Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Saturday of the First Week of Advent

LECTIONARY
180

FIRST READING

IS 30:19-21, 23-26

Thus says the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
"This is the way; walk in it,"
when you would turn to the right or to the left.

He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.

PSALM

PS 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Response: Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.

Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.

Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.

GOSPEL

MT 9:35–10:1, 5A, 6-8

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."

Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."

Daily Reflection

Suffering has traditionally been explained by many ancient and religious beliefs as God’s punishment for the sins of one’s past life or those of one’s ancestors! But Jesus came to reveal to us that God is love. Suffering, as God’s punishment, is therefore contradictory to the very nature of God.

Isaiah, in today’s first reading, presents to his people a novel understanding of suffering. Just as ‘bread’ and ‘water’ are necessary for bodily nourishment, so is suffering for spiritual nourishment. Like water quenches thirst, suffering also quenches one’s ceaseless desire for material acquisitions, which is the cause of most unhappiness. Isaiah thus explains that through their suffering, God has been strengthening his people to cope with the difficulties of life.

In the Gospel, Jesus commissions his disciples to reach out to ease the suffering of the multitudes.

Can we thank God for the occasions of suffering that have ‘nourished’ us?

St Nicholas, whose feast we celebrate today was able to recognise the poverty of those amongst whom he lived. Through his anonymous gift-giving, this warm hearted Bishop of Myra would cater to those in need, and thus was born the tradition of Santa Claus!