The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, December 11, 2003
Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
St. Damasus I, pope

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Isaiah 41:13-20
Psalm 145:1,9-13
Matthew 11:11-15

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

On this Thursday of the Second Week of Advent, we now take into account the role of John the Baptist, the one who came before the Lord to announce His coming.

From the prophet Isaiah, we learn today of God's desire to lift mankind from the morass of sin, to that of salvation. How greatly God desires our happiness and our adoration; so much so, that He brought forth Jesus His Son, to make fitting atonement for our sins. We should consider how helpless we are in our sinful, fallen state. Yet, God wishes to show all of humanity that He is the Lord, the all-powerful Master of all, that His goodness will shine forth in a world otherwise darkened by sin.

So today, let us think about John the Baptist and his message, that final voice crying in the wilderness, like a beam of light emerging from the darkness, announcing at long last that salvation was about to descend upon Israel -- and indeed, upon all the world!

Let us earnestly prepare our souls by a genuine, soul-searching examination of conscience followed by the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation. Let us endeavor to fill the void of uprooted worldly habits and sin with holy prayer and a constant love of God.

Come Lord Jesus,
bring to us your peace;
let us rejoice before you
with a perfect heart.
Amen

- Joachim (1997)

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posted by joachim at 4:19 AM