Mass Readings for : Friday, 6th December, 2024

Liturgical Readings for : Friday, 6th December, 2024

Friday of the First Week of Advent

The coming Messiah will open the eyes and minds of people through reading His word and living it.

The optional memorial today is of St Nicholas, 4th Century bishop of Myra, (modern Turkey).
Patron of Russia, sailors, pawnbrokers and children .

FIRST READING

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah 29:17-24
That day the eyes of the blind will see.

The Lord says this:

In a short time, a very short time, shall not Lebanon become fertile land and fertile land turn into forest?
The deaf, that day, will hear the words of a book
and, after shadow and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see.

But the lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more and
the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel;
for tyrants shall be no more, and scoffers vanish,
and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil:
those who gossip to incriminate others, those who try at the gate to trip the arbitrator
and get the upright man’s case dismissed for groundless reasons

Therefore the Lord speaks, the God of the House of Jacob, Abraham’s redeemer:
No longer shall Jacob be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale,
for he shall see what my hands have done in his midst, he shall hold my name holy.
They will hallow the Holy One of Jacob, stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Erring spirits will learn wisdom and murmurers accept instruction.

The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Ps:26
Response The Lord is my light and my help.

1. The Lord is my light and my help; Whom shall I fear
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink? Response

2. There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord, to behold his temple. Response

3. I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord! Response

Gospel Acclamation Ps 84:8
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!

Or
Alleluia, Alleluia
Behold our Lord will come with power and will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 9:27-31 Glory to you, O Lord
Two blind men who believe in Jesus are cured.

As Jesus went on his way two blind men followed him shouting,
‘Take pity on us, Son of David’.
And when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up with him and he said to them,
‘Do you believe I can do this?‘
They said, ‘Sir, we do’.
Then he touched their eyes saying,
‘Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you’.
And their sight returned.

Then Jesus sternly warned them,
‘Take care that no one learns about this’.

But when they had gone, they talked about him all over the countryside.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

********************
Gospel Reflection Friday First Week of Advent Matthew 9:27–31

It is said in today’s gospel reading that two blind men followed Jesus on his way, shouting after him, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David’. If they were blind, it must have been difficult for them to follow Jesus. It is only when Jesus reached the house to which he was going that he addressed the two blind men, so they must have been following Jesus for some distance. Even though their blindness made following Jesus a real challenge, they persevered until Jesus finally addressed them and healed them of their blindness. There is a sense in which we are all trying to follow Jesus in our blindness. We don’t always see the Lord clearly.

Saint Paul says in one of his letters that now we see as in a mirror, dimly, and it is only beyond this earthly life that we will see the Lord ‘face to face‘. In this earthly life, we don’t see the Lord as he sees us, or know him as he knows us. There is much about the Lord’s relationship with us and ours with him that remains a mystery to us. Yet, our faith in the Lord gives us some light and we are asked to follow the Lord with the light that we have, imperfect as it is. Even though the Lord did not respond to the prayer of the blind men until he reached the house, he was aware of their presence and their prayer as he went on his way. The Lord is very aware of us as we strive to follow him in the limited light that our faith gives us. He is very aware of our prayer for greater light, and, even if he doesn’t respond to our prayer immediately, our heartfelt prayer will not go unanswered by him. He will eventually respond to our searching faith, as generously as he responded to the prayer of the two blind men.