Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.
In the Book of Isaiah the prophet had foretold of the birth of Jesus: "The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel."
Well, we have reached the end of the Advent journey. The Octave before Christmas is fulfilled today. Perhaps faster than ever before, the time of preparing to celebrate the great day of salvation has come upon us. More quickly than most would have preferred we stand at Christmas Day.
Malachi's words also foretell of this great event: "And when the time comes ... I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his Kingdom firm. I will be a father to him and he shall be a son to me.
David is concerned about building a structural house for God. God, however, is more concerned to build for David a house of a different type. God's kingship is to be established in David and his descendants. It is a kingship established on a moral relationship ratified by mutual covenant. The creation David wanted constructed would be but a "pale image" of the kingdom God expected. And this kingdom, as God wished, would be prophesied by none other than John the Baptist who would prepare the way of the Lord.
From this parish on Capitol Hill let us continue our prayers for our families on this day that there will be a genuine rebirth of Jesus Christ in their hearts. May the Child to be born tomorrow be a source of extraordinary blessings for them in these extraordinary trying days and times. Let us pray that Zechariah's words will become a reality in their lives: "In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and guide our feet into the way of peace."
