A Punch in the Gut

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to God, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns, alleluia.”

Revelations 19:7,6  –  Entrance Antiphon, Fourth Tuesday of Easter

Not easy sometimes to embrace this when we’re hurting. A year ago today, Mom buried her beloved husband, Norb Kwiecinski. A year ago today, Sarah and Andy lost their biological father, Dan Vincent. The timing was a punch in the gut.

But we’re not here for this life. Yeah, we live it to the full while we’re here. We’re supposed to serve others, do our best, love with every ounce… but we rejoice because Jesus embraces all the crap, all the hurt, all the tears, all the anguish, all the sadness, all the depression, all the torment and torture, all the injustice.

All the sorrow.

It sucks.

But He says “Let me take it. Rejoice.”

It’s still so hard. So please pray for us. Sarah and Daniel, who also lost his dad this year, and their kids, our grandchildren. Andy and Cheryl, who lost her dad ten years ago, and their kids, our grandchildren. Douglas and Amy and sweet little Imogen, who never had the pleasure of meeting Great Grandpa. Stephen and Martha. My sweet wife, Kathy, who lost her mom, Dorothy, three years ago, and her dad, Malcolm, in 1981. My sisters and brothers in law. My nieces and nephews who miss their Grandpa. Uncle Stan, who misses his brother. Butch, who misses his Uncle Norb. Countless relatives and friends who loved Dad. I could go on and on listing names, but I will leave out too many.

And please pray especially for Mom, Barb Kwiecinski. I know she misses the guy who gave her such grief, who gave her such a hard time, who was always there to calm her down when she needed it, who was always there for her, even when he was so broken down he couldn’t even care for himself.

Dad, we miss you. But nobody more so than Mom.      

Rejoice. That’s what we’ll do someday when we all get together again. Right now, we smile and laugh … and cry … when we remember.

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Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 18, 2016

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah 7:10-14

10 And the Lord spoke further to Ahaz, saying:

11 “Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, from the depths below, even to the heights above.”

12 And Ahaz said, “I will not ask, for I will not tempt the Lord.”

13 And (Isaiah) said: “Then listen, O house of David. Is it such a small thing for you to trouble men, that you must also trouble my God? 14 For this reason, the Lord himself will grant to you a sign. Behold, a virgin will conceive, and she will give birth to a son, and his name will be called Immanuel.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 24(23):1-2, 3-4, 5-6

(7c and 10b) And the King of Glory shall enter. He himself is the King of Glory.

1 The earth and all its fullness belong to the Lord: the whole world and all that dwells in it. 2 For he has founded it upon the seas, and he has prepared it upon the rivers.

And the King of Glory shall enter. He himself is the King of Glory.

3 Who will ascend to the mountain of the Lord? And who will stand in his holy place? 4 The innocent of hands and the clean of heart, who has not received his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor.

And the King of Glory shall enter. He himself is the King of Glory.

5 He will receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God, his Savior. 6 This is the generation that seeks him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

And the King of Glory shall enter. He himself is the King of Glory.

A reading from the book of St. Paul to the Romans 1:1-7

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called as an Apostle, separated for the Gospel of God, 2 which he had promised beforehand, through his Prophets, in the Holy Scriptures, 3 about his Son, who was made for him from the offspring of David according to the flesh, 4 the Son of God, who was predestined in virtue according to the Spirit of sanctification from the resurrection of the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 through whom we have received grace and Apostleship, for the sake of his name, for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, 6 from whom you also have been called by Jesus Christ: 7 To all who are at Rome, the beloved of God, called as saints. Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 1:18-24

18 Now the procreation of the Christ occurred in this way. After his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they lived together, she was found to have conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph, her husband, since he was just and was not willing to hand her over, preferred to send her away secretly. 20 But while thinking over these things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to accept Mary as your wife. For what has been formed in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she shall give birth to a son. And you shall call his name JESUS. For he shall accomplish the salvation of his people from their sins.” 22 Now all this occurred in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb, and she shall give birth to a son. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us. 24 Then Joseph, arising from sleep, did just as the Angel of the Lord had instructed him, and he accepted her as his wife.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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video image courtesy of Sweet Publishing/FreeBibleimages.org

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Thanks for taking some of your precious time today to read and listen to the daily Mass readings. The readings are taken and adapted from the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Holy Bible.

I appreciate your help and encouragement. Please let me know how I can help you. This is something I’ve been called to do for some time.

Saturday of the Third Week in Advent, December 17, 2016

A reading from the book of Genesis 49:2, 8-10

1 Then Jacob called his sons, and he said to them: “Gather together and listen, O sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father. 8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be at the necks of your enemies; the sons of your father will reverence you. 9 Judah is a lion’s young. You have gone up to the prey, my son. While resting, you have lain like a lion. And just like a lioness, who would rouse him? 10 The scepter from Judah and the leader from his thigh will not be taken away, until he who will be sent arrives, and he will be the expectation of Gentiles.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 72(71):1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17

(7) Justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away.

2 Give your judgment, O God, to the king, and your justice to the king’s son, to judge your people with justice and your poor with judgment.

Justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away.

3 Let the mountains take up peace for the people, and the hills, justice. 4 He will judge the poor of the people, and he will bring salvation to the sons of the poor.

Justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away.

7 In his days, justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away. 8 And he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the limits of the whole world.

Justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away.

17 May his name be blessed forever; may his name remain before the sun. And all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in him. All nations will magnify him.

Justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 1;1-17

1 The book of the lineage of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham conceived Isaac. And Isaac conceived Jacob. And Jacob conceived Judah and his brothers. 3 And Judah conceived Perez and Zerah by Tamar. And Perez conceived Hezron. And Hezron conceived Ram. 4 And Ram conceived Amminadab. And Amminadab conceived Nahshon. And Nahshon conceived Salmon. 5 And Salmon conceived Boaz by Rahab. And Boaz conceived Obed by Ruth. And Obed conceived Jesse. 6 And Jesse conceived king David.

And king David conceived Solomon, by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 And Solomon conceived Rehoboam. And Rehoboam conceived Abijah. And Abijah conceived Asa. 8 And Asa conceived Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat conceived Joram. And Joram conceived Uzziah. 9 And Uzziah conceived Jotham. And Jotham conceived Ahaz. And Ahaz conceived Hezekiah. 10 And Hezekiah conceived Manasseh. And Manasseh conceived Amos. And Amos conceived Josiah. 11 And Josiah conceived Jechoniah and his brothers in the transmigration of Babylon.

12 And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechoniah conceived Shealtiel. And Shealtiel conceived Zerubbabel. 13 And Zerubbabel conceived Abiud. And Abiud conceived Eliakim. And Eliakim conceived Azor. 14 And Azor conceived Zadok. And Zadok conceived Achim. And Achim conceived Eliud. 15 And Eliud conceived Eleazar. And Eleazar conceived Matthan. And Matthan conceived Jacob. 16 And Jacob conceived Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17 And so, all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the transmigration of Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the transmigration of Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Thanks for taking some of your precious time today to read and listen to the daily Mass readings. The readings are taken and adapted from the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Holy Bible.

I appreciate your help and encouragement. Please let me know how I can help you. This is something I’ve been called to do for some time.

Feast of Our Lady Of Guadalupe, December 12, 2016

A reading from the book of the prophet Zechariah 2:14-17(10-13)

10 Sing praise and rejoice, daughter of Zion. For behold, I approach, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord. 11 And many nations will be joined to the Lord in that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 12 And the Lord will possess his portion, Judah, in the sanctified land, and still he will single out Jerusalem. 13 Let all flesh be silent before the face of the Lord: for he has arisen from his holy dwelling place.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm Judith 12:18(23)bcde, 19(24)

(Judith 15:9(10)) (You) are the honor of our people.

23 O daughter, you have been blessed by the Lord, the most high God, above all the women on earth.

(You) are the honor of our people.

24 Blessed is the Lord, who made heaven and earth, who has guided you in harming the head of the leader of our enemies.

(You) are the honor of our people.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 1:39-47

39 And in those days, Mary, rising up, traveled quickly into the hill country, to a city of Judah. 40 And she entered into the house of Zechariah, and she greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened that, as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this concern me, so that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, as the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed are you who believed, for the things that were spoken to you by the Lord shall be accomplished.”

46 And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord. 47 And my spirit leaps for joy in God my Savior.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Thanks for taking some of your precious time today to read and listen to the daily Mass readings. The readings are taken and adapted from the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Holy Bible.

I appreciate your help and encouragement. Please let me know how I can help you. This is something I’ve been called to do for some time.

 

Third Sunday of Advent, December 11, 2016

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10

1 The desolate and impassable land will rejoice, and the place of solitude will exult, and it will flourish like the lily. 2 It will spring up and blossom, and it will exult with rejoicing and praising. The glory of Lebanon has been given to it, with the beauty of Carmel and Sharon. These will see the glory of the Lord and the beauty of our God. 3 Strengthen the lax hands, and confirm the weak knees! 4 Say to the fainthearted: “Take courage and fear not! Behold, your God will bring the vindication of retribution. God himself will arrive to save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be cleared. 6 Then the disabled will leap like a buck, and the tongue of the mute will be untied.

10 And the redeemed of the Lord will be converted, and they will return to Zion with praising. And everlasting joy will be upon their heads. They will obtain gladness and rejoicing. For pain and sorrow will flee away.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 146(145):7, 8-9a, 9b-10

(Is 35:4) God himself will arrive to save you.

7 He preserves the truth forever. He executes judgment for those who suffer injury. He provides food for the hungry. The Lord releases those who are bound.

God himself will arrive to save you.

8 The Lord enlightens the blind. The Lord sets upright those who have been thrown down. The Lord loves the just. 9 The Lord watches over new arrivals.

God himself will arrive to save you.

He will support the orphan and the widow. And he will destroy the ways of sinners. 10 The Lord shall reign forever: your God, O Zion, from generation to generation.

God himself will arrive to save you.

A reading from the letter of St. James 5:7-10

7 (Therefore,) be patient, brothers, until the advent of the Lord. Consider that the farmer anticipates the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently, until he receives the early and the late rains. 8 Therefore, you too should be patient and should strengthen your hearts. For the advent of the Lord draws near. 9 Brothers, do not complain against one another, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge stands before the door. 10 My brothers, consider the Prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of departing from evil, of labor, and of patience.

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 11:2-11

2 Now when John had heard, in prison, about the works of Christ, sending two of his disciples, he said to him, 3 “Are you he who is to come, or should we expect another?” 4 And Jesus, responding, said to them: “Go and report to John what you have heard and seen. 5 The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor are evangelized. 6 And blessed is he who has found no offense in me.”

7 Then, after they departed, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 So what did you go out to see? A man in soft garments? Behold, those who are clothed in soft garments are in the houses of kings. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send my Angel before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.’ 11 Amen I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Thanks for taking some of your precious time today to read and listen to the daily Mass readings. The readings are taken and adapted from the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Holy Bible.

I appreciate your help and encouragement. Please let me know how I can help you. This is something I’ve been called to do for some time.

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent, December 10, 2016

A reading from the book of Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11

1 (And) the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch. 2 He brought a famine upon them, and those who provoked him in their envy became few. For they could not bear the precepts of the Lord. 3 By the word of the Lord, he closed the heavens, and he brought down fire from heaven three times. 4 In this way, Elijah was magnified in his wondrous works. So who can say that he is similar to you in glory? 9 He was received into a whirlwind of fire, into a swift chariot with fiery horses. 10 He is written in the judgments of the times, so as to lessen the wrath of the Lord, to reconcile the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob. 11 Blessed are those who saw you, and who were adorned with your friendship.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 80(79):2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19

(4) Convert us, O God. And reveal your face, and we will be saved.

2 The One who reigns over Israel: Be attentive. The One who sits upon the cherubim: Shine forth. 3 Awaken your power.

Convert us, O God. And reveal your face, and we will be saved.

15 Turn back, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vineyard; 16 and complete what your right hand has planted, and look upon the son of man, whom you have confirmed for yourself.

Convert us, O God. And reveal your face, and we will be saved.

18 Let your hand be over the man on your right, and over the son of man, whom you have confirmed for yourself. 19 For we do not depart from you, and you will revive us. And we will invoke your name.

Convert us, O God. And reveal your face, and we will be saved.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 19:9a, 10-13

9 (And) as they were descending from the mountain, 10 (And) his disciples questioned (him Jesus), saying, “Why then do the scribes say that it is necessary for Elijah to arrive first?” 11 But in response, he said to them: “Elijah, indeed, shall arrive and restore all things. 12 But I say to you, that Elijah has already arrived, and they did not recognize him, but they did whatever they wanted to him. So also shall the Son of man suffer from them.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Thanks for taking some of your precious time today to read the daily Mass readings. The readings are taken and adapted from the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Holy Bible.

I appreciate your help and encouragement. Please let me know how I can help you. This is something I’ve been called to do for some time.

 

Friday of the Second Week of Advent, December 9, 2016

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah 48:17-19

17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord, your God, who teaches you beneficial things, who guides you in the way that you walk. 18 If only you had paid attention to my commandments! Your peace would have been like a river, and your justice would have been like the waves of the sea, 19 and your offspring would have been like the sand, and the stock from your loins would have been like its stones. His name would not have passed away, nor would it have been worn away before my face.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

(John 8:12) Whoever follows (the Lord) shall have the light of life.

1 Blessed is the man who has not followed the counsel of the impious, and has not remained in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the chair of pestilence. 2 But his will is with the law of the Lord, and he will meditate on his law, day and night.

Whoever follows (the Lord) shall have the light of life.

3 And he will be like a tree that has been planted beside running waters, which will provide its fruit in its time, and its leaf will not fall away, and all things whatsoever that he does will prosper.

Whoever follows (the Lord) shall have the light of life.

4 Not so the impious, not so. For they are like the dust that the wind casts along the face of the earth. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the just. And the path of the impious will pass away.

Whoever follows (the Lord) shall have the light of life.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 11:16-19

(7) Jesus began to speak to the crowds:

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplace, 17 who, calling out to their companions, say: ‘We played music for you, and you did not dance. We lamented, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking; and they say, ‘Behold, a man who eats voraciously and who drinks wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is justified by her sons.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Thanks for taking some of your precious time today to read the daily Mass readings. The readings are taken and adapted from the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Holy Bible.

I appreciate your help and encouragement. Please let me know how I can help you. This is something I’ve been called to do for some time.