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Today, 4th of December, we celebrate
Saint John Damascene
Beloved:
I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love,
because the hearts of the holy ones
have been refreshed by you, brother.
Therefore, although I have the full right in Christ
to order you to do what is proper,
I rather urge you out of love,
being as I am, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.
I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment,
who was once useless to you but is now useful to both you and me.
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the Gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
And if he has done you any injustice
or owes you anything, charge it to me.
I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay.
May I not tell you that you owe me your very self.
Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord.
R./ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or: Alleluia.
The Lord secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free.
R./ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or: Alleluia.
The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord raises up those who were bowed down;
the Lord loves the just.
The Lord protects strangers.
R./ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or: Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R./ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or: Alleluia.
The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was to come. He answered, "The kingdom of God is not like something you can observe and say of it: 'Look, here it is! There it is!' See, the kingdom of God is among you."
And Jesus said to his disciples, "The time is at hand when you will long to see one of the glorious days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Then people will tell you: 'Look there! Look here!' Do not go, do not follow them. As lightning flashes from one end of the sky to the other, so will it be with the Son of Man. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this people."
In today’s Gospel, Jesus addresses the Pharisees on the coming of God’s Kingdom, offering a vision that challenges traditional expectations. The Pharisees thought the Kingdom would appear dramatically as an outcome of perfect adherence to the Law. They anticipated the Messiah’s arrival to be marked by a great spectacle, hailed as a mighty king. In contrast, Jesus reveals an unexpected reality: the Kingdom of God exists already within us, intricately integrated into our everyday lives and does not depend on human actions or achievements.
The Kingdom’s presence, as Jesus teaches, cannot be observed outwardly or in specific locations. Rather, it’s a concealed truth, thriving in gratitude, love, and acts of kindness that often go unnoticed. In these modest instances, the Kingdom unveils itself as a deep mystery that surpasses worldly anticipations.
Looking to the future, Jesus warns of those who might deceive the believers, claiming to know the precise time or place of His return. He teaches that the Day of the Son of Man will come suddenly and unmistakably, “like lightning flashing across the sky.” In times of trial and despair, the apocalyptic language used by Jesus helps us maintain hope and understand that God remains in control, even when circumstances suggest otherwise. Though the journey may pass through hardship and suffering, God’s plans will reach fulfilment.
Finally, Jesus underscores that the path to glory inevitably includes the Cross, a truth central to our faith. Just as Jesus endured suffering, we are called to bear our own crosses. Through these challenges, we are invited to deepen our trust in God and find evidence of His Kingdom within our own lives, communities and in acts of compassion and faithfulness around us.
Jose (bibleclaret.org)
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your kingdom is not an established order
but something that is alive and always coming.
Make us aware that it is to be found
where we let you reign,
where we and the kingdom of people
give way to your kingdom,
where we let your justice and love and peace
take the place of our fumbling and stumbling.
Lord, establish your kingdom among us
through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
The warm, charming letter of St. Paul to Philemon makes us almost forget that Paul has no outright condemnation of slavery as it existed in his time. Yet, he states the principles that will gradually eradicate that kind of slavery from most of the world. Love and brotherhood in Christ cannot tolerate slavery; interior liberty will not permit this slavery. And yet, many people today are not free: they cannot withstand or escape from being enslaved to the machine, to business methods, advertising, the social pressures of keeping up with the Joneses, fashions, political systems.
Gospel Introduction
To the Pharisees and perhaps to the disciples too, anxiously looking for signs, Jesus says: The kingdom of God is among you, right in your midst. It is already present in our lives. In other words, be wise and be committed to the present, to building up God’s kingdom now. Seek eternity and eternal life in the present, and God’s good day will come in God’s good time.
General Intercessions
– For the Church, which is not yet the kingdom, that it may be may be a visible sign of God’s kingdom on earth by its openness to all, its spirit of love and service, we pray:
– That all Christians may contribute to make the gospel credible by our commitment to justice and love, we pray:
– That we may build roads of peace and service to one another and that we may prepare ourselves and the world to welcome Jesus and the kingdom of God, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God,
if we let you reign in us
rather than our self-will
or the people and things around us,
we would recognize that there is
a holy communion of love between you and us.
Come among us in Christ,
in this eucharist and in daily life,
and take possession of us
to rule and forgive, to sanctify and enlighten,
to order all things for the good of all
and to renew us by your grace.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Loving and all-wise Father,
in this eucharistic celebration
you have again given us Jesus your Son.
Through his Spirit of wisdom,
make us fully aware
that our human personality and existence
and people and events around us
are the way in which you call us
and in which we respond to your call.
Develop your kingdom among us
through him who is in our midst,
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.
Blessing
The kingdom of God is among us. It is here if we have accepted Christ and let him light up our lives, in realities that are not so directly measurable: justice, forgiveness, love, peace, goodness. May almighty God help us to build up this kingdom with Christ our Lord and bless you for this task, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
