Liturgical Readings for : Tuesday, 12th December, 2023
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
Optional memorials of Our Lady of Guadalupe and
St Finnian of Clonard
Isaiah the prophet utters encouraging words to the formally enslaved Jewish nations that they were liberated. God was about to lead his people away and Isaiah and John’s call for a suitable road for God to travel on.
FIRST READING
A reading from the prophet Isaiah 40:1-11
God consoles his people. Console my people, console them’ says your God.
‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her
that her time of service is ended, that her sin is atoned for,
that she has received from the hand of the Lord
double punishment for all her crimes.’
A voice cries,
‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord
Make a straight highway for our God across the desert.
Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low,
let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley;
then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’
A voice commands:
‘Cry!’ and I answered, ‘What shall I cry?’ – ‘All flesh is grass and its beauty like the wild flower’s.
The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on them.
(The grass is without doubt the people.)
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God remains for ever.’
Go up on a high mountain, joyful messenger to Zion.
Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem.
Shout without fear, say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God’.
Here is the Lord coming with power, his arm subduing all things to him.
The prize of his victory is with him, his trophies all go before him.
He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps:95
Response Here is our God coming with power.
1. O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name. Proclaim his help day by day. Response
2. Tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’ He will judge the peoples in fairness. Response
3. Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad, let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice, all the trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of the Lord for he comes, he comes to rule the earth. Response
4. With justice he will rule the world, he will judge the peoples with his truth. Response
Gospel Acclamation Is 35:4
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come Lord ! Do not delay. Forgive the sins of your people.
Alleluia!
Or
Alleluia, alleluia!
The day of the Lord is near; Look he comes to save us.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 18:12-14 Glory to you, O Lord
God does not wish the little ones to be lost.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays;
will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray?
I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all.
Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Tuesday, Second Week of Advent Matthew 18:12-14
In the gospel reading Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd who notices when one sheep out of a flock of one hundred goes astray, and who is concerned enough about that one sheep to go searching for it, even though it means leaving the ninety nine unattended. The one, and not just the many, matter to this shepherd. The shepherd is an image of Jesus who is always portrayed in the gospels as engaging not just with crowds but with individuals. In the language of John’s gospel, he is the good shepherd who knows his own by name. The risen Lord relates to us not just as anonymous members of a group but as individuals. He calls each of us by name. In Matthew’s gospel the parable is not just an image of how Jesus relates to us, but also an image of how we are called to relate to each other. We are to call each other by name; we are to respect the uniqueness of each other, relating to one another as unique and irreplaceable images of God. Meeting with one person has potentially as much value as meeting with a large group. The parable suggests that one individual is as deserving of our attention as a gathering of many.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
