Daily Archives: December 10, 2023

Daily mass readings

Daily mass readings for Dec 24,2023

Daily mass readings: Fourth Sunday of Advent

Reading 1: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
“Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
Nathan answered the king,
“Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you.”
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?’

“It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.”

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29

R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 : Rom 16:25-27

Brothers and sisters:
To him who can strengthen you,
according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia: Lk 1:38

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Lk 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

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Resisting Temptation: Mastering the Art of Overcoming with the Power of Prayer

Temptation is a common struggle for many Christians. It can come in various forms, such as lust, greed, pride, anger, envy, or gluttony. Temptation can make us feel guilty, ashamed, or unworthy of God’s love and grace. But temptation is not a sin in itself. It is only a test of our faith and obedience to God.

The Bible tells us that God does not tempt anyone, but He allows us to be tempted by the devil, who is the enemy of our souls. The devil wants to lure us away from God and His will for our lives. He wants to destroy our relationship with God and our witness to others. He wants to make us doubt God’s goodness and power.

But God is faithful and He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. He will also provide a way out so that we can endure it. The way out is prayer. Prayer is our lifeline to God. Prayer is our weapon against the devil. Prayer is our source of strength and wisdom.

Prayer can help us beat the temptation in several ways:

  • Prayer can remind us of who God is and who we are in Him. When we pray, we acknowledge God’s sovereignty, holiness, love, and grace. We also affirm our identity as His children, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We remember that we belong to Him and that He has a good plan for our lives.
  • Prayer can help us resist the devil and his lies. When we pray, we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from us. We also expose the devil’s schemes and refute his accusations with the truth of God’s Word. We declare that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.
  • Prayer can help us receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing. When we pray, we confess our sins and repent of them. We ask God to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We also receive His mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.
  • Prayer can help us renew our minds and transform our hearts. When we pray, we meditate on God’s Word and His promises. We also ask Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit and His fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We also ask Him to give us a new heart and a new spirit that desires to please Him.
  • Prayer can help us seek God’s will and direction. When we pray, we align ourselves with God’s purposes and plans. We also ask Him to guide us and lead us in His paths of righteousness. We also seek His wisdom and discernment to make godly decisions.

Prayer is not a one-time event, but a continuous practice. We should pray without ceasing, in every situation and circumstance. We should pray before we face temptation, during temptation, and after temptation. We should pray for ourselves and for others who are struggling with temptation.

Prayer is not a magic formula or a quick fix, but a relationship with God. Prayer is not about getting what we want, but about trusting God’s will and timing. Prayer is not about changing God’s mind, but about changing ours.

Prayer is the key to beating the temptation with God’s help. Let us pray fervently and faithfully, knowing that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

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St. Mark

St. Mark

Feast dayJuly 9
Birth1872
Death1900
Beatified24 November 1946 by Pope Pius XII
Cannonized October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II

Much of what we know about St. Mark, the author of the Second Gospel, comes largely from the New Testament and early Christian traditions. Mark the Evangelist is believed to be the ‘John Mark’ referred to in the Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early Church found in the Canon of the New Testament.

He was the son of Mary of Jerusalem (Acts 12:12) whose home became a meeting place for the apostles. He is also the cousin of St. Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), a Levite and a Cypriot.

Mark joined St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Antioch in 44 A.D. When the group reached Cyprus, Christian tradition holds that Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem, possibly because he was missing his home (Acts 13:13). This incident may have caused Paul to question whether Mark could be a reliable missionary. This created a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas and led Paul to refuse Mark’s accompaniment on their second journey to the churches of Cilicia and the rest of Asia Minor.

However, it can be assumed the troubles between Paul and Mark did not last long, because when Paul was first imprisoned, Mark, who was at the time in Rome with plans of visiting Asia Minor, visited him as one of his trusted companions (Col 4:10).

Mark’s hopes to visit Asia Minor were most likely carried out, because during Paul’s second captivity and just before his martyrdom, Paul wrote to Timothy at Ephesus advising him to “take Mark and bring him with you [to Rome], for he is profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). If Mark returned to Rome at this time, he was probably there when Paul was martyred.

According to Christian tradition, Mark also held a close relationship with St. Peter, who referred to Mark has ‘his son’ in his letter addressed to a number of churches in Asia Minor (1 Peter 5:13). Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus and Papias all indicate that Mark was an interpreter for Peter.

Although Papias states Mark had not personally heard the Lord speak firsthand and, like Luke, Mark was not one of the twelve apostles, some believe Mark was likely speaking of himself when he wrote the description of Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemani. “Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked” (Mark 14:51-52).

St. Mark lived for years in Alexandria, where he died as a martyr while being dragged through the streets.

Mark’s Gospel was probably written between 60 and 70 A.D., and was based upon the teachings of St. Peter. It is believed Mark provided both Luke and Matthew with basic sources for their Gospel’s.

He was probably the first bishop of Alexandria, Egypt and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, although he is not mentioned in connection to the city by either Clement of Alexandria nor by Origen.

In 828, relics of St. Mark were stolen from Alexandria and taken to Venice, Italy. There they are enshrined in a beautiful cathedral dedicated to the saint.

St. Mark’s symbol is a winged lion. This is believed to be derived from his description of St. John the Baptist, as “a voice of one crying out in the desert” (Mark 1:3). The wings come from Ezekiel’s vision of four winged creatures as the evangelists.

He is often depicted as writing or holding his Gospel. He is sometimes shown as a bishop on a throne or as a man helping Venetian sailors.

St. Mark is the patron saint of Venice. His feast day is celebrated on April 25.

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