THURSDAY IN THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT, DECEMBER 24, 2020

MASS READINGS

A Gospel according to LK 1:67-79

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

REFLECTION: "For you will go before the Lord to prepare his way."

In this Gospel Zechariah is talking about his son. But, what does this mean to us? How can this be applied to us?

Being a baptized Catholic means we must be apostles. We must teach others about Christ and His Church. Have we done this?

I know I haven't been that great on being a true witness of Christ. My weaknesses/laziness/ego take over many times, and just don't share with others the beauty of our faith.

Today we are all scrambling with the last details before Christmas. Jesus is about to be born. And many people will come to Mass to receive the tender baby this evening.

Many of us usually get upset with those people that only come over for Christmas and Easter. A wise priest mentioned in last Sunday's homily that many people come to Christmas Mass to receive baby Jesus on His birthday. But many don't come more often because they might be afraid to make a commitment with the more mature Jesus of the Gospels.

Let us help those who might not be sure on what their relationship with God is. Invite someone to Mass: Tonight, this Sunday, next Sunday... Be part of their lives. Let's help them see the beauty of the Catholic faith through our interactions.

Let's prepare a way in their hearts for God to enter and dwell.

And pray especially for our priests tonight and tomorrow, as they are preparing for the Masses to celebrate the Word incarnate!

Merry Christmas!