Sunday, December 21, 2014 Faithfulness and Kindness Today’s Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1–5, 8b–12, 14a, 16; Psalm 89: 2–3, 4–5, 27, 29; Romans 16:25–27; Luke 1:26–38. The connection between the First Reading and the Gospel today is hard to miss. In the First Reading, David is told of the heir that will come from him, and in the Gospel, Mary hears that her son will receive “the throne of his ancestor David.” With that throne comes a kingdom. David is told that his kingdom will never end and Mary hears the same of her son’s kingdom. The attitude of the main characters in these stories, though, varies greatly. Mary, who is a model of discipleship, appears to rest in the Lord. She waits and listens for the Lord. When the angel Gabriel has delivered the message, her willingness to do God’s will is apparent. King David, sure that he needs to do something for God, plans to build a house for the Lord. Through Nathan, David hears that it is the Lord who has accomplished much for him and will continue to look after him. David need not establish a house for the Lord; the Lord will establish a house for David. Should you look up the Second Reading in the Bible, you will find that it is a doxology concluding St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Sometimes these doxologies are hard to understand out of context. It is best to read the doxology slowly. When read phrase by phrase, we see that St. Paul is telling the Church in Rome that God is their strength and should be glorified. The Church has come to understand this strength through the Good News that Paul has spread, Christ’s proclamation, and the prophetic writings. With Christmas only days away, these readings help us consider how we listen for God and how our words and deeds glorify him. © Liturgy Training Publications. 1-800-933-1800. Written by Michael R. Prendergast. Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Permission to publish granted by the Archdiocese of Chicago on March 12, 2014.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 18:00:00 +0000
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