Jesus, the Promised Messiah. There have been, and still are, many people who profess to be “messiahs” and “saviours” of humanity. The readings today tell us that there is only one true Messiah: Jesus, the son of Mary. In the first reading we have seen in the prophecy of Nathan that the descendants of David will inherit an eternal kingdom. In the gospel Jesus is presented as the Messiah. He is the king who will sit on the throne of his father David for ever. The second reading is a song of praise to God for his wonderful works.

Entrance Antiphon cf. Is 45:8

Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour.

Collect

Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you. ..

Jesus the Promised Messiah, Catholic Mass Reading for Sunday 20 December, 2020

FIRST READING

The kingdom of David shall be made sure for ever before the Lord.
A reading from the second Book of Samuel (2 Samuel 7:1-5.8b-12.14a.16)

When King David dwelt in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies round about, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart; for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. “‘And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.”’

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 89:2-3.4-5.27 and 29 (R.2a)

R/. I will sing forever of your mercies, O Lord.

I will sing forever of your mercies, O Lord;
Through all ages my mouth will proclaim your fidelity.
I have declared your mercy is established forever;
your fidelity stands firm as the heavens. R.

“With my chosen one I have made a covenant;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your descendants forever,
and set up your throne through all ages.” R.

“He will call out to me, ‘You are my father, 
my God, the rock of my salvation.’
I will keep my faithful love for him always;
With him my covenant shall last.” R.

SECOND READING

“The mystery which was kept secret for long ages is now disclosed.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (Romans 16:25-27)

Brethren: To him who is able to strengthen you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA Luke1:38

Alleluia. Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 1:26-38)

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I know not man?” And the angel said to her, “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, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

Mary, you have won God’s favour

PRIEST:

My brothers and sisters, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, has a special place in our Christian devotion because, through her humility, she found favour with God. With this in mind, let us pray that like her, through our humility, Christ may find a home in our hearts.

READER:

For the leaders of the Church, (pause) With Mary as their Mother, let them also follow her example of humility, and give a witness to the world that the least and last shall be the greatest and first in God’s kingdom (pause) we pray to the Lord: Lord, teach us to be humble we pray Oh Lord.

For those in high places in civil government, (pause), Let them serve with generosity the poor and the destitute of our society, because they see in them the image of God their Creator and Father. (pause) we pray to the Lord: Lord, teach us to be humble we pray Oh Lord.

For the deprived and outcasts of our society, (pause) let them understand that no one is excluded from the Lord’s kingdom who humbly seeks God our Father’s will. (pause) we pray to the Lord: Lord, teach us to be humble we pray Oh Lord.

For the spread of God’s kingdom to every corner of our universe, (pause) let all men and women come to know the saving power of the Lord whose gospel of salvation for everyone shows that nothing is impossible to God. (pause) we pray to the Lord: Lord, teach us to be humble we pray Oh Lord.

PRIEST:

God always hears the prayers of his humble servants, and in silence, we make known to him our needs.

Father, we pray to you with Mary, who found favour with you as your handmaid through her humble obedience to your will. May we have a true devotion to her and follow her example. Through Christ our Lord. Amen

Today’s Reflection

God made a promise through the prophet Nathan to build an eternal dynasty for David and that his son would sit on the throne of that dynasty. The angel tells us in the Gospel that, that son of David who would sit on his throne forever is Jesus (cf Lk 1:31-32). It is a great privilege for David and Mary to participate in bringing God to the world as man. Three qualities of faith, generosity and selflessness in them disposed them for that privilege. We too need to embrace those qualities in this season so as to make the face of Jesus more visible to the world in need of salvation. May God grant us the grace to persevere in faith, generosity and selflessness and so gain Christ in our life. Amen

Personal Devotional

Pray that God will break every yoke of anxiety, fear and worries in your life.

– What are the issues causing you sleepless nights? Surrender them to God NOW. Ask him to take control.

– O Lord, turn your glorious face of compassion on all users of this ‘365 Reading’ seeking the fruit of the wombs, that they may be blessed.

– Lord, God of love remember all whose businesses are facing challenges. Intervene and grant new life to them.

– Lord, I praise you as my perpetual benefactor and I call upon you as my merciful defender. Grant me total peace and joy.

Let Us Pray

Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which you have given me, for all the pains and insults which you have borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.

Memory verse: Luke 8:24

Personal Devotional

MY SPIRITUAL CHECK-UP IN ADVENT

Thank you for checking in this week for your Spiritual Cheeck-up.

There is no better time than now to have a spiritual check-up for our souls as we prepare for the coming of Our Lord this Advent Season. The idea behind this exercise is to re-examine ourselves, and make amends with God and put ourselves alright with Him.

When you go through this, remember it is designed to expose grey areas in our souls. This SPIRITUAL CHECK-UP IS ABSOLUTELY FREE unlike your medical check-up.

This exercise will be within the four Sundays of Advent, kindly avail yourself and your family of this opportunity.

USE THE FOLLOWING LISTS AS GUIDE TO EXAMINE YOUR LIFE BEFORE THE LORD.
Please, take each one slowly and meditate on it carefully.

CURSING – Have you used gutter language? Swearing has no place in the life of a child of God. Never use exclamations beginning with “G”, “J”, “F”, or “C”; are they usually substitutes for curses against God. Have you failed to guard your speech? (Deut. 5:11; Matt. 5:33 – 37) 

LEVITY – “Needless frivolity, silly talk – talking and acting like a moron”. Jests that tend to undermine the sacred and precious standards of life; “Bible” jokes that make light of the Holy Word of God; unprofitable, empty and often stupid foolishness achieves nothing but a dangerous devaluation of the Christian’s word. Real humor is a gift of God, and will always edify or prepare the way for the Holy Spirit; foolish levity is sin. (Ecc.5:3; Prov. 24:19; Eph. 5:4) 
Inner Inspection

HARDNESS – Did you fight back, murmur or return evil for evil? Was your response to trial un-Christ like when you were wronged or hurt by someone? (Phil 2:14; I Cor. 10:10) 
Habits – Have you continually over-indulged natural appetites until they have grown far beyond normal? Are you a slave to food, drink or stimulants? (Phil. 3:19; Prov. 23:21; I Cor. 6:19)

HARD-HEARTEDNESS – Can you remember times when you deliberately shirked your full share of responsibility? Did you skip times of secret or public prayer to please yourself when you should have been meeting with God? Have you been flippant and light with Him? (Prov. 19:15; 21:5; 24:11-12; Matt 25:1-13; 25:14-30; I Thess. 5:6; Jas. 4:13-17) 

BROKEN VOWS – Is there a vow you made to God that you have not kept? Did you promise Him something that you have since forgotten or gone back upon? If it was unwise, you had better ask forgiveness and release; He expects you to KEEP voluntary vows! (Eccl. 5:1-6) 

DIAGNOSIS

If the Holy Spirit shows us our sin, we must go back to the cross where the Lord first met us. We see the Lord Jesus once crucified – for that sin – bearing our penalty. Our sin nails Jesus to the cross all over again. We tear open His wounds and make His redemption a mockery.

Walk out into the light of reality. Drop your self-deceit and face this sin for what it really is. Turn from it, from your heart. Take sides with God against it,- resolve in your heart NEVER to go back into that sin again.

MEDICATION OR SURGERY NEEDED?
Note that, “If we confess our sins, He is FAITHFUL and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 Jn. 1:9) Will you go to your gracious and loving Father as a little child and humbly ask His forgiveness?

The LORD is merciful and gracious…He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; “For as the heaven is above the earth, so great is His mercy towards them that fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps. 103:12)

Let Us Pray (Please go down on your kneels and pray for forgiveness)
“Oh God, You know my foolishness, and my sin is not concealed from You…please pardon my iniquity, for it is great…If you, Lord, would mark iniquities, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” (Ps. 69:5; 25:11; 130:3-4) look with pity on me, your humble servant, and have mercy in Jesus name.

Mary my dearest mother pray to Jesus for me.

Will you go to your gracious and loving Father as a little child and humbly ask His forgiveness? Note that, “If we confess our sins, He is FAITHFUL and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 Jn. 1:9)

The LORD is merciful and gracious…He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; For as the heaven is above the earth, so great is His mercy towards them that fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps. 103:12)

Thank you for taking time out to have your spiritual health checked this Advent Season; The more often you get cheeked, the healther you will be.

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