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Last Supper, Juan de Juanes

tuesday of the fourth week of advent

(Year C)

…Give us this day our daily bread.”

cf. Gospel of Luke 11:3

daily mass readings

Lectionary: 197

Reading I

    Hark! my lover–here he comes
        springing across the mountains,
        leaping across the hills.
    My lover is like a gazelle
        or a young stag.
    Here he stands behind our wall,
        gazing through the windows,
        peering through the lattices.
    My lover speaks; he says to me,
        “Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,
        and come!
    “For see, the winter is past,
        the rains are over and gone.
    The flowers appear on the earth,
        the time of pruning the vines has come,
        and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
    The fig tree puts forth its figs,
        and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
    Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
        and come!

    “O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
        in the secret recesses of the cliff,
    Let me see you,
        let me hear your voice, 
    For your voice is sweet,
        and you are lovely.”

OR:

Zep 3:14-18a

    Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
        Sing joyfully, O Israel!
    Be glad and exult with all your heart,
        O daughter Jerusalem!
    The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
        he has turned away your enemies;
    The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
        you have no further misfortune to fear.
    On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
        Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
    The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
        a mighty savior;
    He will rejoice over you with gladness,
        and renew you in his love,
    He will sing joyfully because of you,
        as one sings at festivals.

Responsorial Psalm

R.    (1a; 3a)  Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
    with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
    pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R.    Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever; 
    the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
    the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R.    Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
    who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
    in his holy name we trust. 
R.    Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.

Alleluia

 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth. 
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

Saint Jerome

daily bible reflection

"The Visitation - Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent" from Letters From Home by St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Released: 2021. Genre: Podcast.

Audio reflection on the daily Mass readings from the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology, Letters from Home: Daily Bible Reflections.

 

prayer

Let us pray.

Consecration to the Holy Family

Holy Family, we consecrate ourselves and our family to you.

May we be completely united in a love that is lasting, faithful, and open to the gift of new life.

Help us to grow in virtue, to forgive one another from our hearts, and to live in peace all our days.

Keep us strong in faith, persevering in prayer, diligent in our work, and generous toward those in need.

May our home, O Holy Family, truly become a domestic church where we reflect your example in our daily life.

Amen.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph pray for us!

An excerpt of a prayer composed by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, Supreme Chaplain, Knights of Columbus.

 

Holy Family, pray for us.

 

Be not afraid!  And may the peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones today and always.  Holy Family, pray for us.  Amen.

The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities (c. 1675-82) by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617 – 1682)
 
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