Gospel
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
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Amen
I very much appreciate your commentary Michael, thank you! How rewarding to visit CTH! I did in the middle of the night… and saw a light!
Amen.
Glorious Gaudete Sunday
Amen.
Wonderful and inspired. God bless you and have mercy on us all.
short&sweet
https://stpaulcenter.com/studies-tools/sunday-bible-reflections/
Menagerie, every year you remind CTH readers of the significance of the major holidays in America, and why they are important.
I just wanted to say, ‘thank you’.
Have a blessed Christmas.
Thank you!
I must have listened to twenty versions of this. steeleye span brings tears to my eyes every time.
thanks for that
Very Beautiful. I’ve never heard it before. Thank you so much – a Precious blessing, today.
O Almighty God, gracious provider and giver of life, we anxiously await the celebration of your birth. Like the people of long ago, our ancestors in faith, we, too, are in need of light, in need of direction, in need of your Word, to show us the way. Our busy lives and the consumerism that surrounds us make it difficult to recognize your kingdom and to hear your voice. Help us Lord, to focus on you. Amen.
Once a week I teach littles a Bible story. Am in my 6th year. Last year the lesson was the book of Matthew.
About a week ago, my husband went up on the roof to get leaves out of the gutter. I ran to find my coat (I’m spotter) and couldn’t find it so fished in closet for something warm. I pulled out his long camel hair coat. When I put my hands in the coat, I pulled out two green refrigerator magnet bugs!
I used the coat last year for the kids to feel, possibly getting an idea of the camel hair that John the Baptist wore around him. Course you know why I showed them the bugs.
All praise to the LORD for a fond memory.
A good day to remember Mary’s beautiful Magnificat , also know as the Canticle of Mary. It’s from Luke, chapter 1.
My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
So precious. Thank you for adding this to a sweet outpouring of Blessings on this occasion.
Thank you all so much!
Amen! It reminds me of an old Catholic saying….No one gets to the Father, except through the Son. No one gets to the Son except through The Mother.
A young girl, at that…very young, 14 or 15 I think…Very wise in her words, from her youth, learning in the temple.
Chosen bonus feature at end of season 2 presents the Magnificat very powerfully… any fans ?
https://www.angel.com/watch/the-chosen/episode/9906ce5f-05d6-45a0-ad39-d37f5c0da526/season-2/episode-9/the-messengers
God bless you beautiful Menagerie
The Whole World Awaits Mary’s Reply
On the Annunciation and Mary’s “fiat”
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
This homily excerpt of St. Bernard is in the Office of Readings for
December 20, the fourth week of Advent.
You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.
The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be, and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.
Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise. Abraham begs it, David begs it. All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death. This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet. It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.
Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.
Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.
Here’s the beautiful thing.
Jesus answered Johns inquiry with the gist of Psalm 61
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners ,
To proclaim the year of the lords grace.
He has indeed done all that for me and many of you.
The miracles are his credentials, his calling card.
Soon he will complete that sentence
“and the day of vengeance of our God”
Correction; Isaiah 61
Good morning to all. Thank you, Menagerie. May God continue to bless us, his creation, as he blessed us through his Son. May we feel the Joy that His promises deliver to us, one of the hardest emotions to hold to today. Amen.
Thanks to all who post inspiration, encouragement and especially the Scriptures here!
I need reminders every day – that God made us, He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sins, and we will live in eternity with Him! Glorious Day…
And, the Holy Spirit has been nudging me lately to pray more for all the ungodly – rather than complain and despise them, because of the terrible destructions they cause.
He reminds me what MY life was like before Christ – dark, confusing and everything else that goes along with that. The ones that I rail against are only behaving like unbelievers do without Christ. Had it not been for His tender compassions and mercies toward me, I would be right where they are. Most likely, a nut case.
Our nation NEEDS to see a Great Light soon, Jesus, the Light of the world. I pray He would shine brightly through His followers that He left on earth for those living in darkness to see.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia (+ 343)
The Saint Nicholas Center has a vast collection of artistic, cultural, historical, and religious content. There is a section for resources for the observance of Advent.
http://www.stnicholascenter.org
Manmade 👍👍 I only follow the Lord’s words ,you should too .
A favorite passage is Zechariah’s prophecy about his son John. Verses 77-79 are among the most beautiful, poetic, and impactful – in my humble opinion.
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn[c] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[d]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
From Luke 1
While you make many good points, we should not assume that the prophet in prison did not need reassurance and strengthening of his faith. Jesus said. “Go tell John….” While the messengers certainly benefit from the message, a man, even the greatest born of a woman, under persecution, needs to hear the promises fulfilled. Faith comes from hearing the message. The inherent weakness of all of God’s saints, prophets, and apostles has ample testimony in the Scriptures. That is of great comfort and also an admonition to continue in the word.
Gaudete!
Amen. Thank you for these posts, such a blessing. Such a nice blessing.
Oh, YES!
Amen, thank you so much!
Nothing can top the GREATEST GIFT EVER GIVEN TO US!
Moh@mmed compared to Him who has a 1000 Names. None like Jesus-Yeshua,
Where in the Quran is All@h merciful? Can we Name one miracle that Moh@mmed did which had witnesses? Can we Name one prophecy Moh@mmed prophesied? Correct answer, no. Surprised?
Joh 21:25 *”And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”
From an interview with Priest Georgy Pravdolyubov on the topic of digital identification of the individual, the attitude in the church environment to this problem and to the opponents of electronic innovations. December 2013
“I advise everyone: do not accept electronic cards, do not rush. And how to live? Put your trust in the Lord. How did Christ Himself live in this life, what did He have? Nothing, He didn’t even have where to lay my head.
And how do we want to live? What have we priests become? In pocket priests for the world government?! We do their will, but we do not want to act according to the will of God. “As the bishop says, so we will do.” No, I’m sorry. We have the Lord, there are Holy Fathers, there are canons – we will follow them, and not “as the bishop says.”
We have lost courage and resilience. We just keep walking and talking: “The Lord is Love, the Lord is Love…” Of course, Love. But the Lord is a Zealot, He is also Jealousy. And we have lost this jealousy.”
👍🏻