First Reading: Jude 17, 20B-25
Beloved, remember the words spoken beforehand
by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life.
On those who waver, have mercy;
save others by snatching them out of the fire;
on others have mercy with fear,
abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.
To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you unblemished and exultant,
in the presence of his glory,
to the only God, our savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
be glory, majesty, power, and authority
from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Gospel: Mark 11:27-33
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
NAB
The words of Saint Jude in today's First Reading feel like such a breath of fresh air. Encouraging, quenching, restorative air.
As we walk renewed in this season after celebrating Easter and the great feast of Pentecost, it can be easy for us to just take the joyfulness of the past liturgical season at face value, but not let it really sit and live in our souls. It's easy to see the beauty of spring, feel the warmth of the sun, and wear bright floral prints again, yet not realize the renewal to which God is calling us to at this moment.
Just as Lent was meant to call us back to our humble beginnings and the very humble earthly ends we are all journeying towards, the Easter season called us to live our calling as a Resurrection people. Today's reading which exhorts us to build up our faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God, wait for His mercy, and help others do the same is the crux of the Easter message we must live not only all year long, but our whole lives.
So often I either forget in my day to day the importance of my small prayers or attentiveness to the Holy Spirit then jump to the opposite reaction of thinking practicing the faith is too hard and too demanding. But here is a great reminder of the things we are called to do.
It's this beautiful simplicity to which we are called. To live joyfully by building our faith little by little, relying on the Holy Spirit when we don't know what to pray for, reminding ourselves of the Truth that God has a very strong, personal love for who we are and that He created us with purpose, that we should wait and be patient for God's mercy no matter what area of life we may be waiting, that we need to have mercy on others despite their faults and mistakes, that we are meant to be helping all those in our lives reach Heaven.
This is our joyful task sisters—remember, beloved!
Let the truth seep into my soul. Let it slow me and open me to Your SpiritClick to tweet
Lord, help me rest in the truth of your love for me today. Let it seep into my soul, let it slow me and open me to your Holy Spirit.
Christy Isinger is the mom to five lovely, loud children living in the Canadian wilds. You can find out more about her here.
Walk With Us this Advent
Get Your Prayerful Planner
