution amendments Vatican City: Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals met online Dec. 1 to continue work on the new apostolic constitution to govern the Roman Curia, according to a Vatican statement. The…

1st Week of Advent, Friday, Dec 4

Isaiah 29:17-24 / Matthew 9:27-31 

Isaiah talks about messianic times: Then the eyes of the blind will see.

Bob Evans had been blind since birth. When he was 50 years old, an operation gave him eyesight for the first time in his life. Suddenly his world changed beyond belief. He said in a Chicago Sun-Times interview: “It’s the most amazing thing in the world. ... I can’t wait to get up each day to see what I can see. . . .“And at night I look at the stars. . . . Everything is a constant high. You could never know how wonderful everything is.” This story gives us an insight into Isaiah’s prophecy in today’s reading, about how life will be changed for people when the Messiah comes.

Advent Sunday 2 B - Liturgical Prayers

Introduction and Litany of Praise

Option A
In today's liturgy we hear again the lonely voice
of John the Baptist urging us to prepare a way
for the Lord. Let us create a space in our minds
and hearts so that the Lord can come
to us in this Eucharist. [pause]

John began his mission with a call to repentance.
Jesus repeats his call to us today. [pause]

1st Week of Advent, Thursday, Dec 3: Feast of St. Francis Xavier

Isaiah 26:1-6 / Matthew 7:21, 24-27 

"Not everyone will enter it. "

A cartoon shows Linus building sand castles on a beach. Soon a whole city of castles covers the beach. Then a violent rainstorm breaks from the sky and washes the entire city of castles away. Linus looks on in total disbelief. After his experience with the sand castles and the rainstorm, Linus would have no trouble understanding Jesus' point in today's gospel. Listening to God's word without putting it into practice is as useless as building sand castles on a beach before a rainstorm.

1st Week of Advent, Wednesday, Dec 2

Isaiah 25:6-10 / Matthew 15:29-37

The Lord will feast his people: He will wipe away all tears.

 

Pulitzer prize winning author Thornton Wilder wrote a novel called The Eighth Day. It’s about a good and decent family whose lives are filled with pain, sorrow, and hardship—caused by evil people. Wilder ends his novel without alleviating or resolving the family’s tragic situation.