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30 November/Tuesday/ Andrew, Apostle

Rom 10,9-18/Psa 19,2-3.4-5/Matt 4,18-22

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading    Romans 10:9-18

Faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ

If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ. Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.

Responsorial Psalm     Psalm 18(19):2-5

Their word goes forth through all the earth.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,

    and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.

Day unto day takes up the story

    and night unto night makes known the message.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard

    yet their span extends through all the earth,

    their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

Gospel Acclamation      Matt 4:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

Follow me, says the Lord,

and I will make you into fishers of men.

Alleluia!

Gospel  Matthew 4:18-22

'I will make you fishers of men'

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.

Reflection

The Gospel Reading mentions Andrew as one of the first four close collaborators of Jesus. The Matthean version of the account holds that Andrew was called together with his brother Peter. They were at their work as fishermen when Jesus called them. The invitation of Jesus is very clear: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” This is a clear invitation with a purpose. Jesus wanted those he called to come after him or to follow him. Those called to follow him were not to be mere supporters of his mission. They were called to follow after him in the Jewish sense of the expression. They were to follow him in the manner of the rabbis and their disciples. In this form of following someone, it is not only the teaching that matters but also the imitation of the example of the master.

The call to follow Jesus is accompanied by a promise to equip them for the work to which he calls them. This is expressed by the use of the word “make”. They were to be made into disciples. They were to become themselves fishers of men, winning new subjects for God’s rule. Jesus used the example of fishing because the people he called had been fishermen by occupation so it was easier for them to see their new mission in a familiar terminology. In a way, when they follow Jesus, they would continue to be fishermen but this time they would be fishing human beings. This aspect of their calling shows the complete commitment which their involvement with Jesus would demand. They are called to join Jesus in his mission of the proclamation of the kingdom of God.

Andrew, just like the other three companions at the lakeside, accepted this invitation and followed Jesus. We do not hear much about him in the Gospel of Matthew but we are made to understand that he was steadfast in his commitment to being a disciple of Jesus. Tradition tells us that he died a martyr’s death by crucifixion. On his feast day, we pray that through his intercession, we may also be faithful disciples of Christ, proclaiming the kingdom of God to all peoples.

29 November/Monday First Week of Advent     

Isa 2:1-5 (or Isa 4:2-6 in Year A)/Psa 122:1-9/Matt 8:5-11

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading  Isaiah 2:1-5

The Lord gathers all nations together into the eternal peace of God's kingdom

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In the days to come

the mountain of the Temple of the Lord

shall tower above the mountains

and be lifted higher than the hills.

All the nations will stream to it,

peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:

    ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

    to the Temple of the God of Jacob

    that he may teach us his ways

    so that we may walk in his paths;

    since the Law will go out from Zion,

    and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’

He will wield authority over the nations

and adjudicate between many peoples;

these will hammer their swords into ploughshares,

their spears into sickles.

Nation will not lift sword against nation,

there will be no more training for war.

O House of Jacob, come,

let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm    Psalm 121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

I rejoiced when I heard them say:

    ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

And now our feet are standing

    within your gates, O Jerusalem.

It is there that the tribes go up,

    the tribes of the Lord.

For Israel’s law it is,

    there to praise the Lord’s name.

There were set the thrones of judgement

    of the house of David.

For the peace of Jerusalem pray:

    ‘Peace be to your homes!

May peace reign in your walls,

    in your palaces, peace!’

For love of my brethren and friends

    I say: ‘Peace upon you!’

For love of the house of the Lord

    I will ask for your good.

Gospel Acclamation   cf. Psa 79:4

Alleluia, alleluia!

God of hosts, bring us back:

let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

Alleluia!

Gospel   Matthew 8:5-11

'I am not worthy to have you under my roof: give the word, and my servant will be healed'

When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’

Reflection

Most people are usually delighted to host a renowned or famous person in their homes. They see such visits as an honour and narrate it to others with pride. For example, if the Pope or the President of the nation was a host to a family, they may preserve the seat on which he sat or the glass from which he drank as a souvenir. Some people would hang pictures of the occasion at conspicuous places in the house or produce other forms of memorial of the occasion.

The Gospel Reading presents a contrary experience as we read about the reluctance of the centurion to allow Jesus into his house. The centurion is in need of Jesus to heal his servant but he thinks Jesus can do so without having to go to his house. He was convinced that the word of Jesus was enough to accomplish his request. Hearing the reasons of the objection of the centurion, Jesus commended him for his faith saying: “nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this”. Jesus focused on the faith of the centurion which derived from the humility of the latter.

The humility of the centurion made him feel unworthy to welcome Jesus under his roof. He knew he was not a Jew and so he was not entitled to the request he was making from a Jewish prophet or teacher of the Law. However, his faith in Jesus that he could heal the servant is an indication of his personal faith journey. The centurion could be likened to one of those people of whom Isaiah speaks in the First Reading. Indeed, many are those who are humble of heart and believe in God without fully professing it. In this Advent season, we are invited to reflect on our own faith and how we can lead others to the knowledge of the truth so that together we may worship the one true God, Father of Jesus Christ.

28 November/Sunday/1st Sunday of Advent – C

Jer 33:14-16/Psa 25:4-5,8-10,14/1Thess 3:12-4:2/Luke 21:25-28,34-36

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading  Jeremiah 33:14-16

I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I am going to fulfil the promise I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah:

‘In those days and at that time,

I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David,

who shall practise honesty and integrity in the land.

In those days Judah shall be saved

and Israel shall dwell in confidence.

And this is the name the city will be called:

The-Lord-our-integrity.’

Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 24(25):4-5,8-9,10,14

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Lord, make me know your ways.

    Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

    for you are God my saviour.

The Lord is good and upright.

    He shows the path to those who stray,

He guides the humble in the right path,

    He teaches his way to the poor.

His ways are faithfulness and love

    for those who keep his covenant and law.

The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him;

    to them he reveals his covenant.

Second Reading     1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2

May you be blameless when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again

May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.

Finally, brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.

Gospel Acclamation   Psa 84:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy

and give us your saving help.

Alleluia!

Gospel  Luke 21:25-28,34-36

That day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.

‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’

Reflection

A careful reflection on the readings of the last Sundays of the liturgical calendar and this first Sunday of Advent shows that there is continuity in thought. The themes that ended the liturgical year are the same that initiate the season of Advent. This reveals to us that the coming of the Lord at the end time is the same as our preparation for his coming in his birth. The Gospel Reading is primarily addressed to the contemporaries of Luke who had to live their faith in the world of their time. The world situation was full of cosmic disorders and upheavals so the Gospel served as a consolation for the Christians.

In the concrete situation of the addressees of Luke, some biblical scholars hold that he was referring to the overthrow of the Gentile powers of the time, particularly the Romans. With such overthrow of power, the Son of Man would be fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 7.13-14. In this prophecy the coming of the Son of Man is associated with the Day of Judgment and the establishment of the reign of God. Others think it is in fulfilment of the prophecy of Jeremiah that we read in the First Reading today. Whichever opinion one holds, it is clear that the teaching of Jesus in the Gospel Reading was meant to assure the people of his time that all was not negative. For those who believe in the Lord, there is hope of new life. Luke points out that the same events that are experienced by both Christians and non-Christians convey different messages to each group. For the Christians of his time, those events are meant to be signs that the hour of salvation is close at hand.

The second part of the Gospel Reading warns us about what can happen to us if we do not read well the signs of the time indicated in the first part of the reading. It is very easy for us to be caught up in speculations or give way to despair. If we abandon ourselves to the cares and pleasures of this world, they would blind us and prevent us from seeing the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus exhorts us to be vigilant and prayerful in such a way that we can make our way safely through the cosmic disorders. It is necessary to be disciplined in our behaviour so that we can remain on the right path as we await the coming of the Lord. There should be no moment when we rest on our oars for that can be the decisive moment of our salvation. It would be a great pity that after all the toils of life, we fail to reach the goal to which the Lord calls us.

Advent is precisely the time that the Church offers us to train ourselves to wait on the Lord. The Lord invites us in this season to raise our eyes and open our hearts to welcome him. We all desire a new world especially when we observe what is happening in many parts of the world today. We all desire that the peace of Christ may reign in our world instead of wars, poverty and injustice. The Advent season helps us to focus on the journey toward the birth of Jesus who is the peace of the world and the manifestation of the love of God for all humanity. Just as his coming more than two thousand years ago changed human history, our hope is that each time we celebrate his birth, the earth would be renewed. This would only happen when we all cooperate in the peace efforts initiated in different parts of the world. Our participation in these efforts may be spiritual as we accompany the agents of peace with our prayers. It can also be through our personal efforts as we promote peace in our personal spheres of life. May the Advent season be for each one of us a true journey to encounter the Lord our Redeemer.