Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
God Saves the Poor
Liturgical Cycle: B | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
It is heartening to hear these days a strong and repeated message of encouragement. This is what we believe if we trust in the nearness of God in his Son Jesus Christ. When people are poor and afflicted, God is near as their Savior, that is, one who is bound to them with close bonds and who is bound to come to their assistance. The poor are those who trust in him. He promises them a new paradise. Even the least in his kingdom are greater than the greatest and last of the prophets, John the Baptist.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you do not abandon those who rely on you.
Take us by the hand when we are afraid,
help us when we call out to you,
for we experience that we are powerless
to establish your kingdom of justice and love.
Send your Son again among us today
to be our Lord and Savior
now and for ever.
First Reading
For I, the Lord, your God, take hold of your right hand and say to you: “Fear not, I am your assistance.”
Fear not, Jacob, poor worm, and you, people of Israel, so frail. I am your redeemer, says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, your helper.
I will make you a new thresher with sharp double teeth: you will thresh hills and mountains, crushing them and reducing them to chaff.
You will winnow them, the wind will carry them off and the storm will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
New Exodus
The poor and the afflicted seek water, and find none. Their tongues are parched with thirst. But I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up streams over the barren heights and let the rivers flow through all the valleys; I will turn the desert into lakes and brooks and the thirsty earth into a land of springs.
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle and the olive; I will plant in the wasteland fir, cypress and pine—
that all may see and know, consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab
R. (8) The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the clouds rain down the Just One,
and the earth bring forth a Savior.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
I tell you this: no one greater than John the Baptist has ever been born of women, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is something to be conquered, and the violent take it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you trust me, John truly is that Elijah whose return was foretold.
Let anyone with ears listen!
Prayers of the Faithful
– For the fainthearted who think they are too small for God to care for them, that they may become aware that God, like a good father and mother, cares very much for them, we pray:
– For the powerful and the rich, that they may be sensitive to the rights and the needs of the poor, we pray:
– For prophets among us, that they may remind us that we have to speak out and stand up for the voiceless and the oppressed, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, we bring before you
these humble gifts of bread and wine.
In these signs of sharing,
may your Son become present among us
and may he give us the courage
to take your kingdom by storm,
that we who are powerless and easily discouraged
may commit ourselves with him
to bring hope to the poor.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God and Father,
we are the new people of your promises.
May we be humble enough
not to seek our selfish, obstinate ways
but to be open to you and to trust in you.
Remember that we are yours
and that we may count on your help.
For you love us in Jesus Christ, your Son,
who is our Lord now and for ever.
Blessing
To us too God speaks today: "I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand and I say to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'" May you be aware of God's care and may he bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Gospel: Matthew 11:11-15
About John the Baptist
When Matthew discusses the Baptist, he often speaks indirectly to his followers, who, even decades later, had not yet decided to join the Christian community. Jesus responds about his identity and mission not by theorizing but by showing miracles and signs performed for the poor and the excluded (8f), in which the echoes of the prophecies are heard (Is 35:5f; 61:11). Those who reject him violently oppose his messengers, as is happening in the communities Matthew is addressing; it continues today and will always be so.
Commentary on the Gospel passage from the Bible Claret online commentary.