December
14, 2015
Memorial
of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Saint
of the Day: Saint John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church (1542-1591), Saint Nicasius, Bishop, and his Companions, Martyrs (5th Century)
Reading 1
2When
Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the
spirit of God came upon him, 3and
he gave voice to his oracle: The
utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the
utterance of a man whose eye is true, 4The
utterance of one who hears what God says, and
knows what the Most High knows, of
one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured,
and with eyes unveiled: 5How
goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your
encampments, O Israel! 6They
are like gardens beside a stream,like
the cedars planted by the LORD. 7His
wells shall yield free-flowing waters, he
shall have the sea within reach; His
king shall rise higher, and
his royalty shall be exalted.
15Then
Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The
utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the
utterance of the man whose eye is true, 16the
utterance of one who hears what God says, and
knows what the Most High knows, of
one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured,
and with eyes unveiled. 17aI
see him, though not now; I
behold him, though not near: A
star shall advance from Jacob, and
a staff shall rise from Israel.[1]
Responsorial
Psalm
R.
(4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
4Your
ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach
me your paths, 5aGuide
me in your truth and teach me, 5bfor
you are God my savior.
R.
Teach me your ways, O Lord.
6Remember
that your compassion, O LORD, and
your kindness are from of old.
7bIn
your kindness remember me, 7cbecause
of your goodness, O LORD.
R.
Teach me your ways, O Lord.
8Good
and upright is the LORD; thus He shows sinners the way. 9He
guides the humble to justice, He
teaches the humble His way.
R.
Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Alleluia
Psalm 85:8
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Show
us, LORD, your love, and grant us your salvation.
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
23When
Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the
people approached Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are you
doing these things? And who gave you this authority?”[2][3]
24Jesus
said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for
me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.[4] 25Where
was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They
discussed this among themselves and said, 26“If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ He
will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the
crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.”[5]
27So
they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He Himself said to them, “Neither
shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Notes on Readings:
[1] Psalm
24:17 - A star . . . a staff: many of
the Fathers have understood this as a Messianic prophecy, although it is not
referred to anywhere in the New Testament; in this sense the star is Christ Himself, just as He is the staff from Israel; compare with Isaiah 11:1. But it is doubtful whether this passage is
to be connected with the "star of the Magi" in Matthew 2:1-12. The Shuthites: mentioned in other documents of this
period as nomads on the borders of Palestine.
[2] Matthew
21:23-27 – compare with Mark 11:27-33. This is the first of five controversies between Jesus and
the religious authorities of Judaism in Matthew 21:23 - 22:46 Presented in the form of questions and answers.
[3] Matthew
21:23 - These things: probably His entry into the city, His cleansing of the
temple, and His healings there.
[6] Matthew
21:27 - Since through embarrassment on the one hand and fear on the other the
religious authorities claim ignorance of the origin of John's baptism, they
show themselves incapable of speaking with authority; hence Jesus refuses to discuss
with them the grounds of His authority.
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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.