Daily Gospel
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of Sirach
Sir 48:1-4, 9-11
In those days,
like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah
whose words were as a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
and who falls asleep in your friendship.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 17:9a, 10-13
As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
“Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
(Mt 17:10-13)
God’s Word for Us
Dear people of God,
In today’s Word, God told the disciples about the image of John the Baptist. He is the embodiment of Elijah, the prophet who came to prepare the way for the Savior.
For a prophet, there is bound to be suffering, persecution, imprisonment, and condemnation. God showed that: when the prophet Elijah came to earth to convey God’s Will to all mankind, mankind did not accept him and sought to kill him. Next, when John the Baptist was the forerunner, the messenger who prepared the way for the Savior to come to earth as a man, John the Baptist himself was condemned and persecuted for living righteously and uprightly. John the Baptist announced the Word of God to mankind, and he too was condemned and killed because man put his own self-indulgence before the love of God. God gave His love to all mankind, but humanity did not accept it and ignored it.
Therefore, God wants to remind people today: Listen to and practice the Word of God expressed through the prophets, through the messengers that God sends to mankind in the world today. God the Father chooses and places the work at the House of God the Father in Bao Loc from which the Word of God the Father is sent to all mankind so that messengers can spread the Word of God, Jesus Christ, to all. The Word of God the Father is expressed through the hands of Chu Thien Thuong, under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
God has revealed to all mankind that: The love of God covers all the earth. His love is not limited to any place or person. Therefore, those who are chosen by God must live right and do what God commanded, then God’s love will be expressed in that person. The love of God will be distributed by God to all mankind in today’s world.
Besides, God also reminds humanity that: those who live and practice the work of God the Father will also encounter suffering, condemnation, and persecution. However, look to the Cross of the Son of God, who Himself suffered, was condemned, and was killed. Therefore, today’s Word of God calls on all mankind: Listen to God’s Will and do it, which is expressed through those chosen by God who practice His work of salvation under the New Era of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks Be to God. Amen.
