First Reading

First Book of Samuel (1 Sm 4: 1-11)

Israel was defeated and the ark of God was captured.

The Philistines gathered for an attack on Israel.
Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer,
while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel.
After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who slew about four thousand men on the battlefield.
When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said

“Why has the LORD permitted us to be defeated today
by the Philistines?
Let us fetch the ark of the Lord from Shiloh
that it may go into battle among us
and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”

So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there
the ark of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.
The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of God.
When the ark of the LORD arrived in the camp,
all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth resounded.
The Philistines, hearing the noise of shouting, asked,

“What can this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?”

On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp,
the Philistines were frightened.
They said,

“Gods have come to their camp.”

They said also,

“Woe to us! This has never happened before. Woe to us!
Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?
These are the gods that struck the Egyptians
with various plagues and with pestilence.
Take courage and be manly, Philistines;
otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews,
as they were your slaves.
So fight manfully!”

The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated;
every man fled to his own tent.
It was a disastrous defeat,
.in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
The ark of God was captured,
and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were among the dead.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 44: 10-11, 14-15, 24-25

Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.

Yet now you have cast us off and put us in disgrace,
and you go not forth with our armies.
You have let us be driven back by our foes;
those who hated us plundered us at will.

You made us the reproach of our neighbors,
the mockery and the scorn of those around us.
You made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.

Why do you hide your face,
forgetting our woe and our oppression?
For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
our bodies are pressed to the earth.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 1: 40-45)

The leprosy left him and he was made clean.

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,

“I do will it. Be made clean.”

The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him,

“See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”

The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

God doesn't want human beings to be unhappy, and since God created the world, He has placed them in a place sufficient for them to be happy, and given them the duty to arrange and protect it. It's true that human work is a continuation of the work of creation, showing its glory and dignity and equating it with God. Catechesis on the Church, the family and development, in collaboration with P. Bertrand Ratovoalinirina.

December 19, 2023 — Tuesday, Advent Weekday — O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his people: come to save us without delay — Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke (Lk 1: 5-25)

First Reading

First Book of Samuel (1 Sm 3: 1-10, 19-20)

Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.

During the time young Samuel was minister to the LORD under Eli,
a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent.
One day Eli was asleep in his usual place.
His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see.
The lamp of God was not yet extinguished,
and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered,

“Here I am.”

Samuel ran to Eli and said,

“Here I am. You called me.”

“I did not call you,” Eli said. “Go back to sleep.”

So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.

“Here I am,” he said. “You called me.”

But Eli answered,

“I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”

At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said,

“Here I am. You called me.”

Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So Eli said to Samuel,

“Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”

When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before,

“Samuel, Samuel!”

Samuel answered,

“Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
Thus all Israel from Dan to Beersheba
came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the LORD.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 40:2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
who turns not to idolatry
or to those who stray after falsehood.

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”

“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 1: 29-39)

He cured many who were sick with various diseases.

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said,

“Everyone is looking for you.”

He told them,

“Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”

So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth

At the end of its second General Assembly, held from 15 to 18 October 2024, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace sent a message to government officials at all levels, as well as to all Malagasy and all people of goodwill.

Read more ...

Love and Salvation

Christmas is a great joy, because it is the love of God that has come to us, proclaims Fr. Bizimana Innocent, Provincial Superior of the Salesians Don Bosco of Madagascar and Mauritius, presenting his Christmas greetings. Salvation is accomplished, so life is not in danger of disappearing. It is this love and this salvation that we wish to fill our life so that we have peace.

Read more ...

Zatti, our brother

The short film "Zatti, our brother" (Argentina, 2020) focuses on one of the most difficult episodes of his life. We are in Viedma, in 1941: at the age of 60, Zatti is forced to leave the hospital he has attended for decades. His faith and strength are tested.

Read more ...