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July 12th, 2024 Calender

Daily Reading & Reflections

December 28, 2021

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs  

December 28, 2021

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

Lectionary: 698

Reading I

1 Jn 1:5—2:2

Beloved:
This is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ
and proclaim to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” 
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another,
and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, “We are without sin,”
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just 
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, 
and his word is not in us.

My children, I am writing this to you
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, 
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. 

Responsorial Psalm

124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8

  1.  (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
    Had not the LORD been with us—
    When men rose up against us,
        then would they have swallowed us alive,
    When their fury was inflamed against us.
    R.    Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
    Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
    The torrent would have swept over us;
        over us then would have swept the raging waters.
    R.   Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
    Broken was the snare,
        and we were freed.
    Our help is in the name of the LORD,
        who made heaven and earth.
    R.    Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Alleluia

See Te Deum

  1. Alleluia, alleluia.
    We praise you, O God,
    we acclaim you as Lord;
    the white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
    R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
    Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

    A voice was heard in Ramah,
        sobbing and loud lamentation;
    Rachel weeping for her children,
        and she would not be consoled,
        since they were no more.

Reflection: THE OTHER IS NEVER MY HELL

Herod was afraid of the messiah who was a potential threat to his own authority and power. So, he ordered the killing of innocent babes. Herod was a king and the innocent child would never be a threat at least for a good 20 or 25 years. Instead of concentrating on what he could do for his people as a king, he was worried about the future messiah as a threat to his throne. Most often, we fail to appreciate who we are and what we are blessed with. We live in constant comparison with others. I am reminded of a cartoon that appeared in one of the newspapers during the time of national elections. While the leader of a party was addressing a large gathering well over an hour, a senior member of the party came up to the podium to interrupt the speaker and whispered in his years, “you have been criticising the opposition party for an hour, now speak about our own party for at least ten minutes.” This happens to us all the time in our daily lives. We are busy about someone else. How do I organize my life? Does someone else's success affect me and upset me? Do I focus on living my life fully and as the Lord wants of me?