Liturgical Readings for : Saturday, 9th December, 2023
Saturday of the First week of Advent
Optional Memorial of St Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, (” talking eagle”), visionary at Guadalupe
God, our Father, hears the cries of his needy people and feels compassion
for those who have lost their way.
FIRST READING
A reading from the prophet Isaiah 30:19-21. 23-26
He will be gracious to you when he hears your cry.
Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel:
People of Zion, you will live in Jerusalem and weep no more.
He will be gracious to you when he hears your cry; when he hears he will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of suffering and the water of distress, he who is your teacher will hide no longer, and you will see your teacher with your own eyes. Whether you turn to right or left, your ears will hear these words behind you,
‘This is the way, follow it.‘
He will send rain for the seed you sow in the ground,
and the bread that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing. Your cattle will graze, that day, in wide pastures. Oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat a salted fodder, winnowed with shovel and fork.
On every lofty mountain, on every high hill there will be streams and watercourses, on the day of the great slaughter when the strongholds fall. Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight and sunlight itself be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one – on the day the Lord dresses the wound of his people and heals the bruises his blows have left.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps:146
Response Happy are all who hope in the Lord.
Or Alleluia!
1 Praise the Lord for he is good; sing to our God for he is loving:
to him our praise is due.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem and brings back Israel’s exiles. Response
2 He heals the broken-hearted, he binds up all their wounds.
He fixes the number of the stars; he calls each one by its name. Response
3 Our Lord is great and almighty; his wisdom can never be measured.
The Lord raises the lowly; he humbles the wicked in the dust. Response
Gospel Acclamation Is 55:6
Alleluia, alleluia!
Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near.
Alleluia!
or
Alleluia, alleluia!
Look the Lord is our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our King and our saviour.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 9:35-10:1. 6-8 Glory to you, O Lord.
When he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them.
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’
He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:
‘Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils.
You received without charge, give without charge.’
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
******************
Gospel Reflection Saturday First Week of Advent Matthew 9:35-10.1, 6-8
The opening verse of the gospel reading gives us a sense of all the work Jesus did during his public ministry. He made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. Jesus clearly did not spare himself in doing the work God had given him to do. Yet, he knew that even he could not do God’s work alone. When he saw crowds that were harassed and dejected, even after all the work he did, he didn’t respond by saying he had to work harder. He responded by asking his disciples to ask God to send labourers into God’s harvest. The harvest was so rich, the work to be done was so great, that Jesus alone could not do it. Many labourers were needed, through whom Jesus would work. That is why he went on to send out his twelve closest disciples to do the same work he had been doing, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. Yet, Jesus knew that even these twelve could not do all God’s work that needed doing. Many more labourers would be needed. The Lord needs each one of us to be a labourer in God’s harvest. Each of us has a combination of gifts and experiences which the Lord needs to continue God’s work in the world today. Each of us has a unique role to play in helping the risen Lord to bring more of the kingdom of God to earth. There is a corner of God’s harvest that needs our labour. The Lord wants to work through each of us to bring his healing and life-giving presence to bear more fully on the world. None of us, no matter where we are on our life’s journey, is surplus to his requirements.
_______________________________
The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
