December
24, 2015
Thursday
of the Fourth Week of Advent
Saints of the Day: Saint Delphinus, Bishop (403), Saints Thrasilla and Emiliana Virgins (6th Century)
Reading 1
1When
King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his
enemies on every side, 2he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a
house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
3Nathan
answered the king, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with
you.” 4But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said: 5“Go,
tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to
dwell in?
8b“‘It
was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be
commander of my people Israel. 9I have been with you wherever you went, and I
have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the
great ones of the earth.
10I
will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell
in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue
to afflict them as they did of old, 11since the time I first appointed judges
over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD
also reveals to you that He will establish a house for you.
12And
when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your
heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his Kingdom firm.
14aI
will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. 16Your house and your
Kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
Responsorial Psalm
R.
(2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
2The
favors of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall
proclaim your faithfulness. 3For you have said, “My kindness is established
forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R.
For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
4“I
have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: 5Forever
will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.”
R.
For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
27“He
shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the rock, my savior.’ 29Forever
I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R.
For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Alleluia
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
O
Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on
those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
67Zechariah
his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: 68“Blessed
be the Lord, the God of Israel; for He has come to His people and set them
free.[1] 69He
has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of His servant David.[2] 70Through
His prophets He promised of old 71that He would save us from our enemies, from
the hands of all who hate us.
72He
promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant. 73This
was the oath He swore to our father Abraham: 74to set us free from the hand of
our enemies, free to worship Him without fear, 75holy and righteous in His
sight all the days of our life.
76You,
my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before
the Lord to prepare His way, 77to give His people knowledge of salvation by the
forgiveness of their sins.
78In
the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, 79to
shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our
feet into the way of peace.”
Notes on Readings:
[1] Luke 1:68-79 - Like the canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) the canticle of Zechariah is only
loosely connected with its context. Apart from Luke 1:76-77, the hymn in speaking of a horn for our salvation (Luke 1:69) and the daybreak from on high (Luke 1:78) applies more closely to Jesus and his work than to John. Again like Mary's
canticle, it is largely composed of phrases taken from the Greek Old Testament
and may have been a Jewish Christian hymn of praise that Luke adapted to fit
the present context by inserting Luke 1:76-77 to give Zechariah's reply to the question asked in Luke 1:66.
[2] Luke 1:69 - A horn for our salvation: the horn is a
common Old Testament figure for strength (Psalm 18:3; 75:5-6; 89:18; 112:9; 148:14. This description is applied to God in Psalm 18:2 and is here transferred to Jesus. The connection of the phrase with the house
of David gives the title messianic overtones and may indicate an allusion to a
phrase in Hannah's song of praise (1 Samuel 2:10), "the horn of his anointed."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.