EVANGELIO DEL DÍA

miércoles, 24 de marzo de 2010

"The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

DAILY GOSPEL: 25/03/2010
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


The Annunciation of the Lord - Solemnity

Book of Isaiah 7:10-14.8:10.
The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
Form a plan, and it shall be thwarted; make a resolve, and it shall not be carried out, for "With us is God!"

Psalms 40(39):7-11.
Sacrifice and offering you do not want; but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts and sin-offerings you do not require;
so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll.
To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is in my heart!"
I announced your deed to a great assembly; I did not restrain my lips; you, LORD, are my witness.
Your deed I did not hide within my heart; your loyal deliverance I have proclaimed. I made no secret of your enduring kindness to a great assembly.

Letter to the Hebrews 10:4-10.
It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins.
For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;
holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in.
Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.'"
First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:26-38.
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. 
Lc 1,26-38
Commentary of the day 
Saint Bede the Venerable (c.673-735), monk, Doctor of the Church
Homilies for Advent, no.3 ; CCL 122, 14-17 (©Friends of Henry Ashworth)
"The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
«The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.» What is said of the house of David applies not only to Joseph but also to Mary. It was a precept of the law that each man should marry a wife from his own tribe and kindred. Saint Paul also bears testimony to this when he writes to Timothy: «Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my Gospel» (2Tm 2,8)...

       «He will be great, and will be called the son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.» The angel refers to the kingdom of the Israelite nation as the throne of David because in his time, by the Lord's command and assistance, David governed it with a spirit of faithful service... As David had once ruled the people with temporal authority, so Christ would now lead them to the eternal kingdom by his spiritual grace...

«He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever». The house of Jacob here refers to the universal Church which, through its faith in and witness to Christ, shares the heritage of the patriarchs. This may apply either to those who are physical descendants of the patriarchal families, or to those who come from gentile nations and are reborn in Christ by the waters of baptism. In this house Christ shall reign for ever, and «of his kingdom there will be no end». During this present life, Christ rules in the Church. By faith and love he dwells in the hearts of his elect, and guides them by his unceasing care toward their heavenly reward. In the life to come, when their period of exile on earth is ended, he will exercise his kingship by leading the faithful to their heavenly country. There, for ever inspired by the vision of his presence, their one delight will be to praise and glorify him. 
                    

Thursday, 25 March 2010

Bl. Omeljan Kovč,  Priest and Martyr (1884-1944)



Omeljan Kovč
Priest and Martyr
(1884-1944)
        Blessed Emilian Kovch was born on 20 August 1884, near Kosiv. In 1911, after graduating from the College of Sts Sergius and Bacchus in Rome, he was ordained to the priesthood.
        In the spring of 1943, he was arrested by the Gestapo for aiding Jews. On 25 March 1944 he was burned to death in the ovens of the Majdanek Nazi death camp.
        On September 9, 1999 he was honoured with the title "Righteous Ukrainian" by the Jewish Council of Ukraine. He was beatified by John-Paul II on June 2001.
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