Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight,
and all mankind shall see the salvation of God. LK 3:4, 6
ISAIAH 11:1-10
Everything that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something about hope from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up were helped by God. And may he who helps us when we refuse to give up, help you all to be tolerant with each other, following the example of Christ Jesus, so that united in mind and voice you may give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It can only be to God’s glory, then, for you to treat each other in the same friendly way as Christ treated you. The reason Christ became the servant of circumcised Jews was not only so that God could faithfully carry out the promises made to the patriarchs, it was also to get the pagans to give glory to God for his mercy, as scripture says in one place: For this I shall praise you among the pagans and sing to your name.
MATTHEW 3:1-12
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
As horrific as our world looks right now, Lord, and as hard as it seems to remember that You have in fact and in deed won the victory and are triumphant over death and evil, yet it is hard to perceive in the hate, chaos, violence, and utter mayhem that is suffocating our world. It is hard to be optimistic when we see how ruthless leaders, and those with power, wealth, and influence, are constantly crushing the voiceless, the little ones, under their feet. But this is truly not so. We cling to the promises God has made to us through the prophets of old and to the eternal Covenant You have made with us. It is a Covenant of Love sealed in Your Blood and the Holy Spirit. As dark as it may appear, the Presence of God and the glory of the Most High are all around us. Signs of God's infinite love are everywhere if we only take the time to look for them and perceive them.
You are God, and You do not make empty promises. Every prophecy ever made by the great prophets is fulfilled in You. This is the truth that we must cling to, believe, and expect to see fulfilled even in our lifetime. The successors of Peter and the Apostles give us hope even as young people everywhere, who, tired of the empty promises of the world, are discovering You with a vibrant faith and spreading the joy of the Gospel with great fervor and enthusiasm.
Give us a clearer vision to see You at work everywhere and to know that the works of the Enemy have been destroyed. The days of evil are slowly coming to an end.
A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,
a scion thrusts from his roots:
on him the spirit of the Lord rests,
a spirit of wisdom and insight,
a spirit of counsel and power,
a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
(The fear of the Lord is his breath.)
He does not judge by appearances,
he gives no verdict on hearsay,
but judges the wretched with integrity,
and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.
His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,
his sentences bring death to the wicked.
Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,
faithfulness the belt about his hips.
The wolf lives with the lamb,
the panther lies down with the kid,
calf and lion feed together,
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear make friends,
their young lie down together.
The lion eats straw like the ox.
The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;
into the viper’s lair
the young child puts his hand.
They do no hurt, no harm,
on all my holy mountain,
for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters swell the sea.
That day, the root of Jesse
shall stand as a signal to the peoples.
It will be sought out by the nations
and its home will be glorious.
PSALM 71(72):1-2,7-8,12-13,17
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
a scion thrusts from his roots:
on him the spirit of the Lord rests,
a spirit of wisdom and insight,
a spirit of counsel and power,
a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
(The fear of the Lord is his breath.)
He does not judge by appearances,
he gives no verdict on hearsay,
but judges the wretched with integrity,
and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.
His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,
his sentences bring death to the wicked.
Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,
faithfulness the belt about his hips.
The wolf lives with the lamb,
the panther lies down with the kid,
calf and lion feed together,
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear make friends,
their young lie down together.
The lion eats straw like the ox.
The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;
into the viper’s lair
the young child puts his hand.
They do no hurt, no harm,
on all my holy mountain,
for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters swell the sea.
That day, the root of Jesse
shall stand as a signal to the peoples.
It will be sought out by the nations
and its home will be glorious.
PSALM 71(72):1-2,7-8,12-13,17
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
May his name be blessed for ever
and endure like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
May his name be blessed for ever
and endure like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
ROMANS 15:4-9
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
People of every nation, culture, and language can take comfort in the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Romans. All that we read of the lives of great men and women in the Old Testament and all that God promised then is fulfilled in the New, and we are filled with faith, hope, and confidence in Your power to renew our lives and make them something wonderful for God. All God's promises were not made just for His chosen people of old but are made for every people, in every nation, in every generation. You came into the world to save us all.
When things get difficult in any area of our lives, both spiritual and temporal, we know, Lord, if we come to You and ask You anything in prayer with faith, You will give us all we need to be happy in this life and eternally happy in the life to come.
This season of Advent, Lord, help us to spend more time immersed in Your Word and allow it to build our faith, hope, and love for You and for our neighbor, so when Christmas arrives, we will be more like You and be salt, leaven, and light in the world.
Everything that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something about hope from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up were helped by God. And may he who helps us when we refuse to give up, help you all to be tolerant with each other, following the example of Christ Jesus, so that united in mind and voice you may give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It can only be to God’s glory, then, for you to treat each other in the same friendly way as Christ treated you. The reason Christ became the servant of circumcised Jews was not only so that God could faithfully carry out the promises made to the patriarchs, it was also to get the pagans to give glory to God for his mercy, as scripture says in one place: For this I shall praise you among the pagans and sing to your name.
MATTHEW 3:1-12
My Soul's Beloved,
Without repentance, without contrition, without humble submission to the Commandments, we cannot be saved. Too many of us delay our return to the Sacraments and ultimate reconciliation to Holy Mother Church, and sadly, many may die in their sins and be lost forever. This is why so many preachers, who like John the Baptist, are warning us that the time is now. Salvation is at hand. We must repent and believe. We must be baptized and become children of the Father and members of the Church You founded. We must be regenerated through the Sacraments You instituted. Now is the time, Beloved; tomorrow may be too late.
Beloved, like me, countless parents, siblings, relatives, and friends are praying for the conversion of their loved ones. We do so with a heavy burden on our hearts, we pray with tears, and make heartfelt supplications for them to return home to Holy Mother Church, make a good sacramental confession, be healed in every way, and be restored once again to a life of grace. This desire is in line with Your will, too, Lord, and so we know that You are even more desirous to have them re-grafted into Your Body. In Your time and in Your way, I know that we will all experience the great joy of having our prayers for their salvation answered. Thank You, Lord.
In due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said:
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.
This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit, and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father,” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.
This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit, and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father,” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’
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