Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Tuesday, 23 December 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Meditation - Luke 1:The Birth of John
57-58 When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.
59-60 On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: “No. He is to be called John.”
61-62 “But,” they said, “no one in your family is named that.” They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.
63-64 Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, “His name is to be John.” That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah’s mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!
65-66 A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, “What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this.”
4th Week of Advent
They rejoiced with her. (Luke 1:58)
Let’s talk about envy. An odd subject for two days before Christmas? Maybe not. Holidays provide many opportunities for comparisons that can give rise to envy. (I wish someone had given me that nice gift. Why can’t my family be as happy as theirs?) If we read today’s Gospel with envy in mind, we’ll see how to resist this deadly disease of the spirit.
Joy and gratitude—both powerful antidotes to envy—seem to be hallmarks of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s family. But don’t these new parents have every reason to rejoice over the unexpected gift of their special son? Wouldn’t anyone in their place bless the Lord? Well, envy is sneaky. It’s always looking to poison happiness by injecting discontent. Say you’ve received something good: a promotion, a new car, a high test score, or even a spiritual gift. You’re pleased—until you notice someone who has received something that looks even better. If you nurture your pangs of sadness and resentment over their good fortune, envy enters in.
But this didn’t happen with John the Baptist’s parents. In fact, they showed the opposite reaction. Elizabeth set the tone in her earlier greeting to Mary. Instead of feeling miffed that her own child would not be as important as Mary’s, she exuberantly honored her young relative as “most blessed … among women” and “mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:42, 43). Zechariah seconds his wife’s sentiments. Emerging from his months of silence, he foresees John’s lesser role as herald and blesses God for it (1:64, 76). Even Elizabeth’s “neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her” (1:58). Years later, John himself will stand out for his humility, as he too refuses to grasp at roles that are not his. Jesus “must increase; I must decrease,” he says, with no trace of envy’s sadness and self-pity (John 3:30).
“Would you like to see God glorified by you?” wrote St. John Chrysostom. Then imitate Zechariah and his family and learn to rejoice with those who rejoice. “Rejoice in the progress of your brothers and sisters. Because you, his servant, could conquer envy by rejoicing in the merits of others, God will be praised.”
“I rejoice in you, Lord, and in your loving plan for me and all your children.” Amen!
Malachi 3: The Master You’ve Been Looking For
1 “Look! I’m sending my messenger on ahead to clear the way for me. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Leader you’ve been looking for will enter his Temple—yes, the Messenger of the Covenant, the one you’ve been waiting for. Look! He’s on his way!” A Message from the mouth of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
2-4 But who will be able to stand up to that coming? Who can survive his appearance?
He’ll be like white-hot fire from the smelter’s furnace. He’ll be like the strongest lye soap at the laundry. He’ll take his place as a refiner of silver, as a cleanser of dirty clothes. He’ll scrub the Levite priests clean, refine them like gold and silver, until they’re fit for God, fit to present offerings of righteousness. Then, and only then, will Judah and Jerusalem be fit and pleasing to God, as they used to be in the years long ago.
23 Now I am sending to you
Elijah* the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day;
24 He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons,
and the heart of sons to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with utter destruction.
Psalms 25:4 Show me how you work, God;
School me in your ways.
5 Take me by the hand;
Lead me down the path of truth.
You are my Savior, aren’t you?
8 God is fair and just;
He corrects the misdirected,
Sends them in the right direction.
9 He gives the rejects his hand,
And leads them step-by-step.
10 From now on every road you travel
Will take you to God.
Follow the Covenant signs;
Read the charted directions.
14 God-friendship is for God-worshipers;
They are the ones he confides in.
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