December
21, 2015
Monday
of the Fourth Week of Advent
Saint
of the Day: Saint Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (1521-1597)
Reading 1
8Hark!
my lover–here He comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the
hills.[1] 9My
lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here He stands behind our wall, gazing
through the windows, peering through the lattices.
10My
lover speaks; He says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and
come! 11“For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. 12The
flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and
the song of the dove is heard in our land.
13The
fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise,
my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! 14“O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff, Let me see you, let me hear your voice, For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.”[2]
14Shout
for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all
your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! 15The LORD has removed the judgment against
you, He has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your
midst, you have no further misfortune to fear.
16On
that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! 17The
LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty Savior; He
will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in His love, He will sing
joyfully because of you, 18as one sings at festivals.
Responsorial Psalm
2Give
thanks to the LORD on the harp; with the ten-stringed lyre chant His praises. 3Sing
to Him a new song; pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R.
Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to Him a new song.
11But
the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of His heart, through all
generations. 12Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has
chosen for His own inheritance.
R.
Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to Him a new song.
20Our
soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, 21For in Him our
hearts rejoice; in His holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord!
Sing to Him a new song.
Alleluia
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
O
Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
39Mary
set out in those days and travelled to the hill country in haste to
a town of Judah, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted
Elizabeth.
41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her
womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42cried out in a loud voice
and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb.
43And
how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?[3] 44For
at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb
leaped for joy.
Notes on Readings:
[1] Song of Songs 2:8-13 - In this sudden
change of scene, the bride pictures her lover hastening toward her dwelling
until His voice is heard bidding her come to Him.
[2] Song of Songs 2:14 - The bride is
addressed as though she were a dove in a mountain fastness out of sight and reach.
[4] Luke 1:45 - Blessed are you who
believed: Luke portrays Mary as a believer whose faith stands in contrast to
the disbelief of Zechariah (Luke 1:20). Mary's role as believer in the infancy narrative should
be seen in connection with the explicit mention of her presence among
"those who believed" after the resurrection at the beginning of the
Acts of the Apostles (Acts:14).
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.