December 15, 2017
Today’s Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19Jesus said to the crowds: "To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
In today’s reading, Jesus uses an analogy to explain to those who did not understand nor properly respond to St. John the Baptist or to Jesus. The people heard but did not listen, they saw but did not see - they rejected both St. John and Jesus and their preaching. As Jesus taught the crowds back then, so He is teaching us today. We should reflect carefully on who He really is, and respond properly to what is being asked of us.In Advent we are invited to not just tune in, but to also respond in truth to the tune that our Lord is playing. We must not just sit and listen to the story of Christ and His coming without responding to what this truth means for us.
Ponder Together: Just as “they” misunderstood St. John, “they” also misunderstood Jesus. As we come to know who Jesus is, it also helps us to understand ourselves and others. If we fail to understand Jesus, we will fail to understand who we are and who we are together. The call to come to know Jesus is also an invitation to know who we are and what we are being called to.“The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come, namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.” Gaudium et Spes 22
Pray Together: O Lord please give us ears to hear and eyes that see. Send us your Holy Spirit and renew our hearts and minds. Jesus, we ask in your name that we may come to deeper knowledge, understanding and love of You. Help us also to love each other anew. Give us the grace to come to a deeper love, know and appreciation for each other that we may always remember that you gave us to each other and called us to be one in You. Amen.
Plan Together: St. Jerome, a priest, monk and doctor of the Church said that “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” A very important place for us to come to a deeper knowledge of Jesus is Sacred Scripture. While we have been focusing on the Gospel readings throughout Advent, take time to start reading and reflecting on the other Mass reading throughout the remaining days of Advent. In today’s Responsorial Psalm, read it in light of those who do come to know Jesus and properly respond to His invitation for us. Psalm 1-1-2, 3, 4, & 6 (see John 8:12) R: Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. R: Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers. R: Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away. For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes. R: Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
