Vol. 36 No. 2                                                (Cycle B)   2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT     Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight     ENTRANCE ANTIPHON People of Zion, the Lord will come to save all nations, and your hearts will exult to hear his majestic voice.   PENITENTIAL RITE Welcoming God involves removing all obstacles which prevent him from coming close. Preparing a way for the Lord may mean walking on a new path. Christ cannot save us without our cooperation. We ask ourselves what are the areas and dark corners in ourselves which we do not want to disturb even though we are aware that they prevent God from entering into our innermost being. (Pause) I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary ever  Virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers  and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. (Gloria is omitted) OPENING PRAYER Let us pray. God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns... FIRST READING (Prophet Isaiah envisages great miracles that will accompany God’s people when they return from the Babylonian captivity.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah (40:1-5,9-11) Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Get you up to high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (84) Response: Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help. I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his people. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land. R/. Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven. R/. The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps. R/. SECOND READING (St Peter tells us that if the Lord appears slow in coming, it is to give us an opportunity to be ready to meet him when he comes.) A reading from the Second Letter of St Peter (3:8-14) Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Lk 3:4,6) Alleluia, alleluia! Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. All flesh shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia! GOSPEL (John the Baptist urges the people to prepare for the imminent coming of the Saviour.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark (1:1-8) The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” This is the Gospel of the Lord (Homily) I believe in God....... PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Acknowledging our human weakness and our need for conversion, let us place our petitions before our Heavenly Father: Response: Loving Father, hear our prayer. 1. For the Pope and all the ministers of the Church that they seek out the lost, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong, we pray to the Lord. R/. 2. For our political leaders that they may strive to level the mountain of injustice and fill the valley of poverty, and thus bring about a just society, we pray to the Lord. R/. 3. For those who are sorrowful and lonely that they may experience the peace in the presence of Christ, we pray to the Lord. R/. 4. For all of us gathered here that we may live our lives on earth happily while having our hearts set on the eternal glory, we pray to the Lord. R/. Cel: Loving Father, we praise and thank you for the gift of your divine Son. May we reach out with joy to grasp your hand and walk more readily in your ways. We make this ….. PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, we are nothing without you. As you sustain us with your mercy, receive our prayers and offerings. Grant this... PREFACE (1) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. When he humbled himself to come among us as a man, he fulfilled the plan you formed long ago and opened for us the way to salvation. Now we watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in his glory. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy.... COMMUNION ANTIPHON Rise up, Jerusalem, stand on the heights, and see the joy that is coming to you from God. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Father, you give us food from heaven. Teach us to live by your wisdom and to love the things of heaven by our sharing in this mystery. Grant this...   Liturgy & Life   Advent is a refreshing and rejuvenating time. The readings for today speak of hope, of comfort in the Lord and of lasting peace. These are themes we need to hear as we continue to be bombarded by all the negativity and pessimism which are reported or created by the media world. Today we heard in the readings: God telling the prophet Isaiah to preach comfort and consolation to a people who had given up hope. They were exiles in Babylon, due to their rejection of God. There was no hope, no way of solving their problem. God knows, sees, understands, cares and heals. There are many times when we cannot envision a solution to our problems.  We have to trust God and be his instrument for healing. If there are people who are suffering, we are called upon by the Lord to give comfort to them. “Comfort, give comfort to my people,” the Lord tells us. There are many people in our parish, who are angry. Some feel that they have good reason to be angry. Some do not even know why they are angry, but they are still angry.  Some are angry with themselves for the situations they themselves have created in their lives.  Well, we can do something about it, and we are bound to help them. In order to help the angry person to find peace, we have to treat him or her with the comfort and consolation of the Lord. Some may have lost loved ones this year or in the past years. Christmas is difficult for them. If God is our comfort and consolation, and truly He is, and if we are extensions of his presence, and truly we are, then we can bring his comfort to these people by responding in love and care. In today’s Gospel we remember the promise of John the Baptist, “One would come who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit”. That one is Jesus Christ. We have been baptized with his Spirit. Therefore, we can bring his presence, his love, his comfort and his consolation, his very Spirit to his suffering people. His Spirit can and will work through us this Advent and this Christmas. We do not know how God will complete his plan for his loved ones, among whom are those suffering from relationship problems, anger and death, but somehow he will deliver them from their seemingly impossible situations. God’s plan always works. We have a part in his plan. We are the channels, the people through whom He works his plans. Today’s readings are beautifully positive.  They tell us about God’s love and his call to us to share in his peace. They tell us that the Lord wants us to join him in bringing his peace to others. The Lord tells us today, “Give comfort, bring comfort to my people”.   December 2008 READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 2 08 Mon (W) IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Sol), Gn 3:9-15.20/ Ps 97(98):1.2-3ab.3cd-4/ Eph 1:3-6.11-12/ Lk 1:26-38 09 Tue (V) St Juan Diego, Is 40:1-11/ Ps 95(96):1-2.3 & 10.11-12.13/ Mt 18:12-14 10 Wed (V) Is 40:25-31/ Ps 102(103):1-2.3-4.8 & 10/ Mt 11:28-30 11 Thu (V/W) St Damasus I, Is 41:13-20/ Ps 144(145):1 & 9.10-11.12-13/ Mt 11:11-15 12 Fri (V/W) Our Lady of Guadalupe, Is 48:17-19/ Ps 1:1-2,3,4 & 6/ Mt 11:16-19 13 Sat (R) Lucy (M), Sir 48:1-4.9-11/ Ps 80:2 & 3.15-16.18-19/ Mt 17:9a.10-13