Wednesday December 1

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

Bread for the Poor

Introduction

         For Isaiah, the sign of the messianic times is that through the Messiah God will give to his people an abundance of food and drink. People long for life, and for peace. Prisoners want to be free, the blind wants to see, the hungry wants bread. But likewise, people hunger for consolation, friendship, forgiveness, understanding, acceptance, and justice. These desires are fulfilled when Jesus, the Messiah comes. He gives food to his hungry people. And we, his disciples, have to satisfy the hunger of God’s people today. For he acts through us.

 

Opening Prayer

God of all people,

you know how people hunger and thirst

for truth, love and acceptance.

If we accept you and believe in you,

we see our deepest desires and aspirations

being fulfilled by you

as we work for the coming of your kingdom.

Help us to let the cup that you pour for us

overflow on all your people,

that all may praise you,

now and for ever.

 

Reading 1: IS 25:6-10A

On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.

On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6

(6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage. 
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

 

Alleluia 

Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, the Lord comes to save his people;
blessed are those prepared to meet him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: MT 15:29-37

At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and sat down there. 
Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,
and many others. 
They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. 
The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,
the deformed made whole, 
the lame walking, 
and the blind able to see,
and they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus summoned his disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat. 
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way.” 
The disciples said to him,
“Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?” 
Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” 
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” 
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. 
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
gave thanks, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 
They all ate and were satisfied. 
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full

 

Intercessions

–       That people everywhere may have open eyes to see and alleviate the miseries and hungers of others, we pray:

–       That we may give not only bread or rice to the hungry, but love and justice, we pray:

–       That the Lord may help us look for the food that makes us richer persons, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God of all people,

Jesus is among us

and he sets for us the bread and the wine

of his total self-giving.

May this holy meal fill us with his Spirit

and make us people

who live not for themselves

but like Jesus, for others,

even when the cost is high.

May this be our offering to you

through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

God, our Father,

the Lord for whom we were waiting

has been with us, Jesus, your Son.

He has filled us with rich food

and the joyful wine of himself.

May he put us back on our feet,

that strengthened by this food

we may go out to the poor,

the lame and the weak

to give them the food of our understanding,

our compassion and our love,

by the power of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Blessing

The sign that Jesus, the Messiah, is present among his people is that the hungry are fed. Among us today, do we feed them? Do we care for people and give them what they need? May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

Do not become devotees of Pontius Pilate

The crisis we are living due to the pandemic has been affecting everyone; we will emerge from it for the better if we all seek the common good together. Concern for our neighbours and a generosity of heart has indeed saved thousands of lives from death. International agencies had predicted more people to die of hunger than of the sickness itself, which fortunately did not come true. Indeed the miracle of multiplication of bread or rather, the miracle of feeding the hungry not from the surplus but from the minimum of resources is a reality even on this day, in our times.

But we would notice some discrepancies with the Gospel narrative. Matthew says, it was on a hill in Galilee that Jesus healed the lame, the maimed and the blind. We might wonder, was it not an awkward place for the sick people to reach Jesus? It must not have been easy for the lame and the blind to climb the hill! This makes one thing clear: For Matthew, the mountain location echoes the prophesy of Isaiah. In Chapter 35 we hear the Prophet saying the lame, the maimed, the blind and the dumb, and all peoples, would come to Mount Zion and God would feed the world at the coming of God’s kingdom.

Through this narrative, Matthew intends to tell the reader that the Prophesy has its fulfilment in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. Matthew tells his community that Mount Zion and its temple are no longer the places where God resided, rather it is the risen Christ through whom we encounter God.

Jesus is moved with compassion for the people who were exhausted and abandoned. Those people needed a message of hope and of life. And this is the message of Advent, that there is a future for everyone. We are not doomed to failure. Reconciliation, forgiveness, salvation, life is always possible. Even if society condemns us, even if friends abandon us, even if our businesses fail … comfort and healing are available.

And God’s blessings are not rationed, but are given in abundance. Count the blessings we have received and realise that we have received them in abundance. The message is to be mindful of the needs of our neighbour and be moved with compassion. Do not turn away from the miseries of our neighbours, because God has placed them next to us, believing we would care for them. God needs us and he has placed his trust in us.

Pope Francis reminds us not to become devotees of Pontius Pilate, washing our hands of others’ sufferings and pass by and go your own way.