READING OF THE DAY First reading from the Book of Isaiah IS 61:1-2A, 10-11
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God.
I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.
"And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord 47.and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; 48.because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, 49.for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, 50.and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him. 51.He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart. 52.He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. 53.He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty. 54.He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love 55.-according to the promise he made to our ancestors -- of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever."
Second reading from the first letter to the Thessalonians 1 THES 5:16-24
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to John JN 1:6-8, 19-28
A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER To prepare the way of the Lord’s coming, it is necessary to take note of the requirements of conversion to which the Baptist invites us… One cannot have a relationship of love, charity and fraternity with one’s neighbours if there are “gaps”, just as one cannot travel a road with many potholes… We cannot give up in the face of negative situations of closure and rejection: we must not allow ourselves to succumb to the mentality of the world, because the centre of our life is Jesus and His word of light, love and solace. It is He! (Angelus 9 December 2018)
FAUSTI - If from time immemorial the "Word was towards God", there was and there will always be "a man sent by God to witness to others". t John is a figure of the wise men and prophets who, everywhere and always, have awakened their brothers to the light. The purpose of their witness is that "all" recognize the light of life and enter into the mysterious dialogue with God that leads them to live their truth. Otherwise, even if darkness does not stop the light, there is only a dull and twilight existence, which tends to death. It is underlined that the wise men and the prophets, of Israel and of all peoples, are not the light: they are enlightened by the Word and they witness it to others, so that all may receive the light of life. An enlightened person who thinks himself as a light is in the deepest night. Testimony gives voice to the Word here and now. The poetic prologue is followed by a narrative prologue, in the form of a process, with interrogation and answers. In this prologue the personages of the drama enter the scene. On one side are the protagonists and on the other the antagonists of the Word. On one side are John and Jesus, respectively the witness of the Word and the Word witnessed - man before God and God before man - and on the other side are the Jews, priests, Levites and Pharisees, the ruling power, the opponents of the Word.This trial, which begins here against the Baptist, will continue against Jesus and then against his disciples. It is the same that takes place within those who, hearing the Word, find themselves in the situation of being its adversary or its witness, called to decide between lies and truth, slavery and freedom, darkness and light, life and death. The other synoptics describe John in greater detail. Here everything is made essential, with the result t of making him the typical representant of the Word: he awaits it, he senses it present, it is revealed to him in Jesus, he recognizes it and he indicates it to others. In him we see the path that leads to the discovery of the Logos become flesh, with the necessary dispositions to meet the only-begotten Son, the narrator of the Father to His brothers and sisters, the fulfillment of every promise of God to mankind. The Baptist is the man of desires. If desire concerns what must be and is not yet there, he defines himself first of all as the one who "is not". His being is addressed to something else, to the Other. He is an "eccentric" man, with the center outside himself, he is attracted, unbalanced, set in motion by it. John is the Israel who believes in the God who promises and knows that there is a fulfillment of His promise. He is first and foremost a seeker. He is not satisfied by his search - it would be a frustration - but he finds what he desires and communicates to others the joy of his discovery. The witness is a free spirit, in contradiction with the dominant mentality. He is a restless and clear conscience, in search of the truth; once he has found it, he lives it and proclaims it, anticipating what, sooner or later, will be accepted by others as well. He does not say "I am", as reserved in the Gospel for Jesus, but "I, the voice". After the triple negation, his "I", his identity, is to be "voice" that cries out the "Word" of which he is a witness. John lends voice to the expectation of both Israel and all humanity in search of its light. Every cry of man, who has not ceased to hope, finds in him its own voice. The voice prepares the Way of the Lord through which we go to Him and He comes to us. The prophet keeps man in God's way, which is not our way: it is the way of freedom, which passes through Truth and Justice. Whoever does not thirst for freedom, truth and justice - an inseparable combination - cannot know God or man.
Jews, priests, Levites and Pharisees are the recognized authorities of the people. Instead of growing it in the way of the Lord, they suffocate it under their power. The relationship between prophecy and institution is always "critical". The prophet in fact calls to obey and serve the truth, not to use it to be obeyed by the people and, if possible, by God himself. John is sent to baptize; only later will he understand the profound reason for it. He proclaims "a baptism of conversion for the forgiveness of sins". His baptism may fit into a common religious symbolism . To immerse oneself and come out of the water means to die to a dead life in order to be reborn to a beautiful and just existence. If the immersion expresses the reality of death, the emergence expresses the desire for life. The very consciousness of death and injustice is already a protest against injustice and death, an aspiration to a full and just life. With his baptism John intends to prepare that of the Messiah, who will baptize in the Spirit. "In the midst of you stands He whom you do not know" In the world there is always a presence of the Unknown One waiting to reveal itself. John calls it out to everyone.
from "omelia" Ronchi John is the "martyr" of light, the witness that the approach of God transfigures, is like a handful of light thrown in the face of the world, not to dazzle, but to awaken the forms, the colors and the beauty of things, to widen the horizons of the world. and the beauty of things, to broaden the horizon. Witness that the cornerstone on which history rests is not sin but grace, not mud but a ray of sunshine, which never gives way. Every believer is assigned the same prophecy as the Baptist: to announce not the decay, the ruin, the rot that threatens us, but eyes that see God walking among us, pilgrim sandals and a heart of light: in the midst of you stands One Whom you do not know.
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Book of Isaiah
IS 61:1-2A, 10-11
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.
I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.
"And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord 47.and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; 48.because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, 49.for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, 50.and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him. 51.He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart. 52.He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. 53.He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty. 54.He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love 55.-according to the promise he made to our ancestors -- of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever."
Second reading from the first letter to the Thessalonians
1 THES 5:16-24
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful,
and he will also accomplish it.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to John
JN 1:6-8, 19-28
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
To prepare the way of the Lord’s coming, it is necessary to take note of the requirements of conversion to which the Baptist invites us… One cannot have a relationship of love, charity and fraternity with one’s neighbours if there are “gaps”, just as one cannot travel a road with many potholes… We cannot give up in the face of negative situations of closure and rejection: we must not allow ourselves to succumb to the mentality of the world, because the centre of our life is Jesus and His word of light, love and solace. It is He! (Angelus 9 December 2018)
+
FAUSTI - If from time immemorial the "Word was towards God", there was and there will always be "a man sent by God to witness to others".
RispondiEliminat
John is a figure of the wise men and prophets who, everywhere and always, have awakened their brothers to the light. The purpose of their witness is that "all" recognize the light of life and enter into the mysterious dialogue with God that leads them to live their truth. Otherwise, even if darkness does not stop the light, there is only a dull and twilight existence, which tends to death. It is underlined that the wise men and the prophets, of Israel and of all peoples, are not the light: they are enlightened by the Word and they witness it to others, so that all may receive the light of life. An enlightened person who thinks himself as a light is in the deepest night. Testimony gives voice to the Word here and now. The poetic prologue is followed by a narrative prologue, in the form of a process, with interrogation and answers. In this prologue the personages of the drama enter the scene. On one side are the protagonists and on the other the antagonists of the Word. On one side are John and Jesus, respectively the witness of the Word and the Word witnessed - man before God and God before man - and on the other side are the Jews, priests, Levites and Pharisees, the ruling power, the opponents of the Word.This trial, which begins here against the Baptist, will continue against Jesus and then against his disciples. It is the same that takes place within those who, hearing the Word, find themselves in the situation of being its adversary or its witness, called to decide between lies and truth, slavery and freedom, darkness and light, life and death.
The other synoptics describe John in greater detail. Here everything is made essential, with the result t of making him the typical representant of the Word: he awaits it, he senses it present, it is revealed to him in Jesus, he recognizes it and he indicates it to others.
In him we see the path that leads to the discovery of the Logos become flesh, with the necessary dispositions to meet the only-begotten Son, the narrator of the Father to His brothers and sisters, the fulfillment of every promise of God to mankind.
The Baptist is the man of desires. If desire concerns what must be and is not yet there, he defines himself first of all as the one who "is not". His being is addressed to something else, to the Other. He is an "eccentric" man, with the center outside himself, he is attracted, unbalanced, set in motion by it. John is the Israel who believes in the God who promises and knows that there is a fulfillment of His promise. He is first and foremost a seeker. He is not satisfied by his search - it would be a frustration - but he finds what he desires and communicates to others the joy of his discovery.
The witness is a free spirit, in contradiction with the dominant mentality. He is a restless and clear conscience, in search of the truth; once he has found it, he lives it and proclaims it, anticipating what, sooner or later, will be accepted by others as well. He does not say "I am", as reserved in the Gospel for Jesus, but "I, the voice". After the triple negation, his "I", his identity, is to be "voice" that cries out the "Word" of which he is a witness. John lends voice to the expectation of both Israel and all humanity in search of its light. Every cry of man, who has not ceased to hope, finds in him its own voice.
The voice prepares the Way of the Lord through which we go to Him and He comes to us.
The prophet keeps man in God's way, which is not our way: it is the way of freedom, which passes through Truth and Justice. Whoever does not thirst for freedom, truth and justice - an inseparable combination - cannot know God or man.
Jews, priests, Levites and Pharisees are the recognized authorities of the people. Instead of growing it in the way of the Lord, they suffocate it under their power.
RispondiEliminaThe relationship between prophecy and institution is always "critical". The prophet in fact calls to obey and serve the truth, not to use it to be obeyed by the people and, if possible, by God himself.
John is sent to baptize; only later will he understand the profound reason for it. He proclaims "a baptism of conversion for the forgiveness of sins". His baptism may fit into a common religious symbolism . To immerse oneself and come out of the water means to die to a dead life in order to be reborn to a beautiful and just existence.
If the immersion expresses the reality of death, the emergence expresses the desire for life. The very consciousness of death and injustice is already a protest against injustice and death, an aspiration to a full and just life.
With his baptism John intends to prepare that of the Messiah, who will baptize in the Spirit. "In the midst of you stands He whom you do not know" In the world there is always a presence of the Unknown One waiting to reveal itself. John calls it out to everyone.
from "omelia" Ronchi
RispondiEliminaJohn is the "martyr" of light, the witness that the approach of God transfigures, is like a handful of light thrown in the face of the world, not to dazzle, but to awaken the forms, the colors and the beauty of things, to widen the horizons of the world.
and the beauty of things, to broaden the horizon. Witness that the cornerstone on which history rests is not sin but grace, not mud but a ray of sunshine, which never gives way.
Every believer is assigned the same prophecy as the Baptist: to announce not the decay, the ruin, the rot that threatens us, but eyes that see God walking among us, pilgrim sandals and a heart of light: in the midst of you stands One Whom you do not know.