Daily Liturgy
Monday November 29
FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT
UNIVERSAL SALVATION
Introduction
Today’s message speaks of universal salvation. Isaiah preaches that all are called to believe in God, to worship him, to live according to God’s plans and laws, and to enjoy his peace. Jerusalem stands here for God’s believing people. (In year A, another reading from Isaiah is taken, so as not to duplicate that of the first Sunday A: God will protect the remnant that has been faithful to him and live among his people.)
The centurion’s faith is remarkable. He is symbolic of the Gentiles who will be called, for the kingdom is open to all, without any privilege of race or culture. With Christ, salvation has become available to anyone of good will.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, Father of all,
in your Son, Jesus Christ,
you invite everyone and all to know and love you
and to live in your unending peace.
Keep alive in us the zeal
to bring the light of your truth
and the riches of your life and love to all,
without any distinction
of race, language or culture.
May everyone on earth come to know you
as the merciful Father of all
through our brother and Savior,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: Is 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it.
Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
House of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 122:1-2, 3-4B, 4CD-5, 6-7, 8-9
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Alleluia: PS 80:4
Alleluia, alleluia.
Come and save us, LORD our God;
Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: MT 8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Intercessions
Let us pray that the Lord Jesus may be known and accepted by all. We say: Lord, hear our prayer.
– For people who drift through life without someone to believe in, that they may discover God and his Messiah, we pray:
– For the many cultures all over the world, that the Gospel may enrich them, we pray:
– For peace and lasting friendship among nations, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, bread and wine,
food and drink, life and joy –
these you have destined for all
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Let it be a life and joy
that cannot be taken away
and we can make real among us
by the strength of him,
who is our food and drink,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, God of the Promise,
you have nourished us
with the body of your Son.
By the strength of this food,
make us the body of your Son to the world,
not on account of our merits
but for the sake of what you do in us.
Make visible in us
the mercy and justice of Jesus Christ,
that people may recognize his presence among us
and through him, we give you all honor and praise,
now and for ever.
Blessing
“Many will come from east and west and eat with us at the table of the kingdom.” This is happening much in our day. Are we ready to respect and welcome them as equals with us before God? May Almighty God bless you and them, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Today’s readings, coming at the opening of the Advent season, speak of a future of peace and serenity, an idea that figures prominently in Hebrew thought. For Isaiah, destruction and devastation are not final; when tragedy has ended, a faithful remnant will remain. In a word, God’s saving plan will not be subverted by human wrongdoing. As the place of God’s real presence among his people, Jerusalem is singularly sacred. On Mount Zion, the presence of Yahweh will again shine forth.
In today’s psalm, it is toward this sacred mount that the people move in solemn procession.
At the same time, today’s Gospel moves us away from too narrow a vision. The faith in a revealing God is not the exclusive possession of a single people. In Jesus it becomes available to the world. A Roman centurion, faced with the likely death of a servant boy, turns to Christ and asks for help even though he understands the prohibition against a Jew visiting a pagan home. Yet the centurion’s recognition of the person Jesus is remarkable and evokes one of Jesus’ most striking compliments. The child is cured. There are no ethnic or social boundaries for the new reign of God.
Today’s readings carry us from the church to the marketplace. Zion was sacred as the place of God’s presence. Jesus carries God into the everyday world of people with their worries and cares. He removes the anxiety of a foreign military man and brings health to a troubled servant. Our fife has a similar rhythm. We need our quiet time in church, but we also cannot avoid the unexpected phone call from a person who needs our help or support. In fact, that is precisely where Christ centers his first commandment—in God and neighbor.
Points to Ponder
Our parish church: God’s dwelling place
God’s faithfulness
Antithesis: sin and holiness
Reign of Jesus: open to all
Humility
Concern for the sick.