Lectionary 11: God’s Faithfulness to His Servants and How They Should Respond

Key:

What these passages tell us about God

What these passages tell us to do
Reading 1 2 SM 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16

When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!"

Nathan answered the king, "Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you."

But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said: "Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in? It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever."

Responsorial Psalm PS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29

R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. For you have said, "My kindness is established forever"; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 ROM 16:25-27

Brothers and sisters: To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia LK 1:38

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

1.    God is faithful to those who wholeheartedly serve Him. He will see that His servants will achieve the missions/tasks/purposes He calls them to.

2.   That does not mean that His servants will be free from adversity/hardship/opposition/frustration as they serve Him. The lives of David and Mary reflect that. But God helps them through it. That is illustrated in today’s gospel by God’s reassurance to Mary as she struggles to comprehend what is being communicated to her.  That dynamic is also alluded to in the second reading (“him who can strengthen you”). We see that dynamic in Psalm 37.

3.   Nor does it mean that His servants will necessarily see the full success of what they are called to during their time on earth. Again, the lives of David and Mary illustrate that. The full fruit of their service did not come during their earthly lives, but came on (and continues to come on) after they had moved on from Earth. Hebrews 11:39-40   and 1 Peter 1:10-12 seem to refer to that dynamic.

4.   So how do we respond to that? The answer seems to be suggested in the first reading and the gospel: looking to God in trustful obedience like a faithful son or handmaiden. Sirach 2 discusses that.

Lectionary 8: It’s all about God

Key:

What these passages tell us about God

What these passages tell us to do

What these passages tell us not to do

Commentary/observations

Reading 1 IS 61:1-2A, 10-11                                                                         

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.

Responsorial Psalm LK 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54                                      

R. (Is 61:10b) My soul rejoices in my God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed:
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy.
R. My soul rejoices in my God.

Reading 2 1 THES 5:16-24

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.

Alleluia IS 61:1 (CITED IN LK 4:18)  

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 1:6-8, 19-28

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. And this is the testimony of John. 

When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, "Who are you?" He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am not the Christ." So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." So they said to him, "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?"

He said: "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'make straight the way of the Lord,'" as Isaiah the prophet said."

Some Pharisees were also sent.They asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"

John answered them, "I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."

This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

1.    God loves His people. He nurtures, heals, delivers, blesses them.

2.   God reaches out to His people, particularly those in distress.

3.   God “heal[s],” brings “release,” “joy,” “justice,” “mercy,” “help,” and “light.”

4.   God has that love for all people of all backgrounds; He offers His goodness to “all the nations.

5.    God is faithful; he does not forget or abandon us as we strive to do/be what He calls us to.

6.   The descriptions of God’s sheer goodness in today’s readings bring to mind the wonderful description of Jesus set out in  Wisdom 7:22-30. It is worth serious meditation.

7.    How are we to respond to that wonderful goodness?  Several things are identified in today’s readings:

A.   Focus on Him: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks.”

B.   Intentionally alter our attitude and actions to draw near to Him and to be instruments for the delivery of the wonderful things described in points (1) through (4) above. We do that by “[p]ray[ing] without ceasing, “[t]est[ing] everything,” and “retain[ing] what is good. “Those are some of the ways we “'make straight the way of the Lord.”