“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. Order your soul; reduce your wants; live in charity; associate in Christian community; obey the laws; trust in Providence.” + Saint Augustine

Second week of advent

Monday, December 11 | Saint Damasus I

Luke 5:17-26 

Prayer: Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may constantly exalt the merits of your Martyrs, whom Pope Saint Damasus so venerated and loved. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: Is there anything in your life that keeps you from receiving the blessings of God’s kingdom? The prophets foretold that when the Messiah came to usher in God’s kingdom the blind would see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk. (Isaiah 35:5-6) Jesus not only brought physical healing, but healing of mind, heart, and soul as well. Jesus came to bring us the abundant life of God’s kingdom. (John 10:10) But that new life and transformation can be stifled by unbelief, indifference, and sinful pride. Sin cripples us far more than any physical ailment can. Sin is the work of the kingdom of darkness and it holds us in eternal bondage. There is only one solution and that is the healing, cleansing power of Jesus’ forgiveness. In this Season of Advent, as we prepare our hearts and minds, let us humble ourselves, let us be honest with ourselves, and let us conform ourselves to Christ, who was sent by God to redeem us.

About Saint Damasus: Saint Damasus was Supreme Pontiff from 366 to 384. He was a very learned man, well versed in the Scriptures. He commissioned Saint Jerome to complete the translation of the Bible into the Latin language. Shortly after his reign the 72 books of the Bible, hitherto scattered in different parts of the Orient, were collected into one volume. He defended the rights of the Holy See, and beautified the Roman resting places of the Christian dead and of the saints. He also confirmed the practice of singing the Psalms day and night in the churches and adding a “Glory Be” at the end of each Psalm.

Tuesday, December 12 | Our Lady of Guadalupe

 Luke 1:26-38 

Prayer: O God, Father of mercies, who placed your people under the singular protection of your Son’s most holy Mother, grant that all who invoke the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, may seek with ever more lively faith the progress of peoples in the ways of justice and of peace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: Do you know the favor of the Lord? God lavishes his grace upon all who believe in him. He shows his favor to the lowly, to those who are humble and receptive to his word. We see the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption in the events leading up to the Incarnation, the birth of the Messiah. The new era of salvation begins with the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary. This child to be born is conceived by the gracious action of the Holy Spirit upon Mary, who finds favor with God. As Eve was the mother of all humanity doomed to sin, now Mary becomes the mother of the new Adam who will father a new humanity by his grace. (Romans 5:12-21) This child to be conceived in her womb is the fulfillment of all God’s promises. He will be “great” and “Son of the Most High” and “King” (Luke 1:32-33), and his name shall be called “Jesus”, which means “the Lord saves.” “He will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) The promise of an everlasting kingdom to the house of David (Isaiah 9:6-7) is fulfilled in the King to be born in Mary’s womb. Let us prepare ourselves in these weeks of Advent to come and adore him.

Website of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin including prayer intentions and Mass intentions: http://www.guadalupeshrine.org/

Wednesday, December 13 | Saint Lucy

Matthew 11:28-30

Prayer: May the glorious intercession of the Virgin and Martyr Saint Lucy give us a new heart, we pray, O Lord, so that we may celebrate her heavenly birthday in this present age and so behold things eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: In the Season of Advent we celebrate the coming of the Messianic King who ushers in the reign of God. The prophets foretold that the Messiah would establish God’s kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Those who put their trust in God and in the coming of his kingdom receive the blessings of that kingdom - peace with God and strength for living his way of love and holiness. (ref. Isaiah 40) Jesus fulfills all the Messianic hopes and promises of God’s kingdom. That is why he taught his disciples to pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (ref. Matthew 6:10) In his kingdom sins are not only forgiven but removed, and eternal life is poured out for all its citizens. This is not a political kingdom, but a spiritual one. The yoke of Christ’s kingdom, his kingly rule and way of life, liberates us from the burden of guilt and from the oppression of sin and hurtful desires. Only Jesus can lift the burden of sin and the weight of hopelessness from us. Jesus used the analogy of a yoke to explain how we can exchange the burden of sin and despair for a burden of glory and yoke of freedom from the grip of sin. The yoke which Jesus invites us to embrace is his way of grace and freedom from the power of sin. Do you trust in God’s love and submit to his will for your life? If not, why not?

Thursday, December 14 | Saint John of the Cross

Matthew 11:11-15 

Prayer: O God, who gave the Priest Saint John of the Cross an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial and love of the Cross, grant that, by imitating him closely at all times, we may come to contemplate eternally your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

A Prayer of Saint John of the Cross: O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You. Let Your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O King of gentleness, King of peace.

Contemplation: God may call some of us to be martyrs for our faith in Christ. But for most of us our call is to be dry martyrs who bear testimony to the joy and truths of the laws of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ in the midst of daily challenges, contradictions, temptations and adversities which come our way as we faithfully follow the Lord Jesus. What attracts others to those who follow the truth of God and his son, Jesus Christ? When they see Christians loving their enemies, being joyful in suffering, patient in adversity, pardoning injuries, and showing comfort and compassion to the hopeless and the helpless. Jesus tells us that we do not need to fear our adversaries. He will give us sufficient grace, strength, and wisdom to face any trial and to answer any challenge to our faith. Are you eager to witness the joy and freedom of the gospel?

Friday, December 15 

Matthew 11:16-19 

Prayer: Grant that your people, we pray, almighty God, may be ever watchful for the coming of your Only Begotten Son, that, as the author of our salvation himself has taught us, we may hasten, alert and with lighted lamps, to meet him when he comes. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: Why did the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus meet with deaf ears and with stiff resistance? It was out of jealousy and spiritual blindness that the scribes and Pharisees attributed John the Baptist’s austerities to the devil and they attributed Jesus’ table fellowship as evidence for messianic pretense. They succeeded in frustrating God’s plan for their lives because they had closed their hearts to the message of John the Baptist and now to Jesus’ message. What can make us spiritually dull and slow to hear God’s voice? Like the generation of Jesus’ time, our age is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regards to the things of heaven. Indifference dulls our ears to God’s voice and to the good news of the gospel. Only the humble of heart can find joy and favor in God’s grace. Have you come to experience the joy of the Advent season? Do you know the joy of the Gospel? Is your life in tune with Jesus’ message of hope, salvation and redemption through him? ‘Tis the season to get in tune with what Christ brings to each of us!

Scripture passages (NAB translation) courtesy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Daily meditations and contemplations adapted from the Irish Jesuits’ Sacred Space web page and Biblical Medications for Ordinary Time by Rev. Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P.; prayers are from The Roman Missal, Catholic Book Publishing, 2011; information about saints, solemnities, feasts and memorials courtesy of the Catholic Culture website. frlumpe:2023