Mass Readings – 3rd Sunday of Advent
Christ’s words to the disciples of John the Baptist proclaim Good News. The Lord’s work – filled with power and might – brings hope to all who receive God’s gift of grace.
Tag Archives: healing
3rd Sunday of Advent – The Lord draws near with power and might.
Study: Consider a moment when you were greatly helped by someone. How did it feel to have their support?
Pray: Set before the Lord your challenges and remember in your daily prayers the needs of others.
Serve: How has the Lord blessed you to help others? What gifts and talents do you possess that make a difference today?
Mass Readings – 3rd Sunday of Advent
Isaiah’s prophecy proclaims the power and might of God. Among the words of the 1st reading we find:
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing. (Is. 35:3-6)
These are words of hope! In the midst of the challenges of life the Lord comes to strengthen our hearts and renew our lives. Yes, there are difficulties; yet we face them boldly – supported by the grace and power of God.
This hope in God’s power appears in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus cites this passage from Isaiah to the disciples of John the Baptist. Christ is the one who fulfills the words of the prophet; he is the one who comes to save us.
What’s more, those that receive this saving grace – the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven – are greater than all the prophets, including John. In other words, when we accept the power and might of God we are transformed into a new creation as the old bondage of sin and death is destroyed.
May we claim this saving grace today! As we call upon the Lord in our daily prayers, we ask that the power and might of Jesus Christ heals our hearts and strengthens our souls. We have work to do! May God’s grace help us to make it happen.
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Daily Mass: Shepherds and Sheep. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 1st Week of Advent (St. Francis Xavier)
As Jesus looked with pity on the people in their need, he not only served them but he empowered and directed his disciples to do the same. As we look to the Lord for guidance and strength we also remember the command to love and serve those entrusted to our care.
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2nd Sunday of Advent – Baptized in Spirit and Fire
Study: Is there anything keeping you from God or another person right now? What steps do you need to take to make it right?
Pray: Call upon the Lord for the strength to repent and seek forgiveness. Remember – the harder it is the more powerful the healing!
Serve: Is there some way you can be an agent of forgiveness? How can you bring people closer to God and one another?
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Advent
John the Baptist comes on the scene blazing like a torch as he exhorts the people to repent of their sins. He minces no words with the Pharisees and Sadduccees; rather, he makes it clear that the path to God leads through the good fruit of our actions.
John is blunt and direct. There is no spin in his message, no soft touch. He comes to us as a verbal bulldozer, seeking to carve out a direct route that leads to the Lord. I can only imagine what it was like to be in his presence, eager to hear his words yet feeling the sting of his speech. After all, repentance is a great thing to talk about…but often painful to put into practice.
And yet nothing brings about healing faster than forgiveness. When relationships are wounded and we find ourselves in a broken and fragile place, repentance clears the ground and allows us to rebuild our lives in an honest and direct fashion.
Repentance has some key components:
- Knowing good from bad
- Taking ownership for when our actions have been bad
- Seeking to turn away from the bad and strive to embrace the good
- Claiming the mercy and grace of God to renew our lives
- Asking for forgiveness and putting it into practice
As we prepare in this Advent season for the birth of the Messiah, we have the opportunity to examine our hearts and consider what is not worthy of the Lord. Using a good examination of conscience or just the common sense in our souls we have the chance today to repent of our sins, seek forgiveness from God and one another, and live each day in the light and power of Christ.
John tells us that while he baptizes for repentance, the Lord will baptize us in Spirit and fire – allowing us to draw into the very heart of God’s love. Only through repentance will we be able to encounter the burning intensity of divine charity; for when we stand before the Lord whatever is not fitting will burn away. May we cast out whatever is not worthy, and prepare to welcome His holy fire with open hearts.
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St. John the Baptist Preaching, Luca Giordano, 1695.
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28th Sunday of the Year – Healing Body & Soul
Study: Reflect on a time when you experienced healing. Who helped you?
Pray: Pray for the sick, especially those that you know.
Serve: How can you help be an agent of healing today? What circumstances or situations can you address to (re)connect others?
Mass Readings – 28th Sunday of the Year
Both Elisha and Jesus heal lepers in the 1st Reading & Gospel today. Take a moment to note these points about the encounter between Jesus and the 10 lepers in the Gospel of Luke:
- They are not Jewish, but Samaritans
- Leprosy kept them isolated from other people
- After their healing only one returns to say thanks
- Their physical healing allows them to draw near to others again
Leprosy was (and still is) a horrible disease. Not only did it cause physical hardship as the body wasted away, but it separated lepers from loved ones in order to prevent them from catching the same sickness.
The encounter with Jesus changes this. The Lord not only restores their physical health, but at the same time he also returns them to their families and friends. They have their lives restored in body, heart and soul.
The sense of gratitude expressed by the leper who thanks Jesus touches two key points: First, he expresses gratitude for what God has done. Second, he is able to touch Jesus – something that he couldn’t do before because of the disease. This sense of thankfulness and connection reveals what can happen when we open our hearts to the Lord.
So where do you need healing in your life today? May we call upon the Lord with grateful hearts, as we seek healing…body & soul.
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Daily Mass: Healing the sick and proclaiming the Gospel. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 25th Week of the Year
When Herod asked “Who is this Jesus?” he was responding to the Lord’s ministry – where Jesus and the Apostles are proclaiming the Good News and healing the sick. May we continue this work through our words and actions today.
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Daily Mass: Christ speaks with authority & power. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 22nd Week of the Year
The encounter between Jesus and the man suffering from a demon reveals the power and authority which Christ has on earth and in heaven – inviting us to welcome his strength into our hearts, to bring the grace we need to live as his disciples.
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Daily Mass: a faith that will not be denied. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 18th Week of the Year
The Canaanite woman in the Gospel is not Jewish, does not know the Law, the Prophets, or the great story of salvation history. What she knows is that Jesus can heal, and on that simple premise she reveals a faith that will not be denied…giving us an example to follow.
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Daily Mass: Walking on Water. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 18th Week of the Year
Peter’s example can comfort and challenge us to face our fears with faith…even when it means that we have to walk on water.
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Daily Mass: Proclaim the Good News. Catholic Inspiration
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 14th Week of the Year
Jesus sends out the Twelve Apostles to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Their message is accompanied by powerful works of healing as they trust in the Lord for grace and strength. May we do the same in our lives today.
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks- Daily Mass: By the finger of God, Christ drives out demons
- Daily Mass: We practice our faith with persistence
- Daily Mass: Lord, teach us to pray!
- Daily Mass: We draw near and listen to the Lord
- Daily Mass: The Good Samaritan reveals who is our neighbor
- Study, Pray, Serve: 28th Sunday of the Year
- 27th Sunday of the Year: The stone rejected...has become the cornerstone
- Daily Mass: The triumph of Christ over evil
- Daily Mass: Angel of God, my guardian dear!
- Daily Mass: Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples
