Saint Nicholas, Bishop
Memorial of St. Nicholas (Memorial Bench)
Readings for Saturday of the First Week of Advent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 30:19-21, 23-26
This reading from Isaiah is one that gives hope to those who are without hope. God, says the Prophet hears the cry of his faithful and provides for them. The tone here, using the word "Teacher" links this passage to the Gospels where 65 times Jesus assumes that title and admits to that role (Jn 13:13).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (see Isaiah 30:18d) Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
This hymn of praise anticipates the coming of the Messiah who restores what is lost and, again, gives hope to the poor, upon whom he lavishes special blessings; "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
This selection emphasizes Jesus early struggle to accomplish what he came to do by himself. We sense the humanness as he says; "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;" In the full text of the scripture St. Matthew names the 12 (Matthew 10:2-4) and then Jesus sends them, first to the Hebrew people, most of whom as we now know, rejected him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Candle of Hope still burns!
Today the hope represented by the first bright candle on the Advent Wreath is defined, not just by Jesus who calls us to join in his labors, but by the Prophet Isaiah who explicitly predicts his coming. “No more will you weep” he tells us. “The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher”.
Indeed this has come to pass and we have hope. The Lord gave us the new manna – truly bread from heaven that feeds us and strengthens us in ways miraculous to the world. We are no longer wandering alone in the world but united in our common bond of the bread he gives us. We are inducted into that unity by the water of Baptism, quenching the thirst of our soul and making us one with him and with each other, adopted children sharing a birth right that points us to God’s Kingdom.
And seeing him in word and spirit, he teaches us. We know him by his example and we hear him through his word captured for us by the authors of sacred scripture. He is not the invisible God of ancient times – to be feared and hidden – his name unmentionable. He has made himself clear to us – a divine revelation that expresses God’s true nature; the essence of love that sustains our hope in all things.
We pause today and consider those without hope. Those who believe that life begins organically with no divine spark – like any animal, to live out that life, finite and without purpose, are indeed hopeless. When the earthly shell they wear fails – they face the dark night of death without hope or light. In the finality of that thought they must despair for all the future holds for them is decay.
We, therefore, rejoice in the Lord of Life who shows us through his own resurrection that life on earth is the smallest part of our spiritual journey. It is a time of anticipation and preparation as we look forward to a holy life sharing the joys of God’s Kingdom. It is our hope that transforms us in the present and hope is contagious. That is the message of the great “sower”, the one whose harvest Jesus calls us to assist with when he says “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”
As we rejoice once more this day and thank God of the gift of hope, let us pray for those who stare into the darkness with fear and despair, may they come to see the light of salvation and receive the bread of life for the one who is love.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “The Harvest of the World” by Jacobello Alberegno, 1360-90
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved
Memorial of St. Nicholas (Memorial Bench)
Readings for Saturday of the First Week of Advent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 30:19-21, 23-26
This reading from Isaiah is one that gives hope to those who are without hope. God, says the Prophet hears the cry of his faithful and provides for them. The tone here, using the word "Teacher" links this passage to the Gospels where 65 times Jesus assumes that title and admits to that role (Jn 13:13).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (see Isaiah 30:18d) Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
This hymn of praise anticipates the coming of the Messiah who restores what is lost and, again, gives hope to the poor, upon whom he lavishes special blessings; "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
This selection emphasizes Jesus early struggle to accomplish what he came to do by himself. We sense the humanness as he says; "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;" In the full text of the scripture St. Matthew names the 12 (Matthew 10:2-4) and then Jesus sends them, first to the Hebrew people, most of whom as we now know, rejected him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Candle of Hope still burns!
Today the hope represented by the first bright candle on the Advent Wreath is defined, not just by Jesus who calls us to join in his labors, but by the Prophet Isaiah who explicitly predicts his coming. “No more will you weep” he tells us. “The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher”.
Indeed this has come to pass and we have hope. The Lord gave us the new manna – truly bread from heaven that feeds us and strengthens us in ways miraculous to the world. We are no longer wandering alone in the world but united in our common bond of the bread he gives us. We are inducted into that unity by the water of Baptism, quenching the thirst of our soul and making us one with him and with each other, adopted children sharing a birth right that points us to God’s Kingdom.
And seeing him in word and spirit, he teaches us. We know him by his example and we hear him through his word captured for us by the authors of sacred scripture. He is not the invisible God of ancient times – to be feared and hidden – his name unmentionable. He has made himself clear to us – a divine revelation that expresses God’s true nature; the essence of love that sustains our hope in all things.
We pause today and consider those without hope. Those who believe that life begins organically with no divine spark – like any animal, to live out that life, finite and without purpose, are indeed hopeless. When the earthly shell they wear fails – they face the dark night of death without hope or light. In the finality of that thought they must despair for all the future holds for them is decay.
We, therefore, rejoice in the Lord of Life who shows us through his own resurrection that life on earth is the smallest part of our spiritual journey. It is a time of anticipation and preparation as we look forward to a holy life sharing the joys of God’s Kingdom. It is our hope that transforms us in the present and hope is contagious. That is the message of the great “sower”, the one whose harvest Jesus calls us to assist with when he says “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”
As we rejoice once more this day and thank God of the gift of hope, let us pray for those who stare into the darkness with fear and despair, may they come to see the light of salvation and receive the bread of life for the one who is love.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “The Harvest of the World” by Jacobello Alberegno, 1360-90
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved
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