Daily Liturgy
Friday December 10
SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT
Don’t Be Childish
Introduction
“If you had only paid attention to what I have said,” complains the Lord through the prophet, for God wants our own good. Jesus complains that there are people who behave in a childish way when John the Baptist preaches repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah: they are like girls who refuse to dance when the flute plays joyful tunes or boys who refuse to mourn when people are weeping. The Lord is among us and asks for commitment so that we can lead the world to life and justice and happiness. What is our faith worth, if we do not practice it?
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
too often we are deaf to your voice
and to the presence of your Son
among us, his people.
Inspire us by your prophets and your Spirit
that now is the right moment to change
and to commit ourselves
to the kind of life and to the justice
demanded by the kingdom.
Help us to make people see
that your Son is alive among us
and that he is our Lord for ever.
Reading 1: IS 48:17-19
Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.
If you would hearken to my commandments,
your prosperity would be like a river,
and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
Your descendants would be like the sand,
and those born of your stock like its grains,
Their name never cut off
or blotted out from my presence.
Responsorial Psalm: PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
(see John 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord will come; go out to meet him!
He is the prince of peace.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: MT 11:16-19
Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
Intercessions
– Lord, make us attentive to the voice of your Holy Spirit, that we may not let the right moment pass when he inspires us to do the works of justice and love, we pray:
– Make us listen to people who contest our laxity and materialism, we pray:
– Guide our political leaders to follow the voice of their conscience for the good of our people, rather than seek gain and political power, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we bring before you
these gifts of bread and wine
and join your Son Jesus Christ
at the table he sets for us.
Give us the determination and strength
to bring his message and his life
to the people around us.
Help us to give ourselves with him
wholeheartedly and without hesitation,
for he is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
now that we have eaten the bread of your Son,
help us to do now the good
we have postponed so long.
Make us just and fair to everyone,
to respect the poor and the little ones,
to visit the sick
and to feed the hungry.
Lord, we are waiting for you
but do not let us make you wait for us,
for we want to follow your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Fickle children who pay no attention to what is good for them: that is what we should not be. May the Lord dispose us to do what is right and good always, even when it is inconvenient. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
“Sometimes you just can’t win.”
“If you don’t like the message, then shoot the messenger.” “To get the desired idea across, put a ‘spin’ on it.”
Some attitudes never change. What was true in Jesus’ time is true in our time. Jesus’ opponents would stop at nothing to trip him up, to catch him in a contradiction. They did not like John the Baptist, so they labeled his asceticism madness. Jesus’ conduct, on the other hand, was not ascetical enough—eating and drinking in public made him dissolute at best. The best way to deal with an undesirable message is to slander the messenger.
Time, however, has proven the truth of the gospel message, and there is a lesson to be learned there. There are many times when the truth flies in the face of our own convictions. What is called for is quiet discernment, not instant rejection. Before we discredit what is said or who says it, honest assessment is called for. Often it seems easier to find a way out rather than face the truth.
At Jesus’ trial, Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” It is a question that has broad currency in our time. From politics to commercial interests, we increasingly wonder what are the facts. Bending the truth to make it fit is all too common. There are times when churchmen in authority follow the same path. And to be quite honest, there are times when we do the same. We are inclined to bend the facts to make things appear in a better light.
The scriptures speak often of the primacy of truth. Jesus is referred to as the truth in John’s Gospel. Today Isaiah tells us that the Lord will unfailingly lead us to what is good. It is a path that leads to a flowing river and dashing waves.
In an age of obscurity and doubt, where there are more questions than answers, we pray for personal transparency. What you see is what you get.
Lord, enable us to speak the truth in love.
Points to Ponder
The “spin” in modern life
The truth will sometimes hurt
Evading or manipulating the truth
Speaking the truth in love