8 December 2011
Today is the Solmnity of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is a link to the right that will take
you to a site devoted to this holy day.
Jesse Tree Story: DAVID
Jesse Tree Symbol: STAR OF DAVID
Scripture: " But the Spirit of the Lord withdrew from Saul,
and a wicked spirit from the Lord disturbed him. And the
servants of Saul said to him: “Behold, an evil spirit from
God disturbs you. May our lord order, and your servants,
who are before you, will seek a man skillful in playing a
stringed instrument, so that when the evil spirit from the
Lord assails you, he may play with his hand, and you may
bear it more easily.” And Saul said to his servants, “Then
provide for me someone who can play well, and bring him
to me.” And one of the servants, responding, said: “Behold,
I have seen the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, a skillful player,
and very strong and robust, a man fit for war, and prudent in
words, a handsome man. And the Lord is with him.” Therefore,
Saul sent messengers to Jesse, saying, “Send to me your son
David, who is in the pastures.” And so, Jesse took a donkey
laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid from one
of the goats, and he sent them, by the hand of his son David,
to Saul. And David went to Saul, and stood before him. And
he loved him exceedingly, and he made him his armor bearer.
And Saul sent to Jesse, saying: “Let David remain before my
sight. For he has found favor in my eyes.” And so, whenever
the evil spirit from the Lord assailed Saul, David took up his
stringed instrument, and he struck it with his hand, and Saul
was refreshed and uplifted. For the evil spirit withdrew from him."
1 Samuel 16:14-23
Commentary: David, the king and prophet, descended from
the royal line of Christ. In David's psalms, he foretold many
things about the coming of the Savior.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Second Wednesday of Advent
7 December 2011
Jesse Tree Story: JESSE
Jesse Tree Symbol: A FLOWER SPRINGING FROM JESSE'S ROOT
Scripture: "And a rod will go forth from the root of Jesse,
and a flower will ascend from his root."
Isaiah 11:1
Commentary: The prophet Isaiah foretold that the Savior
would be born from the root of Jesse and that he would sit
upon the throne of David.
Jesse Tree Story: JESSE
Jesse Tree Symbol: A FLOWER SPRINGING FROM JESSE'S ROOT
Scripture: "And a rod will go forth from the root of Jesse,
and a flower will ascend from his root."
Isaiah 11:1
Commentary: The prophet Isaiah foretold that the Savior
would be born from the root of Jesse and that he would sit
upon the throne of David.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Second Tuesday of Advent
6 December 2011
Jesse Tree Story: MANNA FROM HEAVEN
Jesse Tree Symbol: MANNA
TODAY IS ALSO THE FEAST DAY OF ST. NICHOLAS. THERE IS A LINK TO THE RIGHT THAT WILL BRING YOU TO A SITE DEDICATED TO THE HISTORY OF ST. NICHOLAS.
Scripture: And they set out from Elim. And the entire
multitude of the sons of Israel arrived at the desert
of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the
fifteenth day of the second month, after they
departed from the land of Egypt.
And the entire congregation of the sons of Israel
murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
And the sons of Israel said to them: “If only we
had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of
Egypt, when we sat around bowls of meat and
ate bread until filled. Why have you led us away,
into this desert, so that you might kill the entire
multitude with famine?”
Then the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, I will rain
down bread from heaven for you. Let the people
go out and collect what is sufficient for each day, s
o that I may test them, as to whether or not they
will walk in my law.
But on the sixth day, let them prepare what they
use for carrying, and let there be double what they
were accustomed to collect on a single day.”
And Moses and Aaron said to the sons of Israel:
“In the evening, you will know that the Lord has
led you away from the land of Egypt.
And in the morning, you will see the glory of the
Lord. For he has heard your murmuring against the
Lord. But as for us, truly what are we, that you
would whisper against us?”
And Moses said: “In the evening, the Lord will
give you flesh to eat, and in the morning, bread in
fullness. For he has heard your murmurings that you
have murmured against him. For what are we? Your
murmuring is not against us, but against the Lord.”
Moses also said to Aaron: “Say to the whole
congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Approach
before the Lord. For he has heard your murmuring.’ ”
And when Aaron spoke to the entire assembly of the
sons of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness.
And behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
“I have heard the murmuring of the sons of Israel.
Say to them: ‘In the evening, you will eat flesh, and
in the morning, you will be filled with bread. And
you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
Therefore, it happened in the evening: quails,
rising up, covered the camp. Likewise, in the morning,
a dew lay all around the camp.
And when it had covered the face of the earth,
it appeared, in the wilderness, small and as if
crushed with a pestle, similar to hoar-frost on the ground.
When the sons of Israel had seen it, they said one to
another: “Manhu?” which means “What is this?”
For they did not know what it was. And Moses
said to them: “This is the bread that the Lord has
given you to eat.
This is the word that the Lord has instructed. Let
each one collect as much of it as is sufficient to eat.
One omer for each head. According to the number
of your souls which live in a tent, so will you take of it.”
And the sons of Israel did so. And they collected:
some more, others less.
And they measured by the measure of an omer.
He who collected more, did not have too much;
nor did he who prepared less, find too little. But
each one gathered according to what they were
able to eat.
And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any
of it behind until morning.”
And they did not listen to him, but they left some
of it behind until morning, and it began to swarm
with worms, and it putrefied. And Moses became
angry against them.
Then each one collected, in the morning, as much as
would be sufficient to eat. And after the sun became
hot, it melted.
But on the sixth day, they collected a double portion,
that is, two omers for each man. Then all the leaders
among the multitude came, and they discoursed with
Moses.
And he said to them: “This is what the Lord has spoken:
Tomorrow, the rest day of the Sabbath, has been sanctified
to the Lord. Whatever would be done, do it now. And
whatever would be cooked, cook it now. Then anything
that will have been left over, store it until morning.”
And they did just as Moses had instructed, and it did not
putrefy, nor were there any worms found in it.
And Moses said: “Eat it today, because it is the Sabbath
of the Lord. Today it will not be found in the field.
Gather for six days. But on the seventh day, it is the
Sabbath of the Lord, for which reason it will not be found.”
And the seventh day arrived. And some of the people,
going out to collect it, did not find it.
Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will you be
unwilling to keep my commandments and my law?
See how the Lord has given you the Sabbath, and,
because of this, on the sixth day he distributes to
you a double portion. Let each one remain with
his own, and let no one go forth from his place
on the seventh day.”
And the people kept the Sabbath on the seventh day.
And the house of Israel called its name ‘Manna.’
It was like white coriander seed, and its taste was
like wheat flour with honey.
Then Moses said: “This is the word that the Lord
has instructed: Fill an omer of it, and let it be kept
for future generations hereafter, so that they may
know the bread, with which I nourished you in the w
ilderness, when you had been led away from the
land of Egypt.”
And Moses said to Aaron, “Take one vessel, and p
ut manna into it, as much as an omer is able to hold.
And store it in the sight of the Lord, to keep for your
generations,
just as the Lord instructed Moses.” And so, Aaron
placed it in the tabernacle, in reserve.
Now the sons of Israel ate manna for forty years,
until they arrived in a habitable land. With this food
they were nourished, even until they touched the
borders of the land of Canaan.
Now an omer is a tenth part of an ephah.
Exodus 16:1-36
Commentary: The manna which the Jews ate in the desert
for forty years was a symbol of Christ, the true Bread
which descended from heaven.
Jesse Tree Story: MANNA FROM HEAVEN
Jesse Tree Symbol: MANNA
TODAY IS ALSO THE FEAST DAY OF ST. NICHOLAS. THERE IS A LINK TO THE RIGHT THAT WILL BRING YOU TO A SITE DEDICATED TO THE HISTORY OF ST. NICHOLAS.
Scripture: And they set out from Elim. And the entire
multitude of the sons of Israel arrived at the desert
of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the
fifteenth day of the second month, after they
departed from the land of Egypt.
And the entire congregation of the sons of Israel
murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
And the sons of Israel said to them: “If only we
had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of
Egypt, when we sat around bowls of meat and
ate bread until filled. Why have you led us away,
into this desert, so that you might kill the entire
multitude with famine?”
Then the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, I will rain
down bread from heaven for you. Let the people
go out and collect what is sufficient for each day, s
o that I may test them, as to whether or not they
will walk in my law.
But on the sixth day, let them prepare what they
use for carrying, and let there be double what they
were accustomed to collect on a single day.”
And Moses and Aaron said to the sons of Israel:
“In the evening, you will know that the Lord has
led you away from the land of Egypt.
And in the morning, you will see the glory of the
Lord. For he has heard your murmuring against the
Lord. But as for us, truly what are we, that you
would whisper against us?”
And Moses said: “In the evening, the Lord will
give you flesh to eat, and in the morning, bread in
fullness. For he has heard your murmurings that you
have murmured against him. For what are we? Your
murmuring is not against us, but against the Lord.”
Moses also said to Aaron: “Say to the whole
congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Approach
before the Lord. For he has heard your murmuring.’ ”
And when Aaron spoke to the entire assembly of the
sons of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness.
And behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
“I have heard the murmuring of the sons of Israel.
Say to them: ‘In the evening, you will eat flesh, and
in the morning, you will be filled with bread. And
you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
Therefore, it happened in the evening: quails,
rising up, covered the camp. Likewise, in the morning,
a dew lay all around the camp.
And when it had covered the face of the earth,
it appeared, in the wilderness, small and as if
crushed with a pestle, similar to hoar-frost on the ground.
When the sons of Israel had seen it, they said one to
another: “Manhu?” which means “What is this?”
For they did not know what it was. And Moses
said to them: “This is the bread that the Lord has
given you to eat.
This is the word that the Lord has instructed. Let
each one collect as much of it as is sufficient to eat.
One omer for each head. According to the number
of your souls which live in a tent, so will you take of it.”
And the sons of Israel did so. And they collected:
some more, others less.
And they measured by the measure of an omer.
He who collected more, did not have too much;
nor did he who prepared less, find too little. But
each one gathered according to what they were
able to eat.
And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any
of it behind until morning.”
And they did not listen to him, but they left some
of it behind until morning, and it began to swarm
with worms, and it putrefied. And Moses became
angry against them.
Then each one collected, in the morning, as much as
would be sufficient to eat. And after the sun became
hot, it melted.
But on the sixth day, they collected a double portion,
that is, two omers for each man. Then all the leaders
among the multitude came, and they discoursed with
Moses.
And he said to them: “This is what the Lord has spoken:
Tomorrow, the rest day of the Sabbath, has been sanctified
to the Lord. Whatever would be done, do it now. And
whatever would be cooked, cook it now. Then anything
that will have been left over, store it until morning.”
And they did just as Moses had instructed, and it did not
putrefy, nor were there any worms found in it.
And Moses said: “Eat it today, because it is the Sabbath
of the Lord. Today it will not be found in the field.
Gather for six days. But on the seventh day, it is the
Sabbath of the Lord, for which reason it will not be found.”
And the seventh day arrived. And some of the people,
going out to collect it, did not find it.
Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will you be
unwilling to keep my commandments and my law?
See how the Lord has given you the Sabbath, and,
because of this, on the sixth day he distributes to
you a double portion. Let each one remain with
his own, and let no one go forth from his place
on the seventh day.”
And the people kept the Sabbath on the seventh day.
And the house of Israel called its name ‘Manna.’
It was like white coriander seed, and its taste was
like wheat flour with honey.
Then Moses said: “This is the word that the Lord
has instructed: Fill an omer of it, and let it be kept
for future generations hereafter, so that they may
know the bread, with which I nourished you in the w
ilderness, when you had been led away from the
land of Egypt.”
And Moses said to Aaron, “Take one vessel, and p
ut manna into it, as much as an omer is able to hold.
And store it in the sight of the Lord, to keep for your
generations,
just as the Lord instructed Moses.” And so, Aaron
placed it in the tabernacle, in reserve.
Now the sons of Israel ate manna for forty years,
until they arrived in a habitable land. With this food
they were nourished, even until they touched the
borders of the land of Canaan.
Now an omer is a tenth part of an ephah.
Exodus 16:1-36
Commentary: The manna which the Jews ate in the desert
for forty years was a symbol of Christ, the true Bread
which descended from heaven.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Second Monday of Advent
5 December 2011
Jesse Tree Story: MOSES
Jesse Tree Symbol: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Scripture: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from
among their kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth;
he shall tell them all that I command him.
If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks
in my name, I myself will make him answer for it."
Deuteronomy 18:18-19
Commentary: God said to Moses: "I will raise up for them a
prophet like you from among their kinsmen.
And I will put my word in his mouth."
Jesse Tree Story: MOSES
Jesse Tree Symbol: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Scripture: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from
among their kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth;
he shall tell them all that I command him.
Deuteronomy 18:18-19
Commentary: God said to Moses: "I will raise up for them a
prophet like you from among their kinsmen.
And I will put my word in his mouth."
Second Sunday in Advent
4 December 2011
Jesse Tree Story: JOSEPH
Jesse Tree Symbol: THE COAT OF MANY COLORS
Scripture: One day, when his brothers had gone to
pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are
tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will
send you to them." "I am ready," Joseph answered.
"Go then," he replied; "see if all is well with your
brothers and the flocks, and bring back word."
So he sent him off from the valley of Hebron.
When Joseph reached Shechem, a man met him
as he was wandering about in the fields.
"What are you looking for?" the man asked him.
"I am looking for my brothers," he answered.
"Could you please tell me where they are tending the flocks?"
The man told him, "They have moved on from here; in fact,
I heard them say, 'Let us go on to Dothan.'" So Joseph went
after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up
to them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another:
"Here comes that master dreamer! Come on, let us kill him
and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say
that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes
of his dreams." When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him
from their hands, saying: "We must not take his life. Instead of
shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern
there in the desert; but don't kill him outright." His purpose
was to rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the
long tunic he had on; then they took him and threw him into
the cistern, which was empty and dry. They then sat down to
their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites
coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and
resin to be taken down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers:
"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing
his blood? Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,
instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all,
he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
Some Midianite traders passed by, and they pulled Joseph up
out of the cistern and took him to Egypt. When Reuben went
back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore
his clothes, and returning to his brothers, he exclaimed:
"The boy is gone! And I--where can I turn?" They took
Joseph's tunic, and after slaughtering a goat, dipped the
tunic in its blood. Then they sent someone to bring the long
tunic to their father, with the message: "We found this.
See whether it is your son's tunic or not." He recognized it
and exclaimed: "My son's tunic! A wild beast has devoured
him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!" Then Jacob rent his clothes,
put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son many days.
Genesis 37:12-34
Commentary: Joseph, another son of Jacob, prefigures Christ.
He was betrayed by his brothers, imprisoned unjustly and
savedEgypt
faith and was exulted by God.
Jesse Tree Story: JOSEPH
Jesse Tree Symbol: THE COAT OF MANY COLORS
Scripture: One day, when his brothers had gone to
pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
Genesis 37:12-34
Commentary: Joseph, another son of Jacob, prefigures Christ.
He was betrayed by his brothers, imprisoned unjustly and
saved
faith and was exulted by God.
Friday, December 2, 2011
First Saturday of Advent
3 December 2011
Jesse Tree Story: JUDAH
Jesse Tree Symbol: THE CROWN & SCEPTRE
Scripture: "The scepter shall never depart from Judah,
or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is
brought to him, and he receives the people's homage."
Genesis 49:10
Commentary: When Jacob gave the birth right to his
fourth son, Judah, he proclaimed: "The sceptre shall
not depart from Judah nor the staff from between his
feet until he comes to whom it belongs."
Jesse Tree Story: JUDAH
Jesse Tree Symbol: THE CROWN & SCEPTRE
Scripture: "The scepter shall never depart from Judah,
or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is
brought to him, and he receives the people's homage."
Genesis 49:10
Commentary: When Jacob gave the birth right to his
fourth son, Judah, he proclaimed: "The sceptre shall
not depart from Judah nor the staff from between his
feet until he comes to whom it belongs."
Thursday, December 1, 2011
First Friday of Advent
2 December 2011
Jesse Tree Story: JACOB
Jesse Tree Symbol: A LADDER
Scripture: "Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground,
with its top reaching to the heavens; and God's messengers were
going up and down on it. And there was the LORD standing beside
him and saying: "I, the LORD, am the God of your forefather
Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you are lying
I will give to you and your descendants. These shall be as plentiful
as the dust of the earth, and through them you shall spread out east
and west, north and south. In you and your descendants all the
nations of the earth shall find blessing."
Genesis 28:12-14
Commentary: God renewed his promise to Isaac's son,
Jacob, through a dream in which he saw angels ascending
and descending a ladder which reached from heaven to earth.
Jesse Tree Story: JACOB
Jesse Tree Symbol: A LADDER
Scripture: "Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground,
with its top reaching to the heavens; and God's messengers were
going up and down on it. And there was the LORD standing beside
him and saying: "I, the LORD, am the God of your forefather
Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you are lying
I will give to you and your descendants. These shall be as plentiful
as the dust of the earth, and through them you shall spread out east
and west, north and south. In you and your descendants all the
nations of the earth shall find blessing."
Genesis 28:12-14
Commentary: God renewed his promise to Isaac's son,
Jacob, through a dream in which he saw angels ascending
and descending a ladder which reached from heaven to earth.
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