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Today, 4th of December, we celebrate
Saint John Damascene
1st Reading: Jer 3:14–17
Come back, faithless people – it is Yahweh who speaks – for I am your master. I will select one from a city and two from a family and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and prudence. And when you have increased and multiplied in the land in those days – it is Yahweh who speaks – people will no longer speak of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; it will not be remembered or missed, nor shall it be made again!
Then they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of Yahweh’ and all the nations will gather there to honor the name of Yahweh and no longer will they follow the stubbornness of their wicked hearts.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 36:6-7,8-9,10-11
R./ With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R./ With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R./ With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R./ With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23
Jesus said to his disciples, “Now listen to the parable of the sower.
“When a person hears the message of the Kingdom but without taking it to himself, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath.
“The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word and accepts it at once with joy. But this is fickle and has no roots. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up.
“The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word, but then the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word, and it does not bear fruit.
“As for the seed that fell on good soil it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.”
Vocation to Parent
On this feast of Saints Joachim and Anne and in the context of the parable of the seeds and weeds, it is fitting to reflect on the vocation of parenting. If little Mary was born with the good seed of faith in her soul, it fell to the task of Joachim and Anne to nourish it, protect it, and tend to its growth and flowering. Weeds would always be present around us, in the world; for the world is a mixed place. However, the focus and energies of parents shall be on the seed of faith that a child naturally carries as grace, and nurture it as long as they can. Does this always mean that every child thus attended to will produce good fruits? The ultimate result is something we leave to God to judge and to harvest, at the end of times. “The family is … the domestic church. In it parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children” (Lumen Gentium, 11).
Biblie Claret Thursday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time
HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS
Opening Prayer
God, you care for us.
your Son Jesus, told us this in wonderful stories
about your forgiveness, your love, and your patient mercy.
Do not allow us to be so fickle or indifferent
that we close our eyes and ears to them,
but make us see and hear with our hearts
that these simple stories are speaking
of the very meaning of our lives.
Count us among the simple people
who understand what you are telling us
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
Introduction to the First Reading:
Jeremiah reminds God's people that in their youth, after God had made a covenant with them, they had been faithful and fervent. But since then they have abandoned God, even the priests and the prophets had done so.
Gospel Introduction:
Jesus complains that there are some who close their hearts to his message of life. His message is simple. Much of it is told in the moving stories of the parables. Why don't people understand them? They are fickle and busy with themselves and their own little affairs. Or they think they are too learned and too self-sufficient, above the little ones, the humble, the simple people; these are eager to be receptive of the word of God and to pay attention to it.
General Intercessions
- For those who are not moved by the word of God, that the Church may hear their silent yearning and speak the word in such a way that makes them see that it pertains to their life and happiness today, we pray:
- For those who remain deaf to the word of God, that they may be moved when they see it flowering and bearing fruit in the life of good Christians, we pray:
- For the sick, the lonely, those who suffer or mourn, that the word of God may bring them consolation, give them the courage to bear their pain and to keep hoping in a loving God, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we are ready to listen to the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven.
We bring before you
these simple offerings of bread and wine.
Let them express that we want
to be open to these secrets with unsophisticated hearts,
for you reveal yourself
to those who listen with their hearts.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
make us attentive to the words
Jesus has spoken to us at his table
and keep stirring in us the love he has shown us.
Let our faith be more
than formulas that do not change life.
Make the story of our life speak to those around us
that we have understood how much you care
and respond to you with all that is in us,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
"Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." Listen to the Lord with your hearts, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
