Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection December 02, 2024
First Week of Advent
02nd December 2024 (Monday)
Psalter: Week 1
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R. see 1)
R/. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Come and save us, LORD our God; Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Monday – First Week of Advent
Guidelines: True faith is nothing but a humble surrender. On one hand, it acknowledges the limitations of oneself and on the other hand, it recognises the unsurpassing greatness of God
1. The faith of the centurion in the gospel is so emblematic. That is why it receives the highest appreciation from Jesus. Jesus marvelled at his faith and acclaimed his faith in public, saying, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
2. Now, what is the speciality of his faith that stands higher than the faith of even the chosen people of Israel? First of all, it comes from a deep trust in Jesus’ power. This trust is so deep that he believes that even from distance with a mere word, Jesus can heal his paralysed servant at home.
3. His faith is praiseworthy because it is humble. He readily admits that the power of Jesus is far beyond his own authority. It is indeed a dignified humility because it does not arise from low self-esteem or inferiority complex or self-despisal.
4. He is fully aware that by virtue of his office as a centurion, he too possesses the authority to command and extract obedience from his servants. But his authority is limited because it is confined only to the secular domain.
5. In contrast, Jesus’ authority is divine and spiritual. It has no confines. It has power and control even over non-human forces like sickness. It can heal even beyond space, from distance, just with a word.
6. This double awareness of the contrasting authorities of him and Jesus leads him to a profound utterance of humility. He confesses, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only the word and my servant will be healed.”
7. That is why this faith-confession became exemplary as a humble confession before the reception of the holy Eucharist. There follows the hyperbolic and exclusive praise of Jesus.
8. Jesus states, “With no one in Israel have I found such a faith.” This is quite provocative. There is a provocation and challenge to the faith of Israel that faith is not their prerogative.
Practice: Faith is a matter of interior obedience and not merely exterior allegiance to a religion. It is a matter of surrender and not an inherited claim for favours
