FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT (Mt 11:16-19) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 21 hours ago
- 3 min read
FIRST READING - Is 48:17-19
"If only you would attend to my commandments."
A reading from the Book of Isaiah
17 Thus says the Lord, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord, your God,
teaching you how to prevail,
leading you on the way you should go.
18 If only you would attend to my commandments,
your peace would be like a river,
your vindication like the waves of the sea,
19 Your descendants like the sand,
the offspring of your loins like its grains,
Their name never cut off
or blotted out from my presence.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 11:16-19
"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’"
✠From the Gospel according to Matthew
16 “To what shall I compare this generation?[a] It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 17 ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT (Mt 11:16-19)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
In today’s Word of God, God teaches all humanity: always knowing how to listen to the Word of God and put it into practice.
God’s Word always walks in the light, in the truth, and in reality.
Look up to the example of Jesus Christ; He came to earth as a human to be with and accompany humanity, but when God came into the world, humanity did not recognize Him as the Savior who came to liberate humanity from the captivity of Satan.
Therefore, today's Word of God presents a story of children speaking to one another: “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance; we sang a dirge, but you did not mourn.”
Through this, God desires to tell all humanity: always know how to live in harmony and love, and unite with one another in every word, action, and deed, so that Satan cannot creep in, interfere, disrupt, or cause division and discord.
Similarly, the image of Saint John the Baptist came to bring the Word of God to humanity, calling people to repent with a contrite heart, to return to God the Father, to abandon the path of sin, to live, and to reconcile with our brothers and sisters and with God.
The very person of Saint John the Baptist testified to his prophetic life: being righteous, upright, just, and charitable; yet humanity failed to recognize this, subsequently condemning Saint John the Baptist and killing him.
Furthermore, God took the image of His own Son, who came to earth as a human being, to bring peace and happiness to humanity.
Still, humankind claimed that He is a drunkard, He is a person like everyone else, also sinful, also frivolous.
But before God, He clearly understands the hearts and thoughts of humanity; therefore, He said, “Wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
Through the loving actions of the Son of God coming to earth as a human being, we can see how God the Father’s love manifests in all humanity.
God the Father desires all of humanity:
To run to God’s love and learn to live with love, forgiveness, empathy, charity, and harmony with one another; stop jealousy and envy, stop criticizing, and stop condemning one another.
To look up to the example of Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God who came to earth as a human being, who sacrificed and suffered death to save every individual and to save all humanity.
To look up to the cross of Jesus Christ’s love, so that from it, we can have peace and happiness in this earthly life.
God the Father does not want humanity to suffer; therefore, God desires humanity to live and act in accordance with what God the Father commands, which is to live righteousness, charitably, lovingly, and forgivingly.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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