17 December/Friday

Gen 49:2,8-10/Psa 72:1-4,7-8,17/Matt 1:1-17

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading    Genesis 49:2,8-10

Until he comes, the sceptre will not pass from Judah

Jacob called his sons and said:

‘Gather round, sons of Jacob, and listen;

listen to Israel your father.

Judah, your brothers shall praise you:

you grip your enemies by the neck,

your father’s sons shall do you homage,

Judah is a lion cub,

you climb back, my son, from your kill;

like a lion he crouches and lies down,

or a lioness: who dare rouse him?

The sceptre shall not pass from Judah,

nor the mace from between his feet,

until he come to whom it belongs,

to whom the peoples shall render obedience.’

Responsorial Psalm   Psalm 71(72):1-4,7-8,17

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

    to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

    and your poor in right judgement.

May the mountains bring forth peace for the people

    and the hills, justice.

May he defend the poor of the people

    and save the children of the needy.

In his days justice shall flourish

    and peace till the moon fails.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

    from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

May his name be blessed for ever

    and endure like the sun.

Every tribe shall be blessed in him,

    all nations bless his name.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Wisdom of the Most High,

ordering all things with strength and gentleness,

come and teach us the way of truth.

Alleluia!

Gospel   Matthew 1:1-17

The ancestry of Jesus Christ, the son of David

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother,

Perez was the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram was the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother,

Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother,

Obed was the father of Jesse;

and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Azariah,

Azariah was the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah;

and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon:

Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor was the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud was the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob;

and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary;

of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

The sum of generations is therefore: fourteen from Abraham to David; fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation; and fourteen from the Babylonian deportation to Christ.

Reflection

In the First Reading, Jacob addresses his last words to his sons. It is significant that of Judah, Jacob said his brothers would praise him. Furthermore, he stressed that “the sceptre shall not pass from Judah, nor the mace from between his feet, until he come to whom it belongs, to whom the peoples shall render obedience.” This is like a prophecy which is fulfilled in Jesus, a descendant of Judah.

The Gospel Reading presents the genealogy of Jesus Christ which is composed of a long list of names, beginning with Abraham and ending with Joseph, the husband of Mary. A good number of these names are unknown to us and some are very difficult to pronounce. The succession of names could be a reason to ask for the purpose of the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew. The choice of the liturgy to present the genealogy is a way of stressing the reality of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Matthew wants to emphasise that in the light of the history of salvation, it is Abraham who leads to Christ. In the lineage that begins with Abraham, we experience the mercy of God and his desire to save all. We observe that even those who under normal circumstances would have been excluded from a typical genealogy are welcome in the divine plan of love. We note the presence of four women which is strange in a patrilineal society like Israel. In a patriarchal society, the lineage is traced from the father and not the mother. The presence of women in the genealogy of Jesus must be a message to the reader about the ways of God which are different from what human persons normally think. We also observe that the list is not composed of only saintly or holy people. We find great sinners like David who killed Uriah and took his wife Bethsheba and Solomon who married pagan women and allowed them to introduce their pagan worship in Israel.

Despite all the odds and the rugged nature of the genealogy, the reading emphasises that Jesus is a descendant of this lineage. He is born into a genealogy that includes great sinners; a genealogy that is imperfect although he himself was perfect. Jesus did not cling to qualities attributed to him. He rather emptied himself to become like us in all things except sin. As the day of the anniversary of his birth draws near, it is appropriate that we begin to contemplate his birth and what it means for us as Christians. We are invited to reflect on the imperfections in the genealogy of Jesus so that we may be more sympathetic toward those who are eager to listen to the word of God.

The end-of-year pilgrimage to our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Kpando Agbenorxoe this year 2021 was massively attended by the catholic faithful of Ho Diocese and beyond.

It took place on Sunday 12^th December 2021. In attendance was the Catholic faithful from all walks of life. The Bishop, before the Mass, led the faithful in a prayer where all were consecrated to the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Since the Mass of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was celebrated instead of the Third Sunday of Advent, the Bishop used the opportunity to explain the meaning and significance of the Solemnity. He said that God in his eternal wisdom wills that the mother of his son should be free from all stains of sins and hence must be conceived without original sin.

The Bishop also used the same medium to crown the year of St Joseph. The faithful with lighted candles and led by the Bishop were consecrated to the patronage of St Joseph, the patron of the universal church.

He also used the occasion to introduce the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who were to take over the management of the grotto hopefully from February 2022.

The second part of the Celebration was in two folds. The first part was about fundraising to give a facelift to the grotto.

Secondly, the Bishop, as part of the celebration presented citations to individuals, groups, and institutions for their immersed financial and selfless contribution to the development of the Diocese over the past five years

He urged Faithful to continue doing their best for the growth of the Diocese.

16 December/Thursday/ Third Week of Advent

Isa 54:1-10/Psa 30:2,4-6,11-13/Luke 7:24-30

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading    Isaiah 54:1-10

With great love I will take you back

Shout for joy, you barren women who bore no children!

Break into cries of joy and gladness, you who were never in labour!

For the sons of the forsaken one are more in number

than the sons of the wedded wife, says the Lord.

Widen the space of your tent,

stretch out your hangings freely,

lengthen your ropes, make your pegs firm;

for you will burst out to right and to left.

Your race will take possession of the nations,

and people the abandoned cities.

Do not be afraid, you will not be put to shame,

do not be dismayed, you will not be disgraced;

for you will forget the shame of your youth

and no longer remember the curse of your widowhood.

For now your creator will be your husband,

his name, the Lord of Hosts;

your redeemer will be the Holy One of Israel,

he is called the God of the whole earth.

Yes, like a forsaken wife, distressed in spirit,

the Lord calls you back.

Does a man cast off the wife of his youth?

says your God.

I did forsake you for a brief moment,

but with great love will I take you back.

In excess of anger, for a moment

I hid my face from you.

But with everlasting love I have taken pity on you,

says the Lord, your redeemer.

I am now as I was in the days of Noah

when I swore that Noah’s waters

should never flood the world again.

So now I swear concerning my anger with you

and the threats I made against you;

for the mountains may depart,

the hills be shaken,

but my love for you will never leave you

and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken,

says the Lord who takes pity on you.

Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me

    and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,

    restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,

    give thanks to his holy name.

His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.

    At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

The Lord listened and had pity.

    The Lord came to my help.

For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

The day of the Lord is near;

Look, he comes to save us.

Alleluia! 

Gospel     Luke 7:24-30

'A prophet, and much more than a prophet'

When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to talk to the people about John. ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Oh no, those who go in for fine clothes and live luxuriously are to be found at court! Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says:

See, I am going to send my messenger before you;

he will prepare the way before you.

‘I tell you, of all the children born of women, there is no one greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is. All the people who heard him, and the tax collectors too, acknowledged God’s plan by accepting baptism from John; but by refusing baptism from him the Pharisees and the lawyers had thwarted what God had in mind for them.’

Reflection

The First Reading continues the prophecy of the restoration of the people of Israel to their past glory. They are words of encouragement to a people who look forward to divine intervention through a Messiah, an anointed one of God. The coming of the Messiah is heralded by a messenger, which the New Testament identifies in John the Baptist.

In the Gospel Reading, the visit and question of the disciples of John the Baptist, offered Jesus the occasion to teach his audience about the ministry of John and to praise him. The question that Jesus asked the audience did not wait for an answer. Jesus answered it himself in such a way that the people were to understand that John was not like a reed blowing in the wind or a person luxuriously dressed. Swaying reeds would have been a common sight in the desert where John was but that was not the reason for which the people went to the desert. Some biblical scholars propose to see the swaying reeds as a symbol of instability or frailty. Even in that case, it would mean that John the Baptist was not frail or unstable. He knew what he was about and preached it with confidence. The people could not have gone to the desert to look for one dressed in fine clothes which really means the rich apparel of the royal court. People who dress that way are found in the royal court, not in the desert.

John was a prophet but more than a prophet, a precursor of the Messiah in line with Mal 3,1-2. Jesus praised John the Baptist by presenting him as a great person – in fact no one was greater than him yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than him. With this, Jesus places John in supreme dignity in human history but at the same time the Kingdom of God transcends him in human history. The least in the kingdom who is greater than John, would have to be understood as the bestowal of greatness on those who have no other claim to it. This gives the impression that the little ones are in the kingdom but John is not. This could be a reference to his imprisonment so he would be part of the kingdom when he is freed to participate in the new state of affairs inaugurated by Jesus. Understood in this way, the remark of Jesus becomes a wish that John be liberated soon.

We also find ourselves in situations that call for liberation so we can participate in the kingdom of God. In our case, we are often imprisoned by sin from which we need to be liberated. Advent is a time when we can ask for this liberation through the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession.

GOD’S WORD IN DAILY LIFE

 BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS

BY MOST REV. EMMANUEL KOFI FIANU, SVD

1 December/Wednesday/ First Week of Advent

First Reading  Isaiah 25:6-10

The Lord will prepare a banquet for every nation

On this mountain,

the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples

a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,

of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.

On this mountain he will remove

the mourning veil covering all peoples,

and the shroud enwrapping all nations,

he will destroy Death for ever.

The Lord will wipe away

the tears from every cheek;

he will take away his people’s shame

everywhere on earth,

for the Lord has said so.

That day, it will be said: See, this is our God

in whom we hoped for salvation;

the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.

We exult and we rejoice

that he has saved us;

for the hand of the Lord

rests on this mountain.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 22(23)

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

The Lord is my shepherd;

    there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

    where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

    to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path;

    he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

    no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

    with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me

    in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

    my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

    all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

    for ever and ever.

Gospel Acclamation  Isa 33:22

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord is our judge, the Lord our lawgiver,

the Lord our king and our saviour.

Alleluia!

Gospel    Matthew 15:29-37

The crowds praised the God of Israel

Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.

But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.

Reflection

The First Reading begins with the announcement of a royal feast or a banquet of rich food. There are many biblical contexts in which royalty and banquet go together. The feast that Isaiah announces is characterised by a universal invitation. In other words, it would be a banquet for all peoples. This is in line with the vision of Isaiah that all nations would come to worship the Lord in the temple on Mount Zion. The royal feast coincides with the appearance of the throne of God. A number of actions are associated with this appearance which goes to consolidate the reign of God on earth. These action include the removal of the veil of mourning covering the face of the people and the destruction of death. The Lord would also wipe away the tears of the people and take away their shame. In effect, it is a meal to usher in the restoration of the people.

The imagery of the banquet of rich food finds its echo in the Gospel Reading. Jesus multiplies bread and fish for the people who came to listen to him and to ask him to heal their sick in a deserted place. The setting of the miracle however communicates more than what the prophet Isaiah envisioned in the First Reading. In the Gospel Reading, Matthew indicates that the cause of the multiplication of bread was Jesus’ pity on the crowds. In feeding them, he fulfilled what God promised through the prophet Isaiah that he would provide food for his people.

God continues to provide for our nourishment. Very often we are oblivious to this as we think it is through our personal effort that we obtain what we eat and drink. If God does not provide our needs, in vain is our effort. Jesus teaches us that if we gather with him, we would not go hungry because he would provide for us. May this Advent season be an occasion for us to draw closer to the Lord and nourish ourselves at the table of his word and the Eucharist.