1st Reading: Is 11:1–10* From the stump of Jesse a shoot will come forth; from his roots a branch will grow and bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him— a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and power, a Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. Not by appearances will he judge, nor by what is said must he decide, but with justice he will judge the poor and with righteousness decide for the meek. … The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will rest beside the kid, the calf and the lion cub will feed together and a little child will lead them. … The child will put his hand into the viper’s lair. No one will harm or destroy over my holy mountain, for as water fills the sea the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. On that day the “Root of Jesse” will be raised as a signal for the nations. The people will come in search of him, thus making his dwelling place glorious.
tuesday
December
01
1st Week of Advent Psalter: Week 1
Ps 72:1–2, 7–8, 12–13, 17 Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Gospel: Lk 10:21–24 Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and made them known to the little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. I have been given all things by my Father, so that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said to them privately, “Fortunate are you to see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings would have liked to see what you see but did not, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
A
lthough the phrase, the lion shall lie down with the lamb, is one of the more popular quotes from the Bible, it’s really misquoted. In the King James version, it’s the wolf that will dwell with the lamb, and it’s the leopard that will rest beside the kid, while the calf and the lion cub will feed together. But, no matter how we interpret it all, the most remarkable part of this prophecy in Isaiah is the amazing prediction that a little child will lead them! There has always been a tendency to overlook the significance of the child Jesus, finding its way into commentaries on his ministry and teaching. The centrality of childhood, in understanding and entering Christ’s kingdom, has been overlooked or marginalized. We haven’t seen children as signs of the kingdom. Our Christian brothers and sisters must start to see that the parent-child relationship is at its most pervasive, when it describes God’s love for each and every person. Christ taught us to pray: Our Father! As Christians, we have been born again and have become like children. This process deeply interweaves us into the incarnation: the child Christ is in us and we are in Him!