Daily Reading for Sunday, December 22nd, 2024

Sunday December 22, 2024
Fourth Sunday of Advent Year C
Office: Psalter Week 4
Mass prop., Creed. Preface of Advent II
Vestment: Purple
Today’s Rosary: The Glorious Mystery

Vespers II of 4th Sunday of Advent

THEME OF THE SUNDAY: The Power of God Manifests Itself through Weakness. God chooses the poor and the weak to fulfil his plans. In the first reading Micah tells us that the Lord will behave just as he always did. He will not have the Saviour come from a great city like Jerusalem, but from a small village, Bethlehem. He will not be from a rich powerful family, but from a poor one, just as with David at the beginning of the kingdom. The gospel shows how this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, the son of Mary. She, too, is of the poor, one of those who goes unnoticed by others. The second reading invites us to be ready and obedient as Jesus was, so that God can manifest his love through our weakness.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Cf. Is 45: 8
Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour.

The Gloria in excels (Glory to God in the highest) is not said.

COLLECT
Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever

FIRST READING
“From you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel.”
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Micah (Micah 5:2-5a)

Thus says the LORD: You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who has labour pains has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return to the sons of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And this shall be peace.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 80:2ac and 3b. 15-16a.18- 19 (R. 4)
R/. O God, bring us back; let your face shine on us, and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
enthroned on the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse up your might and come to save us. R/.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore;
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted. R/.

R/. O God, bring us back; let your face shine on us, and we shall be saved.

May your hand be on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have confirmed as your own.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name. R.

SECOND READING
“Behold, I have come to do your will. ”
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 10:5- l0)

Brethren: When Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,’ as it is written of me in the roll of the book.” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA Luke 1: 38
Alleluia. Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord: let it be to me according to your word. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 1:39-45)

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

THE CREED (I Believe)
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

celebrant
At the presence of the baby Jesus, john the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother’s womb. Like Elizabeth, may our hearts be filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit as we present our petitions to God, confident that he will hear and answer us.

FOR THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH: that, conscious of their responsibility of guiding the people in the faith, they may lead by the good conduct of their lives. Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR THOSE IN GOVERNMENT: that the peace and joy that Christ brings at Christmas may abide in them. Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR THOSE OVERWHELMED WITH PROBLEMS: that the same God who made it possible for Elizabeth to conceive a child in her old age may look mercifully on them and help them alleviate their difficulties. Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR OURSELVES: that, like Mary who went to support Elizabeth in her time of need, we may be sensitive to those in need of assistance in our midst. Let us pray to the Lord.

FOR OTHER INTENTIONS: (the sick, church projects or other activities).

FOR THE DEAD, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF OUR PARISH COMMUNITY AND FAMILY MEMBERS: that they may find eternal rest with the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord.

We pray in silence for our private intentions.

Celebrant:
God our Father, with you nothing is impossible. In your loving kindness, hear and answer the prayers we have made to you. Through Christ our Lord.

R/. Amen.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
May the Holy Spirit, O Lord, sanctify these gifts laid upon your altar, just as he filled with his power the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through Christ our Lord.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Is 7: 14
Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son; and his name will be called Emmanuel.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Having received this pledge of eternal redemption, we pray, almighty God, that, as the feast day of our salvation draws ever nearer, so we may press forward all the more eagerly to the worthy celebration of the mystery of your Son’s Nativity. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
The Angel breaks the incredible news to Mary that you, Lord, have just taken your abode in her womb. Any young woman in her place would have experienced confusion and bewilderment. No wonder, then, that she longed to share her secret with someone and seek advice. Naturally, her elderly cousin Elizabeth was the best choice, for she too, despite her old age, was bearing a child. Carrying you in her womb, your mother rushes to meet Elizabeth. What an awesome moment that meeting turns out to be! You are already on duty as our Redeemer, sanctifying John in his mother’s womb. In fact, the child in Elizabeth’s womb responds to your presence, as the mother, filled with the Holy Spirit, bears witness to it. Lord, grant me the grace, to bring your joy to all I meet along the path of life. May your presence in my heart, as in Mary’s womb, bring salvation to all!

Personal Devotional

MY ANNUAL SPIRITUAL CHECK-UP
Thank you for checking in this last week of Advent for your Spiritual Cheek-up. There is no better time than now to have a spiritual cheek-up for our souls as we prepare for the coming of Our Lord.

When you go through this, remember it is designed to expose grey areas in our souls. This SPIRITUAL CHECK-UP IS ABSOLUTELY FREE unlike your medical cheek-up.

Use the following lists as guide to examine your life before the Lord. Please, take each one slowly and meditate on it carefully.

CURSING – Have you used gutter language? Swearing has no place in the life of a child of God. Never use exclamations beginning with “G”, “J”, “F”, or “C”; are they usually substitutes for curses against God. Have you failed to guard your speech? (Deut. 5:11; Matt. 5:33 – 37)

LEVITY – “Needless frivolity, silly talk – talking and acting like a moron”. Jests that tend to undermine the sacred and precious standards of life; “Bible” jokes that make light of the Holy Word of God; unprofitable, empty and often stupid foolishness achieves nothing but a dangerous devaluation of the Christian’s word. Real humour is a gift of God, and will always edify or prepare the way for the Holy Spirit; foolish levity is sin. (Ecc.5:3; Prov. 24:19; Eph. 5:4)

HARDNESS – Did you fight back, murmur or return evil for evil? Was your response to trial un-Christ like when you were wronged or hurt by someone? (Phil 2:14; I Cor. 10:10)

HABITS – Have you continually over-indulged natural appetites until they have grown far beyond normal? Are you a slave to food, drink or stimulants? (Phil. 3:19; Prov. 23:21; I Cor. 6:19)

HARD-HEARTEDNESS – Can you remember times when you deliberately shirked your full share of responsibility? Did you skip times of secret or public prayer to please yourself when you should have been meeting with God? Have you been flippant and light with Him? (Prov. 19:15; 21:5; 24:11-12; Matt 25:1-13; 25:14-30; I Thess. 5:6; Jas. 4:13-17)

BROKEN VOWS – Is there a vow you made to God that you have not kept? Did you promise Him something that you have since forgotten or gone back upon? If it was unwise, you had better ask forgiveness and release; He expects you to KEEP voluntary vows! (Eccl. 5:1-6)

DIAGNOSIS
If the Holy Spirit shows us our sin, we must go back to the cross where the Lord first met us. We see the Lord Jesus once crucified – for that sin – bearing our penalty. Our sin nails Jesus to the cross all over again. We tear open His wounds and make His redemption a mockery.

Walk out into the light of reality. Drop your self-deceit and face this sin for what it really is. Turn from it, from your heart. Take sides with God against it, – resolve in your heart NEVER to go back into that sin again.

MEDICATION OR SURGERY NEEDED?
Note that, “If we confess our sins, He is FAITHFUL and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 Jn. 1:9) Will you go to your gracious and loving Father as a little child and humbly ask His forgiveness?

The LORD is merciful and gracious…He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; “For as the heaven is above the earth, so great is His mercy towards them that fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps. 103:12)

Will you go to your gracious and loving Father as a little child and humbly ask His forgiveness? Note that, “If we confess our sins, He is FAITHFUL and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 Jn. 1:9)

Let Us Pray (Please go down on your kneels and pray for forgiveness)

“Oh God, You know my foolishness, and my sin is not concealed from You…please pardon my iniquity, for it is great…If you, Lord, would mark iniquities, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” (Ps. 69:5; 25:11; 130:3-4) look with pity on me, your humble servant, and have mercy in Jesus name.
Mary my dearest mother pray to Jesus for me.

Thank you for taking time out to have your spiritual health cheeked this Advent Season; the more often you get cheeked, the healthier spiritually you will be.