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In the Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
Is 11:1-10
The setting of this reading is Jerusalem of Isaiah's time, the eighth century B.C. The king is Ahaz, a weak young man. Though a ne'er-do- well, he is of the royal family of David, whose father was Jesse. Ahaz has brought the royal family and his country to such ruin that Isaiah compares the leftovers with the stump of a tree.
But from the root of that stump a bud shall blossom. From this seemingly dead stock God will bring out a shoot, a prince, who will prove himself an ideal king. It is the yearning of a people that walks in darkness for an ideal king to come!
Christians see all of this yearning fulfilled in God's Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth. The Spirit of the Lord rests upon him. He has established an ideal kingdom of peace and justice that is already partially realized now on earth and will be fully realized in the world to come.
The Responsorial Psalm is that that we put our trust in Jesus because of his love and kindness and that he has done great things for us, so we should be filled with joy and love for him and to be like him
in your self-giving. He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The Lord hears the cry of the poor!
In the Reading, From the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans
Rom 15:4-9
Paul tells us that Scripture was written for our instruction, that we might derive hope from it. In Christ is the yearning of people fulfilled.
Accept Jesus Christ as your leader, and heed his great commandment to accept one another! Like Christ, become one another's servants! Then you will be working toward the realization of that seemingly impossible dream of Isaiah and Jesus: a society where "the wolf is a guest of the lamb".
In the Gospel of Matthew
Mt 3:1-12
Preparing for the Lord's coming and fully accepting him may require a change in lifestyle. John the Baptist speaks clear language not just to the Jews of his time but to all of us. You should not delay a decision.
"His (Jesus Christ) winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor." Make sure you do not end up with the chaff that will be burned up in "an unquenchable fire."
Newsy Notes
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Deacon Bob Brazier, CRE
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Welcome back PSR Students!
Hope everyone had a Blessed Thanksgiving!
"CONFIRMATION"
Our Net Ministry will be here once again.
The 8th Grade class will have their retreat January 14th starting at 9:00am
here at St. Thomas More
"Remember"
Our next Confirmation Class will be held in Faith Formation Room at 11:15 on January 15th
Address future PSR and Sacramental Preparation Questions to:
Deacon Bob Brazier at bbrazier@sttm.org
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