Thursday, December 24th
Scripture
2 Sm 7:1-5,8b-12,14a
Ps 89:2-5,27,29
Lk 1:67-79
Reflection
By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us …Lk 1:78
In the passage from Luke, we hear Zachariah’s prophecy. He speaks of God’s mercy and
the promise made to our ancestors. The other scripture passages today emphasize
the same theme. God made a covenant with our ancestors and has been faithful to the
promises made. Zachariah proclaims that his son, John, is to be “the prophet of the most
High, to go before the Lord to prepare His way.” John is the last of the prophets before the
complete fulfillment through the Messiah, Jesus. How appropriate to have our ancestors
put before us this day as we anticipate celebrating the birth of the Promised One. Those
ancestors are our ancestors. The promises made to them were the promises made to us
long before we came to be, and were fulfilled by Jesus. John, as prophesied by Zachariah,
has prepared the way for us.
Prayer
Blessed be you, our God, you have favored us with your Son, the fulfillment of the promises you made to our ancestors. You light up our lives and guide us in the way of peace. May your tender mercy imbue all that we do.
Personal Challenge
Reread all of Zachariah’s prayer (Luke 1:67-79); ponder the one line that strikes you.
Sister Angela Schreiber, CSJ
St. Paul, MN
