January 4, 2013

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Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

Read more about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

On the 11th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me...11 Pipers piping.

The 11 Pipers piping represent the 11 faithful Apostles.  Pipers are famous for leading the charge in a military context.  The 11 faithful Apostles led the charge in spreading the Gospel throughout the world and fighting the war against evil.

Led by their piper, men of 7th Seaforth Highlanders, 15th (Scottish) Division advance during Operation Epsom, 26 June 1944.

Lectionary: 207

Reading 1 from the 1st letter of St. John

1 Jn 3:7-10

Children, let no one deceive you.
The person who acts in righteousness is righteous,
just as he is righteous.

St. John tells the Church that any person who keeps the Commandments is acting like Christ.

Whoever sins belongs to the Devil,
because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.

On the other hand, those who sin without repentance belong to Satan.

Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil.

But Jesus Christ came into the world to destroy Satan.  This was prophecied from the beginning:

Genesis 3:15
King James Version (KJV)
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

No one who is begotten by God commits sin,
because God’s seed remains in him;
he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.

But those who are born again of the Spirit of God, are no longer under sin.

In this way,
the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain;
no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God,
nor anyone who does not love his brother.

And therefore it is plain.  Whoever is born of God no longer has anything to do with sin.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:1, 7-8, 9

R. (3cd)  All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy before the LORD.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

The LORD comes;
he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John

Jn 1:35-42

John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”

One of those disciples is St. John, the author of this Gospel.  The other was Andrew, the brother of St. Peter.

The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher),
“where are you staying?”

Jesus noticed they were following Him and asked why.  They, in turn, asked him where he was staying.

He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.

He responded, "Come and see."  So they followed Him.

It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ.
Then he brought him to Jesus.

The first Christian Evangelist.  St. Andrew called his brother Simon and brought him to Christ.

Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.

And Jesus immediately named him, "Rock".  That is the meaning of Cephas.  This is also why we know that Jesus was talking about Simon in Matt 16:18 when He said, "On this rock, I will build my Church."  He had named Simon, Rock, the moment He met him.

Sincerely,

De Maria