Daily Reflections for the Misa de Gallo (Part III)
Daily Reflections for the Misa de Gallo (in Preparation for the celebration of the Birth of Christ)
December 16 - 24, 2005
PART 3: December 22-24
December 22, 2005 The Seventh Day of Misa De Gallo (B) - White
THANKING GOD FOR ALL OF HIS GOODNESS
First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:24-28
Responsorial Psalm: 1 Samuel 2 - "My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior!"
O Antiphon: O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you have formed from the dust!
Gospel: Luke 1:46-56
The canticle of Mary — Mary’s song of praise in today’s Gospel is traditionally called the Magnificat, after St. Jerome’s Latin translation which begins: Magnificat anima mea Dominum. It is perhaps the best known and loved of the four canticles in Luke’s infancy narratives.
Most Bible scholars today hold that the song was not done by Mary. It was clearly composed in Greek, and not a translation of the Hebrew. It is unlikely that such finished poetry could have been composed on the spot by an ordinary Galilean girl. So the canticle is held to have been written by the evangelist Luke to accompany his narratives. But there are lines in the canticle that are awkward when applied to the situation of Mary who is the speaker. So scholars theorize that the canticle was not a pure Lucan composition; he probably got it from the Jewish Christian Anawim, the “poor ones” who relied on the Lord for their salvation. These recognized that in Jesus God has raised them up and saved them according to his promise. Luke sees Mary as their representative and spokesperson and so lets her vocalize their sentiments, retouching the original song to suit Mary’s condition.
As it stands, the Magnificat echoes Old Testament traditions in which men and women sang praise to God for his mighty deeds in behalf of his people Israel. In style and in thematic parallels, it is similar to the Song of Hannah. Both Mary and Hannah are called “handmaids of the Lord” and both acknowledge that God’s purpose will be achieved through the birth of their respective children.
December 23, 2005 The Eighth Day of Misa De Gallo (B) - White
JOHN THE BAPTIST: GOD IS GRACIOUS
First Reading: Judges 13:2-7,24-25a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 71 - "Fill me with your praise, and I will sing your glory!"
O Antiphon: O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his people: come to save us without delay!
Gospel: Luke 1:5-25
"His name is John"
Indeed, “God is gracious.” This is the meaning of the name John. We are told today about the birth of the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist. We remember the coming of the Savior and how a special messenger of God had to prepare the hearts of people for the coming of the Savior. But our Savior Jesus came long ago. How much are we living as people who are saved? How much do we enter into God’s plan to save our world? How much do we prepare Jesus’ coming into the hearts of people today?
Back to Elizabeth and Zechariah and the birth and naming of their child. His name is John as the angel commanded-it is time to obey the Word of God. And in obeying Zechariah’s tongue is loosened and he begins to speak again by praising God. This child is entrusted to them, but from the beginning the hand of the Lord is with him.
Reflection
What is your name? What does it mean (John is beloved of God)? Is it time for you to obey the word of God? And as parents do you remember that your children have been entrusted to you but they must be about God’s work in the world? God’s hand is always with us now.
December 24, 2005 The Ninth Day of Misa De Gallo (B) - White
AS WE STAND AT THE THRESHOLD OF CHRISTMAS, WE GO AND MEET THE LORD
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89 - "For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord!"
O Antiphon: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death!
Gospel: Luke 1:67-79
Canticle of Zechariah — Like Mary’s Song, the Magnificat, the Canticle of Zechariah is popularly called the Benedictus because of the opening words in the Latin translation: “Benedictus Deus Israhel” — “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.”
Bible scholars today credit the origin of the Lucan canticle not to the person named in the narrative (Zechariah) but to Luke himself. As to the origin of the Benedictus, they vary in their opinions. Some hold that it is purely a Lucan composition. Others propose that the hymn originated in the circle of John’s disciples or in an early Jewish Christian community; it was then inserted by Luke to enrich his narrative.
The Benedictus is a hymn of praise which celebrates the redemption of God through Jesus, the Davidic Messiah. It celebrates the primary virtues of God as a covenant partner: his mercy-kindness in choosing his partners and his fidelity once the covenant had been made. It recapitulates the saving interventions of God in the past.
It is also a prophecy, as it points to the role of the prophet-precursor: the child John. But like anything else in the Gospel, the real point is Christological: it focuses on the “daybreak (anatol) from on high” in whom God has visited his people and shown his mercy, namely, Jesus Christ, whose ways John will prepare.
