THE WORD FOR ADVENT
“From Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” –Isaiah 2:3
Mass Readings: December 4
First: Isaiah 2:1-5; Resp: Psalm 122:1-9 ; Gospel: Matthew 8:5-11
Listen to the Mass Readings
This book,One Bread, One Body, is mailed to people in several nations, and it is printed and distributed in a few African and Asian nations. We pray that “all nations shall stream toward” God’s Word andOne Bread, One Body (Is 2:2) to be instructed in God’s ways and to walk in His paths (Is 2:3). We believe that God’s Word is living and effective, sharper than a two-edged sword (Heb 4:12). We believe that faith comes through hearing, and hearing comes by God’s Word (Rm 10:17). Because “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (St. Jerome,Catechism, 133), we pray that God’s Word, especially as proclaimed in the daily Mass, will reach as many people as possible “so as to win over as many as possible” to Jesus (1 Cor 9:19).
As you begin this Advent season and your preparations for Christ’s Christmas coming, receive and share God’s Word. Talk, teach, or give God’s Word. Pray and work to reach several thousand new subscribers forOne Bread, One Body. Include God’s Word in your Christmas cards.
If each of us does our part in reaching out with God’s Word, the Lord’s promise will be fulfilled: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” (Is 2:4-5) Be a messenger of God’s Word.
PRAYER: Father, may I go, come, and do as You say (see Mt 8:9).
PROMISE: “In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.” —Is 2:2
PRAISE: St. John left the monastery to fight heresy. He praised God, saying: “You sent me forth into the light by adopting me as Your son and You enrolled me among the children of Your holy and spotless Church.”
