Maoni yangu binafsi juu ya masuala mbalimbali yanayoendelea duniani

Maoni yangu binafsi juu ya masuala mbalimbali yanayoendelea duniani

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6TH 2023

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT YEAR B

FIRST READING
The Lord God invites us to his feast, and wipes away tears from all faces.
ISAIAH 25: 6 - 10a

On that day: The Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of choice wines—of fat things full of marrow, of choice wines well refined. And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears front all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.

The Word of the Lord.


RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 23: 1 - 3a, 3b - 4, 5, 6 (R.) 6cd

R/. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for length of days unending.

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;
he revives my soul. R/.

He guides me along the right path,
for the sake of his name.
Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death,
no evil would I fear, for you are with me.
Your crook and your staff will give me comfort. R/.

You have prepared a table before me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is over flowing. R/.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for length of days unending. R/.


GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Alleluia.
Behold, the Lord is coming to save his people; blessed are those who are ready to meet him.
Alleluia.


GOSPEL
Jesus heals many and multiplies the bread.
MATTHEW 15: 29 - 37

At that time: Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain, and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the throng wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.

The Gospel of the Lord.
 
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Morning Reflection (QT)

Introduction

Paul defends himself and his work against ongoing attacks made by his critics in the church in Corinth.

Some claim that his letters are harsh but that in person he is weak.

His hope is that the faith of people will grow, and he concludes by admonishing the Corinthians to boast only about what the Lord has done.

Reflection

What are the weapons Paul is referring to in verse 4?

How are these weapons used (verse 5)? In verse 17, Paul says that “whoever wants to boast must boast about what the Lord has done.”What will you boast about today?

Pray

Almighty God, empower me with weapons of the Spirit in order to destroy false arguments and spread the true knowledge of your love and salvation. May I boast today of what you have done.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

2Corinthians 10:1

Now I myself, Paul, urge you through the gentleness and clemency of Christ, I who am humble when face to face with you, but brave toward you when absent,

2Corinthians 10:2

I beg you that, when present, I may not have to be brave with that confidence with which I intend to act boldly against some who consider us as acting according to the flesh.

2Corinthians 10:3

For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh,

2Corinthians 10:4

for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments

2Corinthians 10:5

and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ,

2Corinthians 10:6

and we are ready to punish every disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

2Corinthians 10:7

Look at what confronts you. Whoever is confident of belonging to Christ should consider that as he belongs to Christ, so do we.

2Corinthians 10:8 .

And even if I should boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I shall not be put to shame.

2Corinthians 10:9

May I not seem as one frightening you through letters.

2Corinthians 10:10

For someone will say, “His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”

2Corinthians 10:11

Such a person must understand that what we are in word through letters when absent, that we also are in action when present.

2Corinthians 10:12

Not that we dare to class or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

2Corinthians 10:13

But we will not boast beyond measure but will keep to the limits God has apportioned us, namely, to reach even to you.

2Corinthians 10:14

For we are not overreaching ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we indeed first came to you with the gospel of Christ.

2Corinthians 10:15

We are not boasting beyond measure, in other people’s labors; yet our hope is that, as your faith increases, our influence among you may be greatly enlarged, within our proper limits,

2Corinthians 10:16

so that we may preach the gospel even beyond you, not boasting of work already done in another’s sphere.

2Corinthians 10:17

“Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”

2Corinthians 10:18

For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord recommends.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7TH 2023

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT YEAR B

MEMORIAL OF SAINT AMBROSE, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

FIRST READING
Let the righteous nation which keeps faith enter in.
ISAIAH 26: 1 - 6

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps faith may enter in. You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord GOD is an everlasting rock. For he has brought low the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.”

The Word of the Lord.


RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 118: 1 and 8 - 9, 19 - 21, 25 - 27 (R.) 26a.

R/. Blest is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Or:
Alleluia.

Give praise to the Lord, for he is good;
his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man;
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes. R/.

Open to me the gates of justice:
I will enter and thank the Lord.
This is the Lord’s own gate,
Where the just enter.
I will thank you, for you have answered,
And you are my saviour. R/.

O Lord, grant salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blest is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
The Lord is God, and has given us light. R/.


GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Alleluia.
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.
Alleluia.


GOSPEL
He who does the will of the Father shall enter the kingdom of heaven.
MATTHEW 7: 21, 24 - 27

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
 
Morning Reflection (QT)

Introduction.

Today’s reading continues Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians to give generously to the collection for the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. He says that God will increase what the people have so that they can give even more.

He says that their gifts will not only help others in their need, but that it will also help others praise God.

Reflection.

Reread verses 12-15. Paul says that these gifts have value beyond their material worth.

Not only do they provide for people in need, but they also provide people with an example of God’s abundant love and blessings. Have you ever experienced a sense of God’s love through the generosity of others?

What actions can you take to reveal and share God’s love with someone today?

Pray.

Gracious God, your abundance surrounds me.

Thank you for the many gifts you have given me. Help me to be generous with others, that I may bring honor and praise to you and so that others may more deeply understand and experience your love.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:1-15

2Corinthians 9:1

Now about the service to the holy ones, it is superfluous for me to write to you,

2Corinthians 9:2

for I know your eagerness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them.

2Corinthians 9:3

Nonetheless, I sent the brothers so that our boast about you might not prove empty in this case, so that you might be ready, as I said,

2Corinthians 9:4

for fear that if any Macedonians come with me and find you not ready we might be put to shame (to say nothing of you) in this conviction.

2Corinthians 9:5

So I thought it necessary to encourage the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for your promised gift, so that in this way it might be ready as a bountiful gift and not as an exaction.

2Corinthians 9:6

Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

2Corinthians 9:7

Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2Corinthians 9:8

Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.

2Corinthians 9:9

As it is written: “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

2Corinthians 9:10

The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

2Corinthians 9:11

You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God,

2Corinthians 9:12

for the administration of this public service is not only supplying the needs of the holy ones but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.

2Corinthians 9:13

Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution to them and to all others,

2Corinthians 9:14

while in prayer on your behalf they long for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.

2Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

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