Reading 1 Am 9:11-15
On that day I will raise up
the fallen hut of David;
I will wall up its breaches,
raise up its ruins,
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
That they may conquer what is left of Edom
and all the nations that shall bear my name,
say I, the LORD, who will do this.
Yes, days are coming,
says the LORD,
When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
and the vintager, him who sows the seed;
The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains,
and all the hills shall run with it.
I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel;
they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,
Plant vineyards and drink the wine,
set out gardens and eat the fruits.
I will plant them upon their own ground;
never again shall they be plucked
From the land I have given them,
say I, the LORD, your God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Alleluia Jn 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 9:14-17
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,
for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
THE KISS OF PEACE
"Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss."–Psalm 85:11
What a beautiful image! Kindness and truth meet. Justice and peace kiss. How can this be? So often, kindness and peace are overshadowed by the need to right a wrong. Many times, truth and justice are compromised by the desire to avoid offending anyone. Is the above passage merely a poetic ideal that could never be achieved in the cold, hard world of everyday living?
These potentially conflicting ideals come together as one in the Person of Jesus. Jesus is Truth (Jn 14:6). He is our Justice (1 Cor 1:30). Yet Jesus is our Peace (Eph 2:14; Mi 5:4). He embodies the kindness of God (Ex 34:6; Nm 14:18). Jesus Himself can proclaim the truth and bring justice while treating both the guilty and their victims with kindness and peace.
Nations spend billions of dollars trying to achieve a balance between law and order, charitable outreaches, and social programs. These are lofty and noble goals, but without Jesus they will fall short of their aim. Humans can't achieve what only Jesus has the ability to do.
Divided families, sparring nations, troubled spouses, splintered parishes, bring your problems to Jesus. Apart from Jesus, you can do nothing (Jn 15:5). With Jesus, all things are possible (Mt 19:26).
| PRAYER: | Jesus, Prince of Peace (Is 9:5), kiss us with Your kiss of peace (Sg 1:2; Ps 85:11). Give us "new wine" of the Spirit (Mt 9:17). May we be Your ambassadors to a hurting world. |
| PROMISE: | "The Lord Himself will give His benefits." –Ps 85:13 |
| PRAISE: | Charlie's brother had turned to drugs and crime but Charlie never stopped praying for him. He was never a lost cause to Charlie or to Jesus. |
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