Micah 5:1-4Luke 1:39-45 We’ve become so familiar with the elements of the Christmas story that they can lose a little of their impact. We sing ‘O little town of Bethlehem’ perhaps without realizing just how insignificant this little town was. It was a small hilltop town, just 5 miles south of Jerusalem. In today’s first …
Author Archives: Turvey Nuns
18th Dec
Jeremiah 23:5-8 Matthew 1:18-24 The theme of kingship looms large in the story of our salvation. The transition from the people of Israel living as 12 tribes to their anointing of a king involved twists and turns. They were influenced by what they saw around them and began to long for a king: “We want …
17th Dec
The Church now silently selects its top liturgical gear as we move towards Christmas Eve. At Vespers we will sing the first of the Great O Antiphons, O Sapientia. At Mass the prayers and readings are tightly focused. Today our text is from Genesis 49. Jacob in his old age asks his twelve sons to …
Thursday, Advent, Week Three
Today’s reading from Isaiah 54 is also used in the Liturgy of the Word at the Easter vigil. In the light of the Paschal candle this reading speaks to the promise of rescue from death and the hope of new life. In our Advent liturgy we can hear it as a text of eager longing …
Wednesday, Advent, Week Three
Isaiah 45:6c-8,18 21b-25Luke 7:18b-23 We’re back to the Prophet Isaiah for our first reading today. Our anticipation of the coming of the Messiah gains momentum and Isaiah contrasts God’s powers with those of the popular Babylonian gods: Apart from me all is nothing.I am the Lord, unrivalled,I form the light and create the dark.I make …
Tuesday, Advent, Week Three
Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13 The third week of Advent continues to offer us challenging texts, texts that don’t yield their meaning on first reading. Today our text comes from the prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah is called, as all prophets are, to see the world as God sees it. There is a crisis looming for the people in …
Third Week of Advent, Monday
Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17Matthew 21:23-27 Today’s first reading is a rather unfamiliar text from the Book of Numbers. We hear one of the oracles of the prophet Balaam. How fair are your tents, O Jacob!How fair your dwelling, Israel!Like valleys that stretch afar,like gardens by the banks of a river,like aloes planted by the Lord,like cedars …
Sunday, Advent, Week Three
Zephaniah 3:14-18 Luke 3:10-18 As the weeks of Advent progress we are invited deeper and deeper into the mystery of our redemption. The Third Sunday of Advent sounds a note of JOY that is impossible to ignore. The first reading from the prophet Zephaniah is remarkable in its joy and image of God; The Lord …
Saturday, Advent, Week Two
Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4, 9-12 Today there is a gear shift in the weekday Liturgy of the Word as we move from Isaiah’s prophecies to a selection of texts from a range of Old Testament books. The focus of the during Second Week of Advent has been preparing the way of the Lord. We look back to …
Friday, Advent, Week Two
Isaiah 48:17-19 Our reading from Isaiah is short today. It’s just three verses. But those contain so much. Here God speaks with a tone that is tender and deliberate: ‘This says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is good for you.I lead you in the …