Reading 1 Acts 4:32-37
The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the Apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the Apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.
Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas
(which is translated Ason of encouragement”),
a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,
sold a piece of property that he owned,
then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the Apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the Apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.
Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas
(which is translated Ason of encouragement”),
a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,
sold a piece of property that he owned,
then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.
Responsorial Psalm PS 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Jn 3:14-15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.The Son of Man must be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Jn 3:7b-15
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
‘How can this happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
“‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
‘How can this happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
REFLECTION
"WITH HIM"
"The Lord is with you." –Luke 1:28
Love songs of all cultures express the desires of a lover who yearns to be with the beloved, no matter what it takes. Likewise, it wasn't enough for Jesus to love us from heaven. Whatever it took, He just had to be with us. Jesus took on human flesh so He could be with us (Jn 1:14). Jesus' very name is "Emmanuel, a name which means 'God is with us' " (Mt 1:23). Even if He had to die for our sins, even if He had to suffer in His humanity, Jesus loved us so much that He willingly paid the price so He could be with us and thus save us (Heb 10:10). If being with us meant being nailed to a cross, then Jesus chose the nails (see Rm 5:8).Jesus, Who is Love Incarnate (1 Jn 4:8), is with us. When we give our lives to Jesus, we join with Him and we are now in Love, because we are with Jesus. Being so in love with Jesus, we always want to be with Him, even if that means forgiving enemies, standing at the foot of the cross, being mocked, persecuted, impoverished, insulted, accused of hating God, or even put to death. None of these inconveniences can distract us from the joy of being with Him (cf Ps 84:11).
Jesus so desires being with us (Lk 22:15) that He gives us His eucharistic body so He can be within us (Jn 6:56; 17:23). At each Mass, we offer our lives to God "through Him, with Him, and in Him." Jesus says, "Know that I am with you always" (Mt 28:20). Therefore, on this feast of Jesus' Incarnation, be with Jesus always. "Rejoice...The Lord is with you"! (Lk 1:28)
| PRAYER: | Jesus, I love You and I fix my eyes on You (Heb 3:1). May I never leave Your side. You are my Delight and my Love. |
| PROMISE: | "Nothing is impossible with God." –Lk 1:37 |
| PRAISE: | Praise You, Father, for sending Mary to show us how to say Yes to God and to live that Yes. Praise You, Jesus, for likewise living a perfect "Yes" (2 Cor 1:19). |
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