Churches of the Day

-29-12 - Monday, Fifth Day of the Christmas Octave

Christmas: a feast of light overcoming darkness, Christ being that light.

Saint of the Day: Dec 29; Memorial may be made today of of St Thomas Becket, bishop, Archbishop of Canterbury,
martyred in his cathedral. d. 1170
c/f short history of today’s saint can be found below today’s Readings and Reflection.     

FIRST READING  

A reading from the letter of St John             2:3-11
Anyone who loves his brother is living in the light.

We can be sure that we know Jesus only by keeping his commandments. Anyone who says,
'I know him', and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, refusing to admit the truth.
But when anyone does obey what he has said, God's love comes to perfection in him. We can be sure that we are in God only when the one who claims to be living in him is living the same kind of life as Christ lived.

My dear people, this is not a new commandment that I am writing to tell you, but an old commandment that you were given from the beginning, the original commandment which was the message brought to you.

Yet in another way, what I am writing to you, and what is being carried out in your lives as it was in his, is a new commandment; because the night is over and the real light is already shining.
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the dark.
But anyone who loves his brother is living in the light and need not be afraid of stumbling;
unlike the man who hates his brother and is in the darkness, not knowing where he is going, because it is too dark to see.

The Word of the Lord               Thanks be to God.


Responsorial Psalm            Ps 95: 1-2, 2-3, 5-6
Response                                 Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

1. O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.                                                                                         Response


2. Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.                                                                                Response 

3. It was the Lord who made the heavens, his are majesty and state and power
and splendour in his holy place.                                                                                             Response


Gospel  Acclamation           Jn 1:14, 12
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
To all who received him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you.                                        And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke  2:22-35          Glory to you, O Lord
 A light to enlighten the pagans.

And when the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord:
'Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord-  and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.'

Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel's comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord.
Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required,  he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
'Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel'.

As the child's father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel,
destined to be a sign that is rejected- and a sword will pierce your own soul too
-so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare'.

The Gospel of the Lord.           Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.


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Gospel Reflection        29th Dec     Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas        Luke 2:22-35

The theme of light connects both of today’s readings.
In the first reading, St John declares, ‘the night is over and the real light is already shining’.
In the gospel reading, Simeon recognizes the child of Mary and Joseph as a ‘light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel’.
Simeon recognized that the light of God’s loving presence was shining through this bundle of new life. He also recognized that not everyone would welcome this extraordinary light, as this child is ‘destined to be a sign that is rejected’. The rejection of the one who embodied God’s loving light would impact on his mother, according to Simon, ‘and a sword will pierce your own soul too’. Some would experience the light of God’s all-embracing love in Jesus to be scandalous, ‘Why does this man eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ What many experienced as good news, others found unduly disturbing.

The feast of Christmas calls on us to welcome this extraordinary light of God’s unconditional love shining through Jesus, as Simeon did, and allow it to penetrate our lives. As we welcome this light, we are sent to let it shine through us. As John says in the first reading,
‘anyone how loves his brother or sister is living in the light’. Jesus once declared to his disciples, ‘you are the light of the world’.
We are sent to light up our world and the lives of others by allowing the light of God’s love that shone so brightly through Jesus to shine through us. We are to live in such a way that others can see in us what Simeon saw in the child Jesus when he was brought into the Temple by his parents.

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from his book Reflections on the Weekday Readings : The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications , c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Saint of the Day: Dec 29 ; St Thomas Becket (1118-70): bishop and martyr

Summary: St Thomas Becket, Born in London (England) in 1118, died as Archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in his own cathedral on this day in 1170. Already a deacon when he was appointed chancellor of England, he became a close friend of King Henry II. His ordination as bishop brought an abrupt conversion of life and led him to oppose the king over the rights of the Church. Careless words from the king inspired four knights to assassinate Thomas. He was immediately acknowledged as a martyr for his Christian convictions.

Patrick Duffy reviews his life.

Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, was assassinated by four barons of King Henry II in his cathedral  on 29th December 1170. Previously (1155-62) Becket had been chancellor to the king, but when Henry had him made archbishop, he insisted that the king respect the rights of the Church. This resulted in a long stand-off between the two that eventually led to Becket's martyrdom.

Early Life 
Thomas Becket was born of Norman ancestry in c.1118 in Cheapside, London. His father Gilbert was a petty knight and textile merchant. Thomas learned to ride a horse, hunt, behave like a gentleman, and engage in popular sports such as jousting at the estate in Sussex of one of his father's rich friends. He received a brilliant education in civil and canon law at Merton Priory in England, and then overseas at Paris, Bologna, and Auxerre.

Chancellor to the King
Upon returning to England, Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, made him Archdeacon of Canterbury and entrusted him with important missions to Rome. When the important office of Lord Chancellor became vacant in 1155, Theobald recommended Thomas to King Henry II for the post. King Henry wanted to be absolute ruler of his dominions, both Church and State, and Thomas helped him strengthen his authority through taxes exacted from all landowners, including churches and bishoprics. This did not make Thomas popular among English Churchmen.

Archbishop of Canterbury 1162
But when Archbishop Theobald died in 1162, Henry had Thomas made archbishop, intending through this appointment to further his influence. But at this time Becket underwent a kind of conversion experience. He became more ascetic in his habits even washing the feet of beggers  and more assertive of the interests of the Church. When Becket gave up the chancellorship and consolidated the land revenues of Canterbury under his own control, a rift opened between Henry and himself, followed by a series of legal conflicts, such as the jurisdiction of secular courts over English clergy.

The Clarendon Constitutions 1164

Henry sought less clerical independence and a weaker connection with Rome at an assembly at Clarendon Palace on 30th January 1164. In this he was successful and while Becket agreed, he did not formally sign the documents. This led to open conflict. Henry summoned Becket to a council at Northampton Castle on 8th October 1164 to answer allegations of contempt of royal authority and wrongdoing while Lord Chancellor. Convicted of the charges, Becket left the trial and fled to the continent, where King Louis VII of France gave him protection. He spent nearly two years in the Cistercian abbey of Pontigny, until Henry's threats obliged him to move again.

Stand-off
Becket sought to exercise the prerogatives of the Church, particularly the weapons of excommunication and interdict. But Pope Alexander III, while sympathetic to him in theory, favoured a more diplomatic approach. Becket's firmness seemed about to be rewarded when in 1170 the Pope was on the point of excommunicating Henry. Alarmed by this prospect, Henry held out hopes of an agreement that would allow Thomas to return to his see at Canterbury.

"Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"
In June 1170, however, the archbishop of York and the bishops of London and Salisbury held the coronation of Henry the Young King in York. This was a breach of Canterbury's privilege of coronation. In November 1170, Becket excommunicated all three bishops. While the three bishops fled to the king in Normandy, Becket continued to excommunicate his opponents in the church. When word of this reached Henry, he is said to have raised his head from his sickbed and roared a lament of frustration: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" 'attributed' to Henry II of England .

Assassination
This was interpreted as a royal command, and four knights set out for Canterbury where they arrived on 29th December 1170. They knights informed Becket he was to go to Winchester to give an account of his actions, but when he refused, they retrieved their weapons from where they left them outside and put him to death as he went for Vespers. The leadup and the assassination are the subject of T.S. Eliot's drama Murder in the Cathedral.

A place of Pilgrimage, Henry's Personal Public Penance
Following his death, the monks prepared his body for burial. It was discovered that Becket had worn a hairshirt under his archbishop's garments - a sign of penance. Soon after this, the faithful throughout Europe began venerating Becket as a martyr, and in 1173 - barely three years after his death - he was canonised by Pope Alexander III in St. Peter's Church in Segni.
On 12th July 1174, in the midst of the Revolt of 1173–1174, Henry humbled himself with public penance at Becket's tomb.
The tomb of a true 'man of conscience' - which from then became one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in England.

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Memorable Quote for Today

 Never do anything against your conscience
even if the State demands it.

~Albert Einstein~

Conscience is the dog that can't bite but never stops barking.

~ Author unknown ~

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01-04 before Epiphany

Jesus has come to undo the work of the devil.

FIRST READING            

 A reading from the first letter of St John         3:7-10
He cannot sin when he has been begotten by God.

My children, do not let anyone lead you astray: to live a holy life is to be holy just as he is holy;
to lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil, since the devil was a sinner from the beginning.
It was to undo all that the devil has done that the Son of God appeared.

No one who has been begotten by God sins; because God's seed remains inside him,
he cannot sin when he has been begotten by God.
In this way we distinguish the children of God from the children of the devil:
anybody not living a holy life and not loving his brother is no child of God's.

The Word of the Lord          Thanks be to God


Responsorial Psalm      Ps 97
Response                            All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

1. Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation.                                                                    Response

2. Let the sea and all within it, thunder; the world, and all its peoples.
Let the rivers clap their hands and the hills ring out their joy at the presence of the Lord.         Response

3. For the Lord comes, he comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with fairness.                                                     Response

Gospel  Acclamation          Jn 1:14.  12
Alleluia,    alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
To all who received him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia! 

Or                                            Heb 1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!     

GOSPEL                         

The Lord be with you.                        And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John     1:35-42          Glory to you, O Lord
We have found the Messiah.

As John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and said,
'Look, there is the lamb of God'.

Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said,
'What do you want?'
They answered, 'Rabbi,' - which means Teacher -'where do you live?'
'Come and see' he replied;
so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour.

One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' - which means the Christ - and he took Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked hard at him and said,
'You are Simon, son of John; you are to be called Cephas' - meaning Rock.

The Gospel of the Lord.              Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.


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Gospel Reflection          4th Jan.  before Epiphany,       John 1:35–42

In today’s gospel reading John the Baptist introduced two of his disciples to Jesus, saying to them, ‘Look, there is the Lamb of God’. It was because of what John the Baptist said to his two disciples that they began to follow Jesus. Jesus could then speak to them directly, ‘What do you want?’ ‘Come and see’. The Lord wants to speak to each one of us directly, but he often needs others to firstly pave the way. A person of faith takes some initiative towards us, and then we discover the call of the Lord for ourselves. John the Baptist created a space for Jesus to engage directly with his disciples and for them to respond. According to the gospel reading, that pattern then repeated itself. One of John the Baptist’s two disciples was Andrew. Having spent time with Jesus, having developed a personal relationship with Jesus, Andrew then introduced his brother Simon to Jesus. He created a space for Jesus to engage personally with Peter and for Peter to respond. What John the Baptist did for Andrew and what Andrew did for Peter, Peter would go on to do for many others.

He created a space for the Lord to relate in a very personal way to others and for them to respond. We can each give thanks for all those who introduced us to the Lord, who played the role in our lives that Andrew played in the life of Peter, that Peter played in the life of many others, and that, later on in John’s gospel, the Samaritan woman played in the life of her townspeople, and that Mary Magdalene played in the life of the other disciples on Easter Sunday morning. Both these women played a significant role in bringing others to the Lord. Each of us is called to bring others to the Lord, perhaps just one person. We don’t have to be great missionaries to introduce someone to the Lord. Very often our own quiet and faithful witness to the Lord and his way of life will, in time, bear that rich fruit for others.

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from his book Reflections on the Weekday Readings  2024: The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications , c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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