December 24, 2012

Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Lectionary: 200

Reading 1 from the Second book of Samuel in the Old Testament
2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
"Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!"

King David has a pang of conscience.  He lives in a great palace and the honor and glory of Israel, the Ark of the Covenant, abides in a tent.

Nathan answered the king,
"Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you."

Nathan, the Prophet of God, tells King David that his thought is wholesome and he should act upon it.

But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
"Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?

That night, however, God comes to Nathan in a dream and rescinds that decision.

"'It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I 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.
I 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,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.

He tells Nathan to reveal to David that it is He who will build a home and a Kingdom for David.  And will give Him a time of peace that he may enjoy his prosperity.  But David will not build Him a house to dwell in.

The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And 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.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your Kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.'"

The Lord reveals to David that God will raise up a Son for David.   And that Son, the Son of David, will build a house for God.

Literally, this is a reference to King Solomon, the son of David who builds what is frequently called, Solomon's Temple.  It was a huge, ornate building which was the glory of the Lord of Israel.  But it is a veiled reference to Jesus Christ, who built the Church, the Temple of the Holy Spirit and the House of the Living God.

Matthew 16:18
King James Version (KJV)
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 And 29

R. (2) 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.

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

"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."

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

"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."

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke
Lk 1:67-79

This reading from the Holy Gospel contains the Benedictus or the Canticle of Zechariah.

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

At the birth of St. John, St. Zechariah, his father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to sing about the greatness of the Lord.

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

The Song is named the Benedictus because it begins with the word, "Blessed".  That is what the word, benedictus means, literally, "I say you are blessed".

for he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,born of the house of his servant David. 

He is praising God because he anticipates the coming of Jesus Christ, whom his son, St. John, is preparing the world to receive.

Through his prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.

The prophecies of the Old Testament point to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would save all who believe in Him:

Deuteronomy 18:15
King James Version (KJV)
15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

The Jews expected an earthly victory.  They didn't seem to realize that God was promising an eternal victory in heaven.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

Now St. Zechariah tenderly speaks to his newborn son and explains that he has been chosen the Precursor of the Son of God.  To level mountains of pride and fill the valleys of sin and prepare the way for the coming of the Lord and the salvation of our God.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

And thus dawned a new day when the Sun of Justice would shine upon us, Christ, the Light of the World.


Merry Christmas,

Sincerely,

De Maria