Reading 1 Is 61:1-2a, 10-11
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.
I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.
Responsorial Psalm Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54
R. (Is 61:10b) My soul rejoices in my God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for He has looked upon His lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His Name.
He has mercy on those who fear Him
in every generation.
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for He has remembered his promise of mercy,
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
Reading 2 1 Thes 5:16-24
Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful,
and He will also accomplish it.
Gospel Jn 1:6-8, 19-28
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,'”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is One among you whom you do not recognize,
the One who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing
Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:
The Holy Wireless Connector, of the Fullness of The Loving Programmer, has joined me to Him because He has granted me access to Him. He has sent me to give good news to the poor, the depressed, captives, and freedom, to let them know that there is a (coming) year (Thousand years? Two thousand years? More) of Programming Assistance from The Loving Programmer. He has also programmed a briefer period of vindication.
I fully rejoice in The Loving Programmer. In Him, I find the (truest) joy of my soul. Why? He has downloaded to me the way for my soul to prepare for salvation and wrapped me with (a love of) justice. I feel like a celebrating bridegroom or bride, wearing precious things.
As the lower parts of The Creation Program produce plants and as gardens produce good things to eat, so will The Loving Programmer program justice and praise (for Him) to appear where all the nations can see.
R. The living program that is my soul has been filled by He Who programmed and downloaded it into being.
My own, smaller programs proclaims The Loving Programmer Who brought it into being. My spirit rejoices in The Loving Programmer Who keeps me from being erased, for He has seen me, His lowly servant. From this day, all generations will call me ‘blessed’.
R. The living program that is my soul has been filled by He Who programmed and downloaded it into being.
The Loving Programmer has done great things for me, and His Name is to be revered. He will restore the programs of those who ask Him to do so, in every age and people
R. The living program that is my soul has been filled by He Who programmed and downloaded it into being.
He has given those who were deprived on earth the good things they missed, and punished the rich (and greedy) by sending them into eternity with nothing. He has come to help those chosen people who serve Him, because He has remembered His promises to be merciful to them.
R. The living program that is my soul has been filled by He Who programmed and downloaded it into being.
Brothers and Sisters, be happy, always. Keep in continual contact with The Loving Programmer, The Program, and The Holy Wireless Connector. No matter what happens, give thanks, because this is what He wants you do do as The Program lives within you.
Do not stifle The Holy Wireless Connector (when He tries to reach you). Don’t despise those who’ve been given access to the future. But, test everything, and keep what is good. Stay away from every kind of corrupting virus.
May The Loving Programmer, Who loves peace, make you as close to Him as possible, and may you avoid every kind of corrupting error, being guilty of no sin when Jesus comes in Judgment.
The same God Who calls you to Him is faithful, and He will also accomplish it (Our being acceptable to Him at Judgment?)
The Loving Programmer sent John to prepare the way for The Program to do His work on earth. John testified, especially to the (coming) light, so that all might come to believe (in Him) through John (and his prophetic words). John was not The Program, but came to let us know that The Program, (Who took perfect, obedient, human form through Mary) was coming.
This is John’s testimony:
When the Jewish establishment in Jerusalem sent people to find out who John was, he told them that “I am not the Christ.”
So, they asked,
“What (not ‘Who’) are you, then. Are you Elijah?”
He said, “No, I am not.”
They asked if he was the (not ‘a’) prophet.
He told them, “No.”
So, they said: “Listen, we were sent to find out who you were. What can we tell those who sent us? What do you have to say for (or, about) yourself?”
John said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of The Lord.’ (I am the one of whom Isaiah the prophet spoke.”)
Pharisees were also sent (to check up on the others?). They asked him,
“Why do you wash away sins in you aren’t Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet?”
John, explained:
“I wash away sins with water, but there is One among you whom you do not (cannot) recognize. The Fullness of The Program is taking human form, and coming after me. I am not worthy to untie His sandal straps.”
This happened in Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
