Today's Gospel Reading - Sunday, December 16, 2012 with Reflection

1^ST READING - Zephaniah 3:14-18

P S A L M - Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

R: Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

2 God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. 3 With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (R) 4 Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. (R) 5 Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. 6 Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! (R)

2^ND READING - Philippians 4:4-7

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring tidings to the poor.

Luke 3:10-18

10 The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” 11He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” 15Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. 16John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

SABBATH

THE WINNOWING FORK I can still remember watching a man winnow the wheat as a kid. It was amazing to see him deftly toss the stalks of the wheat around and so facilitate the separation of the grain from the stalks. It is good for us to remember that a day of judgment will come to us all and, on that day, we will have to give an account of the lives we have led. Purification is the image that comes to mind – the rubbish being separated from me such that I will be purified. This is the process through which we will all go through if we are going to make it into eternal life. Judgment and purification go hand in hand in terms of the end result they achieve. I am sure there are things in our lives which we are not proud of. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a means by which we enter into this process of purification by acknowledging our sins and turning away from them,both now and forever. Sin is a nasty character that never gives up. The devil is quite aware that there are many who have strong beliefs in this area. It is important that we do not give up in the face of a challenge and, by preparing ourselves well, endure it. This is the way a disciple of Jesus thinks – always in terms of victory over sin and never towards a compromise. The image of winnowing is used at the start of the Gospel to remind us that the work of the Gospel is to purify our lives beginning with our thoughts, words and deeds. We should hold nothing back from the God who loves us and we should seek to pray for one another daily. The ever-present danger in the modern world is to fail to recognize the work of Satan as he seeks to tempt us every once in a while.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you surrender yourself to the winnowing fire of God’s love that cleanses and purifies? Holy Spirit, come and purify my heart and mind so that eveything they direct my body to do will be holy.

Blessed Honoratus Kozminski, pray for us.

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