Readings and Reflections for the Week!!! (Dec 1st - Dec 7th, 2013)

Sunday, December 01, 2013 {First Sunday of Advent (Blessing of Advent wreath after homily)}
REFLECTIONS
My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my words to the King.
-- Psalm xliv. 2

READINGS
First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
1 The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Psalm: Psalm 122:1-9
1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they prosper who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!"
8 For my brethren and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be within you!"
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good. 

Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14
11Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed;
12 the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;
13 let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44
37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
40 Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left.
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
43 But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Monday, December 02, 2013 (Advent Weekday)
REFLECTION
God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet.
-- Ps. xlvi. 6
READINGS 
First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5 or Isaiah 4:2-6

READINGS AND REFLECTIONS FOR THE WEEK (Sunday, October 06, 2013 - Saturday, October 12, 2013)

Sunday, October 06, 2013 (Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION
Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall not suffer the just to waver for ever.
-- Psalm liv, 23

READINGS

First Reading: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Habakkuk Complains of Injustice
2 O Lord, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? 
3 Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere.
Habakkuk 2:2-4
2 The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.  
3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed.   
4 And this is the message: ‘Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.’”

Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
Worship and Obey the Lord
1 Sing joyful songs to the Lord! Praise the mighty rock where we are safe.
2 Come to worship him with thankful hearts and songs of praise.
6 Bow down and worship the Lord our Creator!
7 The Lord is our God, and we are his people, the sheep he takes care of in his own pasture.
Listen to God's voice today!
8 Don't be stubborn and rebel as your ancestors did at Meribah and Massah out in the desert.
9 For forty years they tested God and saw the things he did.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
6 For this reason I remind you to keep alive the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 
7 For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.
13 Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you, as the example for you to follow, and remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus. 
14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, keep the good things that have been entrusted to you.

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10
Faith
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith greater.”
6 The Lord answered, “If you had faith as big as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.
A Servant's Duty
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant who is plowing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry along and eat his meal? 
8 Of course not! Instead, you say to him, ‘Get my supper ready, then put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.’ 
9 The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? 
10 It is the same with you; when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.’”


Monday, October 07, 2013 {Our Lady of the Rosary (Memorial)}

REFLECTION
He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him. I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him my salvation.
-- Psalm xc. 15, 16

READINGS
First Reading: Acts 1:12-14
Psalm: Luke 1:46-55
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38


Tuesday, October 08, 2013 (Weekday)

REFLECTION
Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until He have mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
-- Psalm cxx. 2,3

READINGS
First Reading: Jonah 3:1-10
Psalm: Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8
Gospel: Luke 10:38-42


Wednesday, October 09, 2013 (Weekday)

REFLECTION
Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight; the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice.
-- Psalm cxl. 2

READINGS
First Reading: Jonah 4:1-11
Psalm: Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10
Gospel: Luke 11:1-4


Thursday, October 10, 2013 (Weekday)
REFLECTION
It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward a man's progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.
-- St Francis Xavier

READINGS
First Reading: Malachi 3:13-20
Psalm: Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Gospel: Luke 11:5-13


Friday, October 11, 2013 (Weekday)
REFLECTION
The troubles of my heart are multiplied: deliver me from my necessities. See my abjection and my labour; and forgive me all my sins.
-- Psalm xxiv. 17, 18

READINGS
First Reading: Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Psalm: Psalm 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9
Gospel: Luke 11:15-26


Saturday, October 12, 2013 {St. Seraphin of Montegranaro, Religious (Memorial)}

REFLECTION
Many people would like to attain union with God but they cannot bear the contradictions he sends them. They hate the sickness which strikes them, or the poverty they suffer, or the insults they receive. Since they cannot be resigned, they never succeed in reaching total union with God.
-- St Alphonsus de Liguori

READINGS
First Reading: Joel 4:12-21
Psalm: Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

Readings and Reflections for the WEEk!! (Sunday, 29th Sept - Saturday, Oct 5th)

Sunday, September 29, 2013 (Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Reflection
God wishes us not to rest upon anything but His infinite Goodness. Do not let us expect anything but from Him, and let us put our trust and confidence in Him alone.
-- St Charles Borromeo

Readings
First Reading: Amohs 6:1, 4-7
(The Destruction of Israel)
1 How terrible it will be for you that have such an easy life in Zion and for you that feel safe in Samaria—you great leaders of this great nation Israel, you to whom the people go for help!
4 How terrible it will be for you that stretch out on your luxurious couches, feasting on veal and lamb! 
5 You like to compose songs, as David did, and play them on harps. 
6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest perfumes, but you do not mourn over the ruin of Israel. 
7 So you will be the first to go into exile. Your feasts and