18
Prince William County Catholic
Awaiting the
promised One by Colleen Rooney
In two months it will be Christmas. We will celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. Songs will be sung. Gifts will be given. Liturgies will be celebrated. As we prepare for Christmas have you ever wondered what Jews of the first century B.C. were waiting for? Palestine, known first as Canaan and referred to as the “Promised Land” or “Israel,” the land flowing with milk and honey, was given by God to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 15:18-21;26:3;28:13). God had a great plan for Abraham. He drew Abraham away from his native land of Ur with the promise to make his offspring as numerous as the stars in the heavens. They would have a land, a royal dynasty, and bring universal blessings to all nations if they kept the covenants that He offered them. It was a vision of greatness and blessings. A young man, named David, found
favor with the Lord. He was from the lineage of Abraham by way of Judah, the great grandson of Abraham, and the son of Jacob, who God renamed Israel. David was anointed king by the Lord’s prophet Samuel and went on to unite the twelve tribes of Jacob in the land promised to Abraham. David’s reign was a period of Jewish self-governance, a United Kingdom with a leader who honored the laws given by God to Moses and the covenants made with the patriarchs. A king who had the Ark of the Covenant with the Sacred Presence of God brought into the capital city of Jerusalem and danced rejoicing before it. Despite his human frailties, King David’s reign was a great and glorious one full of achievements in battle and fidelity to the Lord. His faithfulness to Yahweh brought the great promise: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your
