Saturday, December 13, 2014

3rd Sunday of Advent

Date: December 14, 2014

First Reading (Isaiah 61: 1–2 and 10–11)
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up broken hearts, to proclaim liberty to the captives, freedom to those languishing in prison; to announce the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God; to give comfort to all who grieve. I rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul exults for joy in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of his salvation, he has covered me with the robe of his righteousness, like a bridegroom wearing a garland, like a bride adorned with jewels. For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord God make justice and praise spring up in the sight of all nations.

Second Reading (1 Thessalonians 5: 16–24)
A reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians.
Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks to God at every moment. This is the will of God, your vocation as Christians. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise the prophets' warnings. Put everything to the test and hold fast to what is good. Avoid evil, wherever it may be. May the God of Peace make you holy and bring you to perfection. May you be completely blameless, in spirit, soul, and body, till the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord; he who called you is faithful and will do it.

Gospel (John 1: 6–8 and 19–28)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.
A man came, sent by God; his name was John. He came to bear witness, as a witness to introduce the Light so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light but a witness to introduce the Light. This was the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?" John recognized the truth and did not deny it. He stated, "I am not the Messiah." And they asked him, "Then who are you? Elijah?" He answered, "I am not." They asked, "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then they stated to him, "Tell us who you are, so that we can give some answer to those who sent us. How do you see yourself?" And John stated, quoting the prophet Isaiah, "I am the voice crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord." Those who had been sent were Pharisees; so they put a further question to John: "Then why are you baptizing if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?" John answered, "I baptize you with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know; although he comes after me, I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal." This happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

33 comments:

  1. Responsorial Psalm (Luke 1: 46–50 and 53–54)
    The response is: My soul rejoices in my God.

    And Mary stated, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my savior! He has looked upon his servant in her lowliness, and people forever will call me blessed."

    "The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is his name! From age to age his mercy extends to those who live in his presence."

    "He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He held out his hand to Israel, his servant, for he remembered his mercy."

    ReplyDelete
  2. The theme for the 3rd Sunday of Advent is to rejoice, for salvation is near.

    Isaiah states in Chapter 35: 2-4: "Covered with flowers, the desert sings and shouts with joy, the magnificence of Carmel and Sharon. They, my people, see the glory of Yahweh, the majesty of our God. Give vigor to weary hands and strength to enfeebled knees. Say to those who are afraid: 'Have courage, do not fear. See, your God comes, demanding justice. He is the God who rewards, the God who comes to save you.'"

    Priest: Father, at the height of our Advent walk, we relight the candle of hope and peace, and we light a candle of joy. Grant us the courage to experience joy in hope of the Savior's coming: joy in the face of sorrow, joy in the face of uncertainty. Amen.

    The father of the chosen family will light the two purple candles and the rose candle of the Advent Wreath. During that time, the choir will sing, "Open Our Eyes, Lord".

    This is a prayer led by the father or a male member of the family:
    In times of loneliness, darkness and uncertainty — O come, Prince of joy and hope. In times of misunderstanding, anger and resentment — O come, Prince of Peace and Love. Amen.

    This is a prayer led by the mother or a female member of the family:
    O God, You have planned our salvation even before we were born and your faithfulness is true. You send your Son to suffer for our sake so that we may be saved from sin. We welcome Him, the Lord of Salvation. Amen.

    This is a prayer led by one of the children:
    Dear God, John is your messenger — the man who is to prepare the road for our Savior. Grant that as we travel the road he teaches, we too may be like him, messengers that can guide others to Your path of peace. Amen.

    Priest: Heavenly Father, let love, respect and goodness reign in our hearts and never let the evil one and worldly desires snatch away our happiness and the reward of living forever with You. Instead, make us stand firm by Your word, faithful and loyal to Your instructions. Make us holy in every way and keep our whole being faultless at the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I suggest an activity for the people. We are here to complete a Bible reflection. Who is with me?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! Now let us see the readings.

      Delete
    2. Okay, here are the protocols. You have been given seven readings. Choose one and create a reflection paper that presents an insightful view in your beliefs and ideas that provoked you while reading them. The format should be single spacing between lines. Font and font size are “Times New Roman” and 11 point, respectively. This reflection paper should have a length of ½ the short bond paper. Write your name at the back and indicate the week and reading in the front. Do not copy the reading in the paper. Reflect directly based on the text.

      Delete
    3. Luke 9: 28–36
      About eight days after Jesus had said all this, he took Peter, John and James and went up to the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became dazzling white. Two men were conversing with Jesus: Moses and Elijah. They had just appeared in heavenly glory and were telling him about his departure that had to take place in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had fallen asleep, but they awoke suddenly and saw Jesus' Glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter stated to Jesus, "Master, how good it is for us to be here, for we can make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." For Peter did not know what to say. And no sooner had he spoken than a cloud appeared and covered them; and the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then these words came from the cloud: "This is my Son, my Chosen one, listen to him." And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was alone; Moses and Elijah had vanished. The disciples kept this to themselves at the time, telling no one of anything they had seen.

      Delete
    4. Luke 6: 36–38
      Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not be a judge of others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back.

      Delete
    5. Matthew 23: 1–12
      Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them. They do everything in order to be seen by people; so they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first place at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, and being greeted in the marketplace and being called ‘Master’ by the people. But you, do not let yourselves be called Master because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father, because you have only one Father, he who is in heaven. Nor should you be called leader, because Christ is the only leader for you. Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great.

      Delete
    6. Matthew 20: 17–28
      When Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he took the twelve aside and said to them on the way, “See, we are going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law who will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the foreigners who will mock him, scourge him and crucify him. But he will be raised to life on the third day.” Then the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down to ask a favor. Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here you have my two sons. Grant that they may sit, one at your right and one at your left, when you are in your kingdom.” Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the coup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to grant. That will be for those for whom the Father has prepared it.” The other ten heard all this and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations act as tyrants, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you; whoever wants to be more important in your group shall make himself your servant. And if you want to be first, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man who has come, not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.”

      Delete
    7. Luke 16: 19–31
      Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day. At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores, who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man’s table. Even dogs used to come and lick his sores. It happened that the poor man died and angels carried him to take his place with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. For hell where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and with him Lazarus at rest. He called out: ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus with the tip of his finger dipped in water to cool my tongue, for I suffer so much in this fire.’ Abraham replied: ‘My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well-off while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort and you are in agony. But that is not all. Between your place and ours a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you or from your side to us.’ The rich man implored once more: ‘Then I beg you, Father Abraham, to send Lazarus to my father’s house where my five brothers live. Let him warn them so that they may not end up in this place of torment.’ Abraham replied: ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ But the rich man said: ‘No, Father Abraham. But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Abraham said: ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the grave.’

      Delete
    8. Matthew 21: 33–43 and 45–46
      “Listen to another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants and then went to a distant country. When harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned another. Again the owner sent more servants, but they were treated in the same way. Finally, he sent his son, thinking: 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they thought: 'This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him and his inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?" They stated to him, “He will bring those evil to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others who will pay him in due time.” And Jesus replied, “Have you never read what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing; and we marvel at it. Therefore I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you and given to a people who will yield a harvest.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realized that Jesus was referring to them. They would have arrested him, but they were afraid of the crowd who regarded him as a prophet.

      Delete
    9. Luke 15: 1–3 and 11–32
      Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Therefore, Jesus addressed this parable: “There was a man with two sons. The younger son proposed to the father: 'Give me my share of the estate.' Thus, the father divided his property between them. Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land. So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but nobody offered him anything. Finally coming to his senses, he stated: ‘How many of my father's hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and state to him: Father, I have sinned against God and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.’ With that thought in mind, he set off for his father's house. He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet his son, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son stated: ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son…’ But the father turned to his servants: ‘Quick! Bring out the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and kill it. We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found.’ And the celebration commenced. Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and was near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered: ‘Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he was ordered this celebration and killed the fattened calf.’ The elder son became angry and refused to go inside. His father came out and pleaded with him. The indignant son stated: ‘Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Then when this son of yours returns after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him.’ The father stated: "My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.’”

      Delete
    10. Got it. Will see you guys next week for the submission of my paper.

      Delete
  4. ¡Hola, amigos! Empecemos por autorizar a ustedes como líderes seccionales. Acuérdense, nuestro objetivo es hacer que nuestros ensayos sean eficientes (asegúrense de que tengan todos números en sus secciones y de que todo el mundo tenga sus carpetas, lápices y piezas con agujeros en sus carpetas).
    Aquí son nuestras canciones que cantaremos la siguiente semana. Acuérdense, en algún momento que estén disponibles, pueden pedir a nuestros pianistas (incluso mí) si quieren organizar ensayos seccionales. ¡Buena suerte por esta última semana!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Primera Lectura (Isaías 61: 1–2 y 10–11)
    Una lectura del libro del profeta Isaías.
    ¡El Espíritu del Señor Yahvé está sobre mí! sepan que Yahvé me ha ungido. Me ha enviado con un buen mensaje para los humildes, para sanar los corazones heridos, para anunciar a los desterrados su liberación, y a los presos su vuelta a la luz. Para publicar un año feliz lleno de los favores de Yahvé, y el día del desquite de nuestro Dios. Me envió para consolar a los que lloran. Salto de alegría delante de Yahvé, y mi alma se alegra en mi Dios, pues él me puso ropas de salvación y me abrigó con el chal de la justicia, como el novio se coloca su corona, o como la esposa se arregla con sus joyas. Pues así como brotan de la tierra las semillas o como aparecen las plantitas en el jardín, así el Señor Yahvé hará brotar la justicia y la alabanza a la vista de todas las naciones.

    Salmo responsorial (Lucas 1: 46–50 y 53–54)
    La respuesta es: Mi alma se alegra en mi Dios.
    • María dijo entonces: “Mi alma canta la grandeza del Señor, y mi espíritu se estremece de gozo en Dios, mi salvador, porque el miró con bondad la pequeñez de tu servidora.”
    • “En adelante todas las generaciones me llamarán feliz, porque el Todopoderoso he hecho en mí grandes cosas: ¡su Nombre es santo! Su misericordia se extiende de generación en generación sobre aquellos que lo temen.”
    • “Colmó de bienes a los hambrientos y despidió a los ricos con las manos vacías. Socorrió a Israel, su servidor, acordándose de su misericordia.”

    Segunda Lectura (1 Tesalonicenses 5: 16–24)
    Una lectura de la primera carta de San Pablo a los tesalonicenses.
    Estén siempre alegres. Oren sin cesar. Den gracias a Dios en toda ocasión: esto es lo que Dios quiere de todos ustedes, en Cristo Jesús. No extingan la acción del Espíritu; no desprecien las profecías; examínenlo todo y quédense con lo bueno. Cuídense del mal en todas sus formas. Que el Dios de la paz los santifique plenamente, para que ustedes se conserven irreprochables en todo su ser espíritu, alma y cuerpo. hasta la Venida de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. El que los llama es fiel, y así lo hará.

    Evangelio (Juan 1: 6–8 y 19–28)
    Una lectura del Evangelio Santo según San Juan.
    Apareció un hombre enviado por Dios, que se llamaba Juan. Vino como testigo, para dar testimonio de la luz, para que todos creyeran por medio de él. Él no era luz, sino el testigo de la luz. Este es el testimonio que dio Juan, cuando los judíos enviaron sacerdotes y levitas desde Jerusalén, para preguntarle: “¿Quién eres tú?” Él confesó y no lo ocultó, sino que dijo claramente: “Yo no soy el Mesías.” “¿Quién eres, entonces?” Le preguntaron: “¿Eres Elías?” Juan dijo: “No.” “¿Eres el Profeta?” “Tampoco,” respondió. Ellos insistieron: “¿Quién eres, para que podamos dar una respuesta a los que nos han enviado? ¿Qué dices de ti mismo?” Y él les dijo: “Yo soy una voz que grita en el desierto: Allanen el camino del Señor, como dijo el profeta Isaías.” Algunos de los enviados eran fariseos, y volvieron a preguntarle: “¿Por qué bautizas, entonces, si tú no eres el Mesías, ni Elías, ni el Profeta?” Juan respondió: “Yo bautizo con agua, pero en medio de ustedes hay alguien al que ustedes no conocen: él viene después de mí, y yo no soy digno de desatar la correa de su sandalia.” Todo esto sucedió en Betania, al otro lado del Jordán donde Juan bautizaba.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The priest in the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord during the 5:00 PM mass has done a homily that lasted for 14'51"88.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bacaan Pertama (Yesaya 61: 1–2 dan 10–11)
    Pembacaan dari kitab dari nabi Yesaya.
    Roh Tuhan ALLAH ada padaku, oleh karena TUHAN telah mengurapi aku; Ia telah mengutus aku untuk menyampaikan kabar baik kepada orang-orang sengsara, dan merawat orang-orang yang remuk hati, untuk memberitakan pembebasan kepada orang-orang tawanan, dan kepada orang-orang yang terkurung kelepasan dari penjara, untuk memberitakan tahun rahmat TUHAN dan hari pembalasan Allah kita, untuk menghibur semua orang berkabung. Aku bersukaria di dalam TUHAN, jiwaku bersorak-sorai di dalam Allahku, sebab Ia mengenakan pakaian keselamatan kepadaku dan menyelubungi aku dengan jubah kebenaran, seperti pengantin laki-laki yang mengenakan perhiasan kepala dan seperti pengantin perempuan yang memakai perhiasannya. Sebab seperti bumi memancarkan tumbuh-tumbuhan, dan seperti kebun menumbuhkan benih yang ditaburkan, demikianlah Tuhan ALLAH akan menumbuhkan kebenaran dan puji-pujian di depan semua bangsa-bangsa.

    Mazmur (Lukas 1: 46–50 dan 53–54)
    Tanggapan adalah: Jiwaku bergembira karena Allahku.
    • Lalu kata Maria: Jiwaku memuliakan Tuhan, dan hatiku bergembira karena Allah, Juruselamatku, sebab Ia telah memperhatikan kerendahan hamba-Nya.
    • Sesungguhnya, mulai dari sekarang segala keturunan akan menyebut aku berbahagia, karena Yang Mahakuasa telah melakukan perbuatan-perbuatan besar kepadaku dan nama-Nya adalah kudus. Dan rahmat-Nya turun-temurun atas orang yang takut akan Dia.
    • Ia melimpahkan segala yang baik kepada orang yang lapar, dan menyuruh orang yang kaya pergi dengan tangan hampa; Ia menolong Israel, hamba-Nya, karena Ia mengingat rahmat-Nya.

    Bacaan Kedua (1 Tesalonika 5: 16–24)
    Pembacaan dari surat Paulus kepada jemaat di Tesalonika.
    Bersukacitalah senantiasa. Tetaplah berdoa. Mengucap syukurlah dalam segala hal, sebab itulah yang dikehendaki Allah di dalam Kristus Yesus bagi kamu. Janganlah padamkan Roh, dan janganlah anggap rendah nubuat-nubuat. Ujilah segala sesuatu dan peganglah yang baik. Jauhkanlah dirimu dari segala jenis kejahatan. Semoga Allah damai sejahtera menguduskan kamu seluruhnya dan semoga roh, jiwa dan tubuhmu terpelihara sempurna dengan tak bercacat pada kedatangan Yesus Kristus, Tuhan kita. Ia yang memanggil kamu adalah setia, Ia juga akan menggenapinya.

    Bacaan Injil (Yohanes 1: 6–8 dan 19–28)
    Pembacaan dari Injil kudus menurut Santo Yohanes.
    Datanglah seorang yang diutus Allah, namanya Yohanes; ia datang sebagai saksi untuk memberi kesaksian tentang terang itu, supaya oleh dia semua orang menjadi percaya. Ia bukan terang itu, tetapi ia harus memberi kesaksian tentang terang itu. Dan inilah kesaksian Yohanes ketika orang Yahudi dari Yerusalem mengutus beberapa imam dan orang-orang Lewi kepadanya untuk menanyakan dia: “Siapakah engkau?” Ia mengaku dan tidak berdusta, katanya: “Aku bukan Mesias.” Lalu mereka bertanya kepadanya: “Kalau begitu, siapakah engkau? Elia?” Dan ia menjawab: “Bukan!” “Engkaukah nabi yang akan datang?” Dan ia menjawab: “Bukan!” Maka kata mereka kepadanya: “Siapakah engkau? Sebab kami harus memberi jawab kepada mereka yang mengutus kami. Apakah katamu tentang dirimu sendiri?” Jawabnya: “Akulah suara orang yang berseru-seru di padang gurun: Luruskanlah jalan Tuhan! seperti yang telah dikatakan nabi Yesaya.” Dan di antara orang-orang yang diutus itu ada beberapa orang Farisi. Mereka bertanya kepadanya, katanya: “Mengapakah engkau membaptis, jikalau engkau bukan Mesias, bukan Elia, dan bukan nabi yang akan datang?” Yohanes menjawab mereka, katanya: “Aku membaptis dengan air; tetapi di tengah-tengah kamu berdiri Dia yang tidak kamu kenal, yaitu Dia, yang datang kemudian dari padaku. Membuka tali kasut-Nyapun aku tidak layak.” Hal itu terjadi di Betania yang di seberang sungai Yordan, di mana Yohanes membaptis.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hola a todos,
    Este mensaje quiere recordar a los estudiantes cuyos temas han sido aprobados que deben empezar a buscar algunas fuentes creíbles de evidencia. El archivo ajuntado con este mensaje es el material de evaluar las fuentes. Sus lecturas deben ayudarles a formular su tesis preliminar, la cual espero que se entregue el martes, 16 de diciembre de 2014, junto con la lista de sus referencias. En cuanto a las referencias, que usen el formulario ajuntado (perfil de fuente). Que se sientan libres a agregar pliegos si los necesitan. Acuérdense, solo las personas que tienen un tema aprobado deben cumplir este formulario. Mientras tanto, las personas que han entregado sus papeles hoy recibirán sus temas aprobados el martes. Se esperan que entreguen su tesis y lista de referencias preliminares el viernes, 19 de diciembre de 2014. Que tengan un fin de semana productivo.
    P.D. Que impriman las fuentes en papel de tamaño 8.5 por 11 pulgadas. Que utilicen la fuente en el borrador que les envié.

    ReplyDelete
  9. For the 3rd Sunday of Advent, priests and ministers may wear pink vestments.

    ReplyDelete

English: Do you have any comments or questions on this reading? Add your comment or question here.
Español: ¿Tienes cualquier comentarios o preguntas en esta lectura? Añade tu comentario o pregunta aquí.
Bahasa Indonesia: Ada komentar atau pertanyaan untuk bacaan ini? Mengatakan komentar Anda atau pertanyaan disini.
日本語:この読み物にコメントや質問がありますか?コメントや質問、書いて下さい。