December 9, 2010, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin and Our Lady of Guadalupe

Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)

The line I love MOST from today’s readings is “The Lord is good to all, and God’s compassion is over all that God has made.” Do you know what that means? It means all that God has made; and all that God has made is all there is. That’s a lot. It means that God’s compassion extends to you whether or not you can pronounce or spell “Cuauhtlatoatzin.” It means that even if you are a poor peasant in Mexico, the Blessed Mother might stop by your house. It means that God and Mary and Jesus are color blind, socio-economically blind, sexual preference blind, gender blind, crazy-blind (which means that even John the Baptist, the poster child for crazy, gets a letter of recommendation from Jesus). Wait … stop right there … not just blind, it seems, but also compassionate, hand-holding, nurturing, faithful, and gracious. That’s what I read in today’s readings.

How about YOU? Write a comment to let me know what you read in today's bible passages.

Namaste! Amen!

The Readings

Isaiah 41:13-20

For I, the Lord your God,

   hold your right hand;

it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear,

   I will help you.’

I will help you, says the Lord;

   your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Now, I will make of you a threshing-sledge,

   sharp, new, and having teeth;

you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,

   and you shall make the hills like chaff.

You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away,

   and the tempest shall scatter them.

Then you shall rejoice in the Lord;

   in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

When the poor and needy seek water,

   and there is none,

   and their tongue is parched with thirst,

I the Lord will answer them,

   I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

I will open rivers on the bare heights,

   and fountains in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

   and the dry land springs of water.

I will put in the wilderness the cedar,

   the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;

I will set in the desert the cypress,

   the plane and the pine together,

so that all may see and know,

   all may consider and understand,

that the hand of the Lord has done this,

   the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Psalm 145:1,9-13

I will extol you, my God and King,

   and bless your name for ever and ever.

The Lord is good to all,

   and God’s compassion is over all that God has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

   and all your faithful shall bless you.

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,

   and tell of your power,

to make known to all people your mighty deeds,

   and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your world is everlasting,

   and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all words,

   and gracious in all deeds.

Matthew 11:11-15

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!

The readings are from the website below, with tiny adjustments to make the text more inclusive.

http://bible.oremus.org/