Images from God: December 2019

Sunday, December 29, 2019

God gives us directions about how to live; we and others are blessed when we follow them. (Readings for Dec. 29, 2019; Lectionary 17)

Key:

What these readings tell us about God

What these readings tell us to do

Hyperlinks to additional resources

Reading 1: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14

God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother's authority he confirms over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and preserves himself from them.
When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children, and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.

My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life; kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against the debt of your sins—a house raised in justice to you.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Reading 2: Colossians 3:12-21

Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body.

And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.

Alleluia: Colossians 3:15A, 16A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazorean.

What these readings tell us about God

God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother's authority he confirms over her sons

Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

Blessed are those who fear the Lord andwalk in his ways

God's chosen ones

Beloved

the Lord has forgiven you

the peace into which you were also called

the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him”

the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead”

he had been warned in a dream

What these readings tell us to do

honors his father

reveres his mother

honors his father

reveres his father

obeys his father

brings comfort to his mother
take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives

Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life

kindness to a father

fear the Lord

walk in his ways

fears the LORD

walks in his ways

fear the Lord

walk in his ways

fear the Lord

walk in his ways

fears the LORD

fear the Lord

walk in his ways

Put on... heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another

forgiving one another

as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do

put on love, that is, the bond of perfection

let the peace of Christ control your hearts

be thankful

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs

gratitude in your hearts to God

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him
Wives, be subordinate to your husbands

Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them

Children, obey your parents in everything

Fathers, do not provoke your children

Let the peace of Christ control your hearts

let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed

He rose, took the child and his mother, and went

because he had been warned in a dream, he departed

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

God has come to us, shown His love & goodness to us, through Jesus. That is WONDERFUL news. (Readings for Dec. 25, 2019, Lectionary 16)

Key:

What these readings tell us about God

What these readings tell us to do

Hyperlinks to additional resources

Reading 1: Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, "Your God is King!"

Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry, together they shout for joy, for they see directly, before their eyes, the LORD restoring Zion.

Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem.

The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Reading 2: Hebrews 1:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word.

When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say: You are my son; this day I have begotten you? Or again:I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me?

And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
For today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.

What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God.

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'"

From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him.

What these readings tell us about God:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation

Your God is King!

the LORD comforts his people

he redeems

The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations

all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God