Jeremiah 23:5-8Matthew 1:18-24 O Lord of ancient Israel,who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain;come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free. O Adonai Unsayable, you chose to speak one tongue,Unseeable, you gave yourself away,The Adonai, the TetragramatonGrew by a wayside in the light …
Category Archives: Monastic
18th December
Jeremiah 23:5-8Matthew 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 to …
O Sapientia
17th DecemberO Sapientia Gen 49:2, 8-10Mat 1:1-17 O Wisdom, O holy Word of God,you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care.Come and show your peoplethe way to salvation. O SAPIENTIA I cannot think unless I have been thought,Nor can I speak unless I have been spoken.I cannot teach except as I am taught,Or …
17th December
Genesis 49:2,8-10Matthew 1:1-17 O SAPIENTIA 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 …
Third Week of Advent, Tuesday
Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13 The third week of Advent continues to offer us texts that can challenge us. Today we hear 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 Jerusalem as Babylon gains power and threatens …
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 …
Third Sunday of Advent (A)
Isaiah 35:1-6, 10Matthew 11:2-11 Today Isaiah offers us poetic vision of all that God promises for the people of Judah: everybody and everything will be restored in a land governed by God. Judah has experienced a period of barrenness and dryness in her relationship with God. All of this God will turn into fertile land …
Second Week of Advent, Friday
Isaiah 48:17-19Matthew 11:16-19 Our reading from Isaiah is short today. It’s just three verses. But those verses 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 …
Second Week of Advent, Thursday
Isaiah 41:13-20Matthew 11:11-15 ‘For I the Lord, your God,am holding you by the right hand;I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,I will help you.’ From the very beginning of the history of salvation we see the part that fear can play in how we relate to God and each other. The primitive ‘fight or flight’ …
Second Week of Advent, Wednesday
Isaiah 40:25-31Matthew 11:28-30 Today’s text from Isaiah continues the themes of God’s promise of rescue and re-assurance. The words of prophesy re-assure Judah that God is more than able to subdue the power of Babylon. God is the original creative agent in the world and cannot be confined by anyone. His power is cosmic and …