Wednesday, December 19, 2012

December 20, 2012

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
Lectionary: 196

Reading 1 from the Holy Book of Isaiah
Is 7:10-14

We sort of read about this yesterday.  Although I provided the comparison to the prophecy of the book of Jeremiah.
The LORD spoke to Ahaz:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Ahaz was one of Judah's wicked Kings.    And yet, he is mentioned in the Genealogy of Jesus:


Matthew 1:9
King James Version (KJV)
9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

Achaz is Ahaz.


Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary men,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
It is Ahaz son, by Abijah, his young wife, who is the literal subject of the verse which says, "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son."  That child's name is Hezekiah, a great and glorious King of Judah, who did much good in the eyes of God.

But that is also a veiled prophecy of the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, God with us, the true Emmanuel.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (see 7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

Let the Lord enter in your heart and rule therein.  Don't you know that you are the Temple of God?
1 Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Therefore, let God rule in His Temple.

A reading from the Holy Gospel of St. Luke
Lk 1:26-38

In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
What a great and glorious announcement.  And how great a privilege was bestowed the Angel Gabriel. Appropriate is his name, the Power of God.

And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
St. Gabriel was the first to announce the blessedness of Mary.  His words are the basis of the wonderful prayer known as the "Hail Mary" and the foundation of the great meditation on the life of Christ known as the "Rosary".

Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
The Angel Gabriel then informs Mary that she will be the Mother of God.

But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
Mary asks for more detail, since she is knows that she is a virgin, how can the Child be conceived.

And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
The Angel responds that it will be a miraculous conception by the power of the All Mighty.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
And then she receives a sign to know that this is true.  Her aged cousin, who was formerly considered barren,  has already conceived a child.



Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
Mary makes her famous profession of faith and obedience which we call her "fiat".


Sincerely,

De Maria

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