Today, 14th of December, we celebrate
Saint John of the Cross
First Reading: Rom 8:31-39
Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn?
It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
As it is written:
For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31
R./ Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Do you, O God, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake;
in your generous mercy rescue me;
For I am wretched and poor,
and my heart is pierced within me.
R./ Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Help me, O LORD, my God;
save me, in your mercy,
And let them know that this is your hand;
that you, O LORD, have done this.
R./ Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD,
and in the midst of the throng I will praise him,
For he stood at the right hand of the poor man,
to save him from those who would condemn his soul.
R./ Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Gospel Reading: Lk 13:13-35
At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and gave him this warning, "Leave this place and go on your way, for Herod wants to kill you." Jesus said to them, "Go and give that fox my answer: 'I drive out demons and heal today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my course!' Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and for a little longer, for it would not be fitting for a prophet to be killed outside Jerusalem.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you slay the prophets and stone your apostles! How often have I tried to bring together your children, as a bird gathers her young under her wings, but you refused! From now on you will be left with your temple and you will no longer see me until the time when you will say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
Don’t Lose Heart
When we look at the world—and sometimes even at our own lives—it’s almost impossible not to feel discouraged. How far can corruption go? How far can violence reach? When will a situation that seems unbearable finally come to an end? And yet, Paul insists today: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Well, according to the newspapers and everything we see around us, the answer seems pretty clear: a lot of people! Persecutions and even real genocides of Christians in Africa, more or less hidden attacks on faith in our own society—who can be against us? It feels like almost everyone! But Paul continues: neither persecution, nor the sword, nor hunger, nor war—nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Reading chapter 8 of the Letter to the Romans slowly, line by line, becomes like a steady rhythm of hope that beats against the constant drum of bad news.
When facing challenges that seem impossible to overcome, the disciples (like so many of us) suggest running away. To flee or hide (to bury our heads under the wing) might seem easier in the short term, but it only leads to fear that borders on panic, to snowballs of lies, to denial of what’s obvious, to terror.
The disciples’ words—“Go away, because Herod wants to kill you”—sound almost like an echo of Joseph’s dream in the infancy stories and the flight into Egypt. At the beginning of the Gospel, the goal was to protect the mission of the Son. Now, it is to fulfill it. Jesus doesn’t run away because He knows who He is: the Christ, the Anointed One, the Blessed who comes in the name of the Lord. He keeps walking toward Jerusalem because He knows that nothing can separate Him from the love of God, which is His very being—for the Father and He are one.
In the same way, we, His disciples, can be sure that nothing and no one can separate us from that love, no matter how hard it may be to believe it. The option of running away isn’t really possible for us, because it would only lead us into other, even more painful forms of slavery. The only real option is to believe.
So, who—truly—can be against us?
Carmen Fernández Aguinaco
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
to have an aim, a purpose,
a sure destiny to go to,
even at the cost of sacrifice and pain,
is very reassuring in all its uncertainty.
Keep us going on our way in faith and trust,
without fear or hesitation,
for we are sure that nothing can harm us
and that no prison made by human hands or minds
can deprive us from the inner freedom
which you have given us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
Absolute trust in God should be a basic characteristic of every Christian. Remember that Jesus died for us and God did not stop him, for he loves us very much. In the difficulties and trials of life, we should not lose our serenity, for God is with us and he cares.
Gospel Introduction
Jesus is warned by apparently sympathetic Pharisees that Herod may kill him. Jesus replies that he has already faced evil spirits and will continue on his way to Jerusalem, – “I must continue on my way” where death awaits him “today, tomorrow, and the next day,” that is, soon. Are we people marked by courage? Let us pray to the Lord for strength.
General Intercessions
– For all who are persecuted for their faith, that Jesus may give them the strength to remain faithful, we pray:
– For couples whose roads in marriage passes through difficult moments, that their love may not fail, we pray:
– For all of us, that through questions, doubts and difficulties God may help our faith grow, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus accepted
to go all the way to his destiny
of suffering and death
because he believed in your love.
By this bread and this wine
keep us believing in your victory
over evil and death
and let them become for us
the source of strength and courage
in our struggle for all that is good.
We ask you this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
we overcome evil with your Son
when we opt for integrity and truth,
for patience and forgiveness.
Keep us going on our way
And strengthen in us the conviction
that the reality of evil and sin
within us and in the world
can never be victorious,
for all that is good cannot die
since your Son rose from the dead,
and he is our Lord for ever.
Blessing
We must be on our way with the Lord, consistently, even in the difficulties of life. We know our goal: love of God and of people, and nothing should stop us. We know we are in the hands of God. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
