FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Behold, our Lord will come with power
and will enlighten the eyes of his servants.

ISAIAH 29:17-24

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The theme running through the liturgy for today is the restoration of sight to the blind.

The prophet foretells a time when God will remove the blight on the land and make it fruitful again. Those who were spiritually deaf and blind will be healed, they will hear God's word and will see with the eyes of wisdom and understand, and their vision will be restored. 

It is the humble, the poor in spirit, who are able to draw closest to You and for these, You have a tender love for they know that without You they can do nothing. To these, God assures a time will come when they will see justice done and judgment handed out to their oppressors.

We are assured that the continual cycle, since the foundations of the world, of evil triumphing over good, will cease. The Day of the Lord is here and the voice of the weak, the powerless, the poor, the marginalized will be heard, for You have triumphed over evil and You have vanquished the Enemy. All the redeemed will give You glory, honor, praise, thanksgiving, and worship as one body for You Yourself will instruct Your people, walk with them, and make Your dwelling among them.

PSALM 27:1, 4, 13-14

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

You are the Light of the world. All who walk with You walk in the light for You dispel the darkness that comes from ignorance of God and fear of a vanquished Enemy. You have given us the Helper who abides in us. He is all-powerful hence we need fear nothing and no one. All who believe walk with confidence for they know that God fights all their battles for them.

The children of God dwell in the house of the Lord, His Church, He is its cornerstone, and Peter its Rock, and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. It is here that we are fed on the Holy Eucharist and receive fullness of life and an abundance of grace. Here we behold You, our Lord and our God face to face, for You make Yourself available night and day to all who desire to see You and savor the sweetness of Your holy Presence.

All the redeemed will see You as You are when we journey safely from this life to the life to come. This is the hope of all the baptized. This is what gives us courage, strength, and the determination to cooperate with all the graces granted to us by the Holy Spirit. Your Word fills us with unwavering, joyful hope that we will walk with You eternally in heaven.

MATTHEW 9:27-31

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

These two blind men believed that You possessed the power to restore their sight. They heard of You and having found You they followed You shouting loudly, 'Take pity on us Son of David.' You did not stop on the road but they were not discouraged but continued to follow You and entered the house with You. Once there, You turned to them and said,  

‘Do you believe I can do this?’ They replied, “Yes, Lord,” You then touched their eyes saying, ‘Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you.’ And their sight was restored. The deeper our faith the greater our ability to see You as You truly are, God incarnate.

You know our innermost desires but we must have the simplicity and humility to make our needs known to You in faith, and all we ask for in faith You will grant us. 

Despite Your stern warning to them, ‘Take care that no one learns about this.’ they were so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that they could not stop themselves from announcing to the entire countryside what You had done for them.

It is regrettable that we who have been saved from eternal death, and redeemed at so great a price, do not possess that same irrepressible joy in announcing the good news of our salvation to everyone we meet.