Thursday, January 05, 2012 {St. John Neumann, Bishop (Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Almsgiving proceeds from a merciful heart and is more useful for the one who practices it than for the one who receives it, for the man who makes a practice of almsgiving draws out a spiritual profit from his acts, whilst those who receive his alms receive only a temporal benefit.
-- St. Thomas Aquinas

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 John 3:11-21(Love One Another/ Courage before God)
11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
13 Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?
18 My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and persuade our hearts before him,
20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God;
Psalms: Psalm 100:1-5
(A Psalm of thanksgiving)
1 Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands!
2 Serve Yahweh with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.
3 Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his.
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, Into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
5 For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, His faithfulness to all generations.
Gospel: John 1:43-51
(Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael)
43 On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”
51 He said to him, “Most assuredly, I tell you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”