Daily Readings for Monday December 27, 2010

Reading 1, 1 Jn 1:1-4

1 Something which has existed since the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have watched and touched with our own hands, the Word of life -- this is our theme.

2 That life was made visible; we saw it and are giving our testimony, declaring to you the eternal life, which was present to the Father and has been revealed to us.

3 We are declaring to you what we have seen and heard, so that you too may share our life. Our life is shared with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 We are writing this to you so that our joy may be complete.

Gospel, Jn 20:1a, 2-8

1 It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb

2 and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,' she said, 'and we don't know where they have put him.'

3 So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb.

4 They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first;

5 he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in.

6 Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground

7 and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.

8 Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.

Daily Readings for Thursday December 23, 2010

Reading 1, Mal 3:1-4, 23-24

1 'Look, I shall send my messenger to clear a way before me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his Temple; yes, the angel of the covenant, for whom you long, is on his way, says Yahweh Sabaoth.

2 Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire, like fullers' alkali.

3 He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they can make the offering to Yahweh with uprightness.

4 The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be acceptable to Yahweh as in former days, as in the years of old.

23 'Look, I shall send you the prophet Elijah before the great and awesome Day of Yahweh comes.

24 He will reconcile parents to their children and children to their parents, to forestall my putting the country under the curse of destruction.'

Gospel, Lk 1:57-66

57 The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son;

58 and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had lavished on her his faithful love, they shared her joy.

59 Now it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,

60 but his mother spoke up. 'No,' she said, 'he is to be called John.'

61 They said to her, 'But no one in your family has that name,'

62 and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called.

63 The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And they were all astonished.

64 At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God.

65 All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea.

66 All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. 'What will this child turn out to be?' they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

Christmas with the pope online

Celebrating Christmas with the pope at home or on the go couldn’t be easier. All you need is an Internet connection or an iPhone.

Today the Vatican announced that it is offering a new “Smooth Streaming” service to broadcast papal Christmas events via the websites of Vatican Radio, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the council’s Pope2you site and iPhone.

The CNS Crossplayer, available on client websites such as this, also offers a “Vatican Live” feed from the Vatican Television Center of papal ceremonies in addition to other colorful content produced by CNS staff in Washington DC and Rome.

The new “Smooth Streaming” technology means people will experience top quality video in high definition.

The papal events that will be broadcast live over the Internet and iPhone are the following (listed in local Rome time):

– Christmas Eve Mass from St. Peter’s Basilica Friday Dec. 24 starting at 10pm.

– Christmas Day message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from St. Peter’s Square Sat. Dec. 25 starting at 12 noon.

– Mass for World Day of Peace from St. Peter’s Basilica Sat. Jan. 1 starting at 10am.

Live commentary will be available in six languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese) and one channel will offer live audio with no commentary.

Commentary in Chinese will be available for the Christmas Eve Mass and commentary in Arabic will be offered for New Year’s Day.

Daily Readings for Wednesday December 22, 2010

Reading 1, 1 Sm 1:24-28

24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, as well as a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and took him into the temple of Yahweh at Shiloh; the child was very young.

25 They sacrificed the bull and led the child to Eli.

26 She said, 'If you please, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood beside you here, praying to Yahweh.

27 This is the child for which I was praying, and Yahweh has granted me what I asked of him.

28 Now I make him over to Yahweh for the whole of his life. He is made over to Yahweh.' They then worshipped Yahweh there.

Gospel, Lk 1:46-56

46 And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;

48 because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,

49 for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name,

50 and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.

51 He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart.

52 He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly.

53 He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty.

54 He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love

55 -according to the promise he made to our ancestors -- of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

56 Mary stayed with her some three months and then went home.

Ancient practice seen as way for modern Catholics to get close to Jesus

"Lectio divina," an antique scriptural meditative practice, is an ideal way for modern Catholics to unplug from worldly distractions and establish holy intimacy, enduring friendship and fruitful companionship with Jesus Christ, according to Trappist Brother Simeon Leiva.

Brother Leiva, a Scripture scholar and monk at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Mass., said encountering the living Christ in shared knowledge and love is transformative and challenging. "The word of God must never be a calming narcotic. God calls us out of our comfort zone and offers us new life on his own conditions," he said.

"The movement toward Jesus requires bravery and generosity and is both exciting and frightening," Brother Leiva said."Lectio divina" -- "the reading of the sacred" or "the divine reading" -- dates from the second century. It uses a pattern of reading, reflection, prayer, thought and action to meditate on short scriptural passages.

Brother Leiva addressed priests of the Archdiocese of New York Dec. 9 at the American Bible Society's launch of two books dedicated to the practice: "The Catholic Prayer Bible -- 'Lectio Divina' Edition" and "Pray With the Bible, Meditate With the Word -- a Manual for the Prayerful
Reading of the Bible."

The new books are a timely reaction to a post-synodal article in which Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to get to know the Scriptures better."Verbum Domini" ("The Word of the Lord") is an apostolic exhortation on the 2008 Synod of Bishops on the Word of God. In it and in earlier statements, Pope Benedict optional "lectio divina" as an effective way to encounter Christ in Scripture and respond with openness and generosity.

Brother Leiva said "lectio divina" cultivates the human heart to activate to its uppermost potential and helps bring Christian souls to their natural state with Jesus Christ at the center of their being. "Union with Jesus is the whole of my life and my association with him is the primal relationship that invigorates all others," he said.

He described "lectio divina" as leisurely, ruminative, cordial, contemplative, disinterested, provocative, ecclesial and mystagogical. "Each session of 'lectio' is a unassuming foretaste of heavenly experiences," he said. He called "lectio divina" a tool to "make our lives themselves a living exegesis of the Word."

Brother Leiva told Catholic News Service that "lectio divina" is "a Catholic way to decompress and pray at the same time. For whatever reason you practice it, it requires you to slow down and unplug yourself. It's healthy and it's very achievable."

Paraphrasing St. Bernard, the Trappist said, "'Stay at home, you may receive an significant visitor.' "'Lectio divina' is coming home to oneself."Mario Paredes, presidential liaison to the American Bible Society's Catholic ministries, said the "lectio divina" initiative is an effort to get the Bible read. "We have studies that show there is an excess of Bibles, three to five in each household, but the problem is that no one is reading them," Paredes said. "We're uneven tactics. 'Lectio divina' is not a Bible course, but an invitation to read the Bible carefully."

Paredes said the Bible society provides the "lectio divina" materials in English and Spanish and organizes and subsidizes training sessions for parish leaders in dioceses across the United States. He said 2,000 people attended training in Los Angeles, San Antonio, Miami, Houston, Brooklyn, N.Y., Chicago, Newark, N.J., and Norwich and Bridgeport, Conn., and are now training others.

Paredes said "lectio divina" is an effective tool to "redirect the enthusiasm of the charismatic movement."He told CNS, "There are many charismatic groups that read and interpret the Bible in a very free way. 'Lectio divina' helps people really know and develop a reading of Scripture within the framework of the teaching and tradition of the church."

Daily Readings for Tuesday December 21, 2010

Reading 1, Sg 2:8-14

8 BELOVED: I hear my love. See how he comes leaping on the mountains, bounding over the hills.

9 My love is like a gazelle, like a young stag. See where he stands behind our wall. He looks in at the window, he peers through the opening.

10 My love lifts up his voice, he says to me, 'Come then, my beloved, my lovely one, come.

11 For see, winter is past, the rains are over and gone.

12 'Flowers are appearing on the earth. The season of glad songs has come, the cooing of the turtledove is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree is forming its first figs and the blossoming vines give out their fragrance. Come then, my beloved, my lovely one, come.

14 'My dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock, in the coverts of the cliff, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.'

Gospel, Lk 1:39-45

39 Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah.

40 She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.

41 Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

43 Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?

44 Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.

45 Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.'

Daily Bible Readings for Monday December 20, 2010

Reading 1, Is 7:10-14

10 Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said:

11 Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.

12 But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.'

13 He then said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying human patience that you should try my God's patience too?

14 The Lord will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

Gospel, Lk 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.'

29 She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean,

30 but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.

31 Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David;

33 he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'

34 Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?'

35 The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.

36 And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month,

37 for nothing is impossible to God.'

38 Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.

Daily Readings for Monday December 13, 2010

Reading 1, Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a

2 Raising his eyes Balaam saw Israel settled tribe by tribe; the spirit of God came on him

3 and he declaimed his poem, as follows: The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of the man with far-seeing eyes,

4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God. He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.

5 How fair your tents are, Jacob, how fair your dwellings, Israel,

6 like valleys that stretch afar, like gardens by the banks of a river, like aloes planted by Yahweh, like cedars beside the waters!

7 A hero arises from their stock, he reigns over countless peoples. His king is greater than Agag, and his kingship held in honour.

15 He then declaimed his poem, as follows: The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of the man with far-seeing eyes,

16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High. He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.

17 I see him -- but not in the present. I perceive him -- but not close at hand: a star is emerging from Jacob, a sceptre is rising from Israel, to strike the brow of Moab, the skulls of all the children of Seth.

Gospel, Mt 21:23-27

23 He had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, 'What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?'

24 In reply Jesus said to them, 'And I will ask you a question, just one; if you tell me the answer to it, then I will tell you my authority for acting like this.

25 John's baptism: what was its origin, heavenly or human?' And they argued this way among themselves, 'If we say heavenly, he will retort to us, "Then why did you refuse to believe him?";

26 but if we say human, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.'

27 So their reply to Jesus was, 'We do not know.' And he retorted to them, 'Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.'

Related post : Yahweh your god

Daily Bible Readings for Sunday December 12, 2010

Reading 1, Is 35:1-6a, 10

1 Let the desert and the dry lands be glad, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom; like the asphodel,

2 let it burst into flower, let it rejoice and sing for joy. The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; then they will see the glory of Yahweh, the splendour of our God.

3 Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees

4 and say to the faint-hearted, 'Be strong! Do not be afraid. Here is your God, vengeance is coming, divine retribution; he is coming to save you.'

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed,

6 then the lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy; for water will gush in the desert and streams in the wastelands,

10 For those whom Yahweh has ransomed will return, they will come to Zion shouting for joy, their heads crowned with joy unending; rejoicing and gladness will escort them and sorrow and sighing will take flight.

Gospel, Mt 11:2-11

2 Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him,

3 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?'

4 Jesus answered, 'Go back and tell John what you hear and see;

5 the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor;

6 and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of falling.'

7 As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, 'What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No?

8 Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces.

9 Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet:

10 he is the one of whom scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you.

11 'In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

Reading 2, Jas 5:7-10

7 Now be patient, brothers, until the Lord's coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains!

8 You too must be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord's coming will be soon.

9 Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates.

10 For your example, brothers, in patiently putting up with persecution, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name;

Vatican delegations meet with Palestinians, Israelis, in separate negotiations

Talks appear to be moving forward for the Vatican in the Palestine and Israel. Vatican delegations met with the representatives this week to discuss about the Church's status in each of the two contentious Middle Eastern areas.

Talks between the Holy See and the Palestinian Liberation Organization took place in the Ramallah on Dec. 7. According to the Holy See's Press Office, the two sides are working to reach "a comprehensive international agreement" to govern the Church’s operations in the Palestinian territories.

The meeting took place in a "cordial atmosphere" and both the delegations agreed to establish a working group to bring about such an agreement, the Vatican said.

Some of the same Vatican officials crossed the heated border into Israel to take part in a plenary meeting with the representatives from Israel's foreign affairs ministry on Dec. 9.

The ongoing meetings are seeking to negotiate the details of an accord to establish the legal and economic status of Church properties and workers in the Holy Land. Delegations have met on and off since 1993 and the official joint communique issued this week reported a "good and open atmosphere."

for more news details : Vatican deligations meet

Daily Readings for Friday December 10, 2010

Reading 1, Is 48:17-19

17 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Yahweh your God and teach you for your own good, I lead you in the way you ought to go.

18 If only you had listened to my commandments! Your prosperity would have been like a river and your saving justice like the waves of the sea.

19 Your descendants would have been numbered like the sand, your offspring as many as its grains. Their name would never be cancelled or blotted out from my presence.

Gospel, Mt 11:16-19

16 'What comparison can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place:

17 We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn't dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn't be mourners.

18 'For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He is possessed."

19 The Son of man came, eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.'

WikiLeaks cable notes Vatican commitment to accord on climate change

The Vatican was committed to getting countries aligned with the Copenhagen Accord on the climate change, according to the first Vatican cable to appear on the WikiLeaks website.

The confidential cable claimed a Vatican official at the Secretariat of State would support U.S. government "efforts to have countries associate themselves with the Copenhagen Accord by the January 31 deadline" as well as "encourage other countries discreetly to associate themselves with the Accord as opportunities arise."

The cable, dated Jan. 21, 2010, came from the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican and was sent to the U.S. government's Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science.

It was one of more than 250,000 alleged diplomatic cables that WikiLeaks said it would be releasing over the coming months. Sources in Rome said 850 documents concern communications between the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican.

The cable, titled "'Green' pope supports US path forward from Copenhagen," was based in part on discussions an embassy official had with Paolo Conversi, a Vatican official at the Secretariat of State, and with U.S. Msgr. James Reinert of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

The one-page document made no mention of Pope Benedict XVI's Jan. 11 speech to diplomats in which he was critical of the lack of real commitment to mitigating climate change.

In a lengthy speech, he told ambassadors that have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, including U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Miguel Diaz, that he shared "the growing concern caused by economic and political resistance to combating the degradation of the environment."

for more news : wikileaks cable notes

Daily Readings for Thursday December 09, 2010

Reading 1, Is 41:13-20

13 For I, Yahweh, your God, I grasp you by your right hand; I tell you, 'Do not be afraid, I shall help you.'

14 Do not be afraid, Jacob, you worm! You little handful of Israel! I shall help you, declares Yahweh; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 Look, I am making you into a threshing-sledge, new, with double teeth; you will thresh and beat the mountains to dust and reduce the hills to straw.

16 You will winnow them and the wind will carry them off, the gale will scatter them; whereas you will rejoice in Yahweh, will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 The oppressed and needy search for water, and there is none, their tongue is parched with thirst. I, Yahweh, shall answer them, I, the God of Israel, shall not abandon them.

18 I shall open up rivers on barren heights and water-holes down in the ravines; I shall turn the desert into a lake and dry ground into springs of water.

19 I shall plant the desert with cedar trees, acacias, myrtles and olives; in the wastelands I shall put cypress trees, plane trees and box trees side by side;

20 so that people may see and know, so that they may all observe and understand that the hand of Yahweh has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Gospel, Mt 11:11-15

11 'In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

12 Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of Heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm.

13 Because it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading;

14 and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return.

15 Anyone who has ears should listen!

Daily Catholic Bible Readings for Wednesday December 08, 2010

Reading 1, Gn 3:9-15, 20

9 But Yahweh God called to the man. 'Where are you?' he asked.

10 'I heard the sound of you in the garden,' he replied. 'I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.'

11 'Who told you that you were naked?' he asked. 'Have you been eating from the tree I forbade you to eat?'

12 The man replied, 'It was the woman you put with me; she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.'

13 Then Yahweh God said to the woman, 'Why did you do that?' The woman replied, 'The snake tempted me and I ate.'

14 Then Yahweh God said to the snake, 'Because you have done this, Accursed be you of all animals wild and tame! On your belly you will go and on dust you will feed as long as you live.

15 I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel.'

20 The man named his wife 'Eve' because she was the mother of all those who live.

Gospel, Lk 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.'

29 She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean,

30 but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.

31 Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David;

33 he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'

34 Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?'

35 The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.

36 And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month,

37 for nothing is impossible to God.'

38 Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.

Reading 2, Eph 1:3-6, 11-12

3 Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.

4 Thus he chose us in Christ before the world was made to be holy and faultless before him in love,

5 marking us out for himself beforehand, to be adopted sons, through Jesus Christ. Such was his purpose and good pleasure,

6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved,

11 And it is in him that we have received our heritage, marked out beforehand as we were, under the plan of the One who guides all things as he decides by his own will,

12 chosen to be, for the praise of his glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.

Spanish choir prepares to sing for World Youth Day

The Donostiarra Choir, the most prestigious in the Spain, will sing for Pope Benedict XVI at the final Mass for the World Youth Day 2011.

The youth event will take place in Madrid, Spain on Aug. 15-21, 2011.

World Youth Day 2011 organizers said the Donostiarra Choir is “an amateur choir,” composed of 185 voices. “Attesting to its greatness is an extensive list of awards that demonstrates it is the most important choir in the Spain and one of the best in the world.”

Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of San Sebastián noted that he hopes “the Holy Father will enjoy your performance, as he has a great ear and a highly refined soul. Above all, I hope you lift the hearts of the young people who will participate in this event.”

The General Coordinator of WYD 2011, Auxiliary Bishop Cesar Franco, also expressed his gratitude for the choir’s collaboration. Their participation is an expression of the profound desire for this event to demonstrate “the path of beauty that leads to God," he said.

The choir’s director, Jose Antonio Sainz Alfaro, explained that the repertoire for the two events has not yet been finalized, “but we would like to sing both religious music as well as folklore pieces from different parts of Spain.”

Daily Readings for Monday December 06, 2010

Reading 1, Is 35:1-10

1 Let the desert and the dry lands be glad, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom; like the asphodel,

2 let it burst into flower, let it rejoice and sing for joy. The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; then they will see the glory of Yahweh, the splendour of our God.

3 Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees

4 and say to the faint-hearted, 'Be strong! Do not be afraid. Here is your God, vengeance is coming, divine retribution; he is coming to save you.'

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed,

6 then the lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy; for water will gush in the desert and streams in the wastelands,

7 the parched ground will become a marsh and the thirsty land springs of water; the lairs where the jackals used to live will become plots of reed and papyrus.

8 And through it will run a road for them and a highway which will be called the Sacred Way; the unclean will not be allowed to use it; He will be the one to use this road, the fool will not stray along it.

9 No lion will be there, no ferocious beast set foot on it, nothing of the sort be found; it will be used by the redeemed.

10 For those whom Yahweh has ransomed will return, they will come to Zion shouting for joy, their heads crowned with joy unending; rejoicing and gladness will escort them and sorrow and sighing will take flight.

Gospel, Lk 5:17-26

17 Now it happened that he was teaching one day, and Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had come from every village in Galilee, from Judaea and from Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was there so that he should heal.

18 And now some men appeared, bringing on a bed a paralysed man whom they were trying to bring in and lay down in front of him.

19 But as they could find no way of getting the man through the crowd, they went up onto the top of the house and lowered him and his stretcher down through the tiles into the middle of the gathering, in front of Jesus.

20 Seeing their faith he said, 'My friend, your sins are forgiven you.'

21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to think this over. 'Who is this man, talking blasphemy? Who but God alone can forgive sins?'

22 But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, made them this reply, 'What are these thoughts you have in your hearts?

23 Which of these is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Get up and walk"?

24 But to prove to you that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,' -- he said to the paralysed man-'I order you: get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.'

25 And immediately before their very eyes he got up, picked up what he had been lying on and went home praising God.

26 They were all astounded and praised God and were filled with awe, saying, 'We have seen strange things today.'

Daily Readings for Sunday December 05, 2010

Reading 1, Is 11:1-10

1 A shoot will spring from the stock of Jesse, a new shoot will grow from his roots.

2 On him will rest the spirit of Yahweh, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and fear of Yahweh:

3 his inspiration will lie in fearing Yahweh. His judgement will not be by appearances. his verdict not given on hearsay.

4 He will judge the weak with integrity and give fair sentence for the humblest in the land. He will strike the country with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips bring death to the wicked.

5 Uprightness will be the belt around his waist, and constancy the belt about his hips.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the panther lie down with the kid, calf, lion and fat-stock beast together, with a little boy to lead them.

7 The cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like the ox.

8 The infant will play over the den of the adder; the baby will put his hand into the viper's lair.

9 No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain, for the country will be full of knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.

10 That day, the root of Jesse, standing as a signal for the peoples, will be sought out by the nations and its home will be glorious.

Gospel, Mt 3:1-12

1 In due course John the Baptist appeared; he proclaimed this message in the desert of Judaea,

2 'Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.'

3 This was the man spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said: A voice of one that cries in the desert, 'Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.'

4 This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather loin-cloth round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him,

6 and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.

7 But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, 'Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming retribution?

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance,

9 and do not presume to tell yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father," because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones.

10 Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees, so that any tree failing to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire.

11 I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

12 His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.'

Reading 2, Rom 15:4-9

4 And all these things which were written so long ago were written so that we, learning perseverance and the encouragement which the scriptures give, should have hope.

5 Now the God of perseverance and encouragement give you all the same purpose, following the example of Christ Jesus,

6 so that you may together give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one heart.

7 Accept one another, then, for the sake of God's glory, as Christ accepted you.

8 I tell you that Christ's work was to serve the circumcised, fulfilling the truthfulness of God by carrying out the promises made to the fathers,

9 and his work was also for the gentiles, so that they should give glory to God for his faithful love; as scripture says: For this I shall praise you among the nations and sing praise to your name.

Pope urges Catholics to prepare their hearts for Jesus’ birth

Thousands of families gathered in the St. Peter’s Square this morning to hear Pope Benedict speak about preparing their hearts for “He who comes” and to see the Vatican’s Christmas tree.

As the crowd listened to Pope Benedict’s address, little children tried to peek through the barriers surrounding the Vatican’s unfinished Nativity scene for this year.

The Pope offered those present a reflection on today’s Gospel, Matthew 3:1-12, which features St. John the Baptist being called into the wilderness to urge the repentance to prepare for the coming of the Lord.

St. Gregory the Great, the Pope said, taught that “the Baptist preaches the true faith and good works ... so that … the pathways to God are straightened and honest thoughts are born in souls after listening to the Word that leads to all good.” 

Daily Readings for Friday December 03, 2010

Reading 1, Is 29:17-24

17 Is it not true that in a very short time the Lebanon will become productive ground, so productive you might take it for a forest?

18 That day the deaf will hear the words of the book and, delivered from shadow and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see.

19 The lowly will find ever more joy in Yahweh and the poorest of people will delight in the Holy One of Israel;

20 for the tyrant will be no more, the scoffer has vanished and all those on the look-out for evil have been destroyed:

21 those who incriminate others by their words, those who lay traps for the arbitrator at the gate and groundlessly deprive the upright of fair judgement.

22 That is why Yahweh, God of the House of Jacob, Abraham's redeemer, says this, 'No longer shall Jacob be disappointed, no more shall his face grow pale,

23 for when he sees his children, my creatures, home again with him, he will acknowledge my name as holy, he will acknowledge the Holy One of Jacob to be holy and will hold the God of Israel in awe.

24 Erring spirits will learn to understand and murmurers accept instruction.'

Gospel, Mt 9:27-31

27 As Jesus went on his way two blind men followed him shouting, 'Take pity on us, son of David.'

28 And when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up to him and he said to them, 'Do you believe I can do this?' They said, 'Lord, we do.'

29 Then he touched their eyes saying, 'According to your faith, let it be done to you.'

30 And their sight returned. Then Jesus sternly warned them, 'Take care that no one learns about this.'

31 But when they had gone away, they talked about him all over the countryside.

35 Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness.

36 And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.

37 Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest.'

1 He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness.

Daily Readings for Thursday December 02, 2010

Reading 1, Is 26:1-6

1 That day, this song will be sung in Judah: 'We have a fortress city, the walls and ramparts provide safety.

2 Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in, the nation that keeps faith!

3 This is the plan decreed: you will guarantee peace, the peace entrusted to you.

4 Trust in Yahweh for ever, for Yahweh is a rock for ever.

5 He has brought low the dwellers on the heights, the lofty citadel; he lays it low, brings it to the ground, flings it down in the dust.

6 It will be trodden under foot, by the feet of the needy, the steps of the weak.'

Gospel, Mt 7:21, 24-27

21 'It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.

24 'Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock.

25 Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock.

26 But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand.

27 Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!'

Daily Readings for Wednesday December 01, 2010

Reading 1, Is 25:6-10a

6 On this mountain, for all peoples, Yahweh Sabaoth is preparing a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of succulent food, of well-strained wines.

7 On this mountain, he has destroyed the veil which used to veil all peoples, the pall enveloping all nations;

8 he has destroyed death for ever. Lord Yahweh has wiped away the tears from every cheek; he has taken his people's shame away everywhere on earth, for Yahweh has spoken.

9 And on that day, it will be said, 'Look, this is our God, in him we put our hope that he should save us, this is Yahweh, we put our hope in him. Let us exult and rejoice since he has saved us.'

10 For Yahweh's hand will rest on this mountain, and Moab will be trodden under his feet as straw is trodden into the dung-heap.

Gospel, Mt 15:29-37

29 Jesus went on from there and reached the shores of the Lake of Galilee, and he went up onto the mountain. He took his seat,

30 and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them.

31 The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.

32 But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, or they might collapse on the way.'

33 The disciples said to him, 'Where in a deserted place could we get sufficient bread for such a large crowd to have enough to eat?'

34 Jesus said to them, 'How many loaves have you?' They said, 'Seven, and a few small fish.'

35 Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground,

36 and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks he broke them and began handing them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds.

37 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.