Monday of 1st Week of Advent
Mass Readings
First Reading – Is 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R.1)
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem. R.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD. R.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David. R.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings. R.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good. R.
Gospel – Mt 8:5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Featured Saints
St. Habakkuk. Prophet of the Old Testament who, in face of the iniquity and violence of men, proclaimed both God’s judgement and divine mercy.
St. Silverius, Pope and martyr († 537). Refusing to reinstate Anthimus, the heretical bishop of Constantinople, he was, by order of Empress Theodora, exiled to the island of Palmaria, Italy, where he died.
St. Chromatius of Aquileia, Bishop († 407). Transforming his father’s house into a monastery, there he led an ascetic life. At the death of Valerianus, the archbishop of Aquileia (northeastern Italy), the faithful acclaimed him as the successor. He favored the Church’s growth with his preaching, and was particularly skilled in resolving disputes of his time.
St. Bibiana, martyr. Victim of the persecution of Julian the Apostate in the fourth century.
Blessed Ivan Slezyuk, Bishop and martyr († 1973). He tirelessly exercised his episcopal ministry in hiding among the Ukrainian faithful of Byzantine Rite. Arrested and sentenced twice by the communist government, he spent a total of 15 years in forced labour camps in Russia and in prisons in Ukraine.
Blessed John van Ruysbroeck, priest († 1381). He retired with two companions to Groenendael (Belgium) to lead a life of recollection under the rule of St. Augustine. A great mystic, he wrote several works of spirituality.
Blessed Maria Angela Astorch, abbess (†1665). A Clarist nun who was a model of penance and humility.
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