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Blessed is the soul that, because it expects its Lord daily, thinks nothing of the day's toil or the night's, since He is going to appear in the morning.- St. Ilias the Presbyter -
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2 Sm 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29; Lk 1:67-79 R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
USCCB lectionary
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Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel ...
Thus begins this ancient Christian hymn, first from the mouth of Zechariah, father of John the Baptizer. If I were ministering to the faithful few who come to Mass on this only weekday morning of the Fourth Week of Advent, I would invite them to recite this reading together, slowly, thoughtfully, mindful that our voices are joined with Christians of every age and of every land. The good news of God with us knows no barriers of time or space, of race, nation or language. Let us pray together with fervor and faith the last line of this hymn:
May God guide our feet on the path to peace.
(By Paige Byrne Shortal)
My Daily Bread
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God, subsisting alone, and having nothing coeval with himself, chose to create the world. And conceiving the world in mind, and willing and uttering the Word, he made it; and at once it appeared, formed it in the way he desired. For us it is sufficient simply to know that nothing was coeval with God. Outside him there was nothing; but he, while existing alone, yet existed in plurality. For he did not lack reason, or wisdom, or power, or counsel. All things were in him, and he was the All. At a time and in a manner chosen by him he made his Word manifest, and through his Word he made all things.
He bears this Word in himself, as yet invisible to the created world. He makes him visible, uttering the voice first, and begetting him as Light of Light. He presents him to the world as its Lord; and whereas the Word was visible formerly to God alone, and invisible to the world which is made, God makes the Word visible in order that the world might see him and be able to be saved.
(By St. Hippolytus, "Against the Noetic Heresy." From the Office of readings for December 23, 2012)
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