St. Lucy, virgin  & martyr 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Isaiah 48: 17-19

Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel :

I, Yahweh, your God, teach you what is best for you; I lead you in the way that you must go.

Had you paid attention to my commandments, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Your descendants would have been like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, their names never cut off nor blotted out from my presence.

 

Ps 1  Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 11:16-19

Now, to what can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain : ‘We played the flute for you, but you would not dance. We sang a funeral song, but you would not cry!’

For John came fasting, and people said, ‘He is possessed by demon!’ then, the Son of Man came. He ate and drank; and people said, ‘Look at this man : a glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinnersl’ yet, wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

“WISDOM IS VINDICATED BY HER WORDS.”

Jesus reminds us of this one most neglected Christian virtue: to listen to what God is saying to us in every moment of our lives. Today, Jesus reproaches the crowds for not listening.

The message of the Gospel comes to us through hearing. Thus, when John came and proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, people thought of him to be possessed by an evil spirit. When Jesus came, people thought of him to be glutton and drunkard simply because he was with the sinners, tax collectors and they persecuted him in the end.

Prophet Isaiah in the first reading, reminds us that the Lord, our Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, would teach us always what is good for us. he would lead us to the way we should go. If only we would Listen to his voice, our prosperity would be like a river flowing down the streams giving life to all it passes by.

The birth of Jesus is the embodiment of the faith we heard from our forefathers. What we have listened to and meditated upon, has now a face – Jesus of Nazareth.