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| December 25 May the Christ Child Bless You! Merry Christmas! |
| 12.25.03 (9:25 am) [edit] |
[image]FairAsTheMoon_1398 516283.jpg[/image]
[The reflections on the women of the Old Testament were extracted from Mary of Galilee: Volume II; A Woman of Faith Blessed Among Women, Rev. Bertrand Buby, S.M., Alba House, 1995. The quotes from the three Marian Masses are taken from the sacramentary of the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.The O'Antiphons were taken from the Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic Book Publishing, 1975.]
This Advent Meditations Calendar was provided by The Mary Page, http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m..., by permission.
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| December 24 O'Antiphon VII: Jesus is Emmanuel |
| 12.24.03 (9:50 am) [edit] |
O Emmanauel
O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver,
desire of the nations,
Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.
Based on Isaiah 7:14...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
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| December 23 O'Antiphon VI: Jesus Is King of Nations |
| 12.23.03 (8:24 am) [edit] |
O King of Nations
O King of all the nations,
the only joy of every human heart;
O Keystone of the mighty arch of the human family,
come and save the creatures you fashioned from the dust.
Based on Isaiah 28:16...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
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| December 22 O'Antiphon V: Jesus Is Rising Dawn |
| 12.22.03 (11:29 am) [edit] |
O Radiant Dawn
O Radiant Dawn,
spendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
Based on Malachi 3:20...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
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| December 21 O'Antiphon IV: Jesus Is Key of David |
| 12.20.03 (10:52 pm) [edit] |
O Key of David
O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel
controlling at your will the gate of heaven:
come, break down the prison walls of death
for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death;
and lead your captive people into freedom.
Based on Isaiah 22:22...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
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| December 20 O'Antiphon III: Jesus Is Root of Jesse |
| 12.20.03 (10:49 pm) [edit] |
O Root of Jesse
O Flower of Jesse's stem,
you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples;
kings stand silent in your presence:
the nations bow down in worship before you.
Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.
Based on Isaiah 11:10...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
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| December 19 O'Antiphon II: Jesus Is Lord of Lords |
| 12.19.03 (2:39 pm) [edit] |
O Lord of Lords
O sacred Lord of ancient Israel,
who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,
who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain:
come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.
Based on Psalms 59:6, 103:7...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
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| December 18 O'Antiphon I: Jesus Is Wisdom |
| 12.18.03 (8:30 am) [edit] |
Among the many Christian customs in anticipation of Christmas, there is one prayer that has come down to us from the Middle Ages called O'Antiphons. The earliest manuscript with the seven O'Antiphons is found in the 11th century. Beginning on the eve of December 18, the monks would chant a different O'Antiphon each evening for seven days. Each antiphon addressed Jesus by a title from the First Testament in anticipation of redemption. The prayers are called O'Antiphons because they begin with the exclamation "O" when addressing the Lord. They are sung before the Canticle of Mary.
O Wisdom
O Wisdom, O holy Word of God,
you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care.
Come and show your people the way to salvation.
Based on Wisdom 9:17-18.
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
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| December 17 Visitation |
| 12.18.03 (8:13 am) [edit] |
It is appropriate to celebrate the Mass of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary during Advent when a memorial of the Mother of the Lord is to be celebrated. Our Lady in visiting her kinswoman Elizabeth is an image of the mystery of salvation, in which God "has come to his people and set them free" (Entrance Antiphon, Luke 1:68). Mary is also the model for the Church, which God nourishes with his gifts and on which he pours out his Holy Spirit as it brings the message of joy to the whole world so that all peoples may "acknowledge Christ as their Savior..."
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...We invite you to pray with the Church the following prayer from the seasonal Mass, The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
Lord our God,
Savior of the human family,
you brought salvation and joy
to the home of Elizabeth
through the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the ark of the New Covenant.
We ask that, in obedience
to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
we too may bring Christ to others
and proclaim your greatness
by the praise of our lips
and the holiness of our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
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| December 16 Annunciation |
| 12.16.03 (10:50 am) [edit] |
During Advent, the Roman Catholic liturgy reminds us repeatedly of the message of Gabriel to our Lady: "The angel Gabriel said to Mary in greeting: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women" (Antiphon at midday prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours), and prays each day: "Loving Mother of the Redeemer,...you who received Gabriel's joyful greeting: have pity on us poor sinners" (Final Antiphon from the Liturgy of the Hours, antiphon for Advent )...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
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| December 15 Chosen Daughter of Israel |
| 12.15.03 (10:08 am) [edit] |
During Advent, the Roman Catholic liturgy celebrates the plan of salvation by which the merciful God called the patriarchs, united them to himself in a covenant of love, established the Law through Moses, raised up the prophets, and chose David and Bathsheba as the ones from whose line the Savior of the world was to be born. The books of the First Testament, in foretelling the coming of Christ, "gradually bring to light the figure of a woman, the Mother of the Redeemer" (Lumen Gentium 55 ): she is the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom the Church proclaims as the joy of Israel and the noble daughter of Zion...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...We invite you to pray with the Church the following prayer from the seasonal Mass, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Chosen Daughter of Israel:
Lord our God,
to fulfill the promises you make of old
you chose the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the noble daughter of Zion;
grant that we may follow her,
whose humility won your favor
and whose obedience brought us your blessing.
We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
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| December 14 Bathsheba |
| 12.14.03 (8:51 am) [edit] |
In Matthew's genealogy, without mentioning her name, (1:6) Bathsheba is described as the "wife of Uriah." Bathsheba is essential to the genealogy in Matthew. The purpose is seen in what at first is an irregular marital union with David. After Uriah's death she is the wife of David, and in a certain sense "Queen Mother" or Gebîrâh, giving birth to four other sons after the death of her first son. Solomon succeeds David through her influence and that of the prophet Nathan (1 K 1:11-37)...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...One ancient song that praises Mary as queen, as mother, and as mediator is the "Regina Caeli":
Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope
To you do we cry, poor banished Children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this exile
show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O living, O sweet Virgin Mary.
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| December 13 Ruth |
| 12.13.03 (10:05 am) [edit] |
Ruth is placed among the "Mothers of Israel." Targum on Ruth, 2, 12 translates: ". . . you are one who has arrived . . . . protected under the shadow of the Majesty of God and under God's glory, and thanks to this reward you will be liberated from the judgment of Gehenna because you have a place among Sarah, Rebeccah, Rachel and Lia; that is among the mothers of Israel." (Rabbah Ruth 5.5 at 2:13; Pesikta of Rob. Kohaha 26, 1.)...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...This, too, is the evaluation we have with texts in Luke surrounding the Virgin Mother of Jesus. The traditions of both Synagogue and Church keep the sinlessness of both these mothers of Israel, respectively.
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| December 12 Rahab |
| 12.12.03 (9:53 am) [edit] |
Just as Tamar is not condemned as a prostitute when she sought justice from the family of Judah who was pledged to provide for her, neither is Rahab (Jos 2) who is praised for her faith, her ingenuity, and her hospitality, one of the greatest virtues extolled in the Scriptures...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...There are several points of convergence between the stories of Rahab and Mary; these help us gain a greater understanding of both women, and the faith that has linked them in the biblical tradition: sexuality is an issue in both stories; both women ran the risk of punishment (death); both were the means through which God took possession of the land and of human hearts; both were signs and exemplars of faith (Heb 11); both were mother to the household of faith.
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| December 11 Tamar |
| 12.12.03 (9:47 am) [edit] |
Tamar, "Palm Tree," is the first woman named in the genealogy of Matthew:...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Mary, the mother of Jesus, is likewise in an anomalous situation through a pregnancy which did not come about from Joseph her fiancée. Just as Tamar was vindicated as righteous before God, Mary, too, is seen to be innocent. Joseph discovers this through a dream.
______________________
I do apologize for being a day late. I was moving.
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| December 10 Esther |
| 12.10.03 (2:50 pm) [edit] |
Esther is the heroine and is the paradigm for a fully liberated woman who places all her confidence in God...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Mary, the mother of Jesus, is similar to Esther in prayer and in her intercessory power with God. She also advances the good of both the Jewish and of the Christian people in her role as Queen Mother.
Three selections from the Book of Esther are used in the Mariology of the early Christian writers and in the Catholic liturgy (Est 2:16-18; C:12, 14-15, 25, 30; and 8:3-8, 16-17).
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| December 9 Judith |
| 12.09.03 (8:29 am) [edit] |
Judith is the heroine of the deutero-canonical book with the same name...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...In the liturgical readings of masses in honor of Mary, the blessing of Judith is similar to the angelic salutation of Luke: "Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth" (Jdt 13:18). Frequently in song and response the praise of Judith is celebrated also in Mary: "You are the glory of Jerusalem, the surpassing joy of Israel; You are the splendid boast of our people" (Jdt 15:9), and finally from her own hymn (Jdt 16:13-14):
"O Lord, great are you and glorious, wonderful in power and unsurpassable. Let your every creature serve you; for you spoke, and they were made, You sent forth your spirit, and they were created; no one can resist your word."
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| December 8 Miriam |
| 12.08.03 (10:01 am) [edit] |
Undoubtedly, the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary was given to her by her parents honoring the great person of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron (in the Old Testament). She, under Moses, her brother, was a prophetess, a leader of the people who brought them through the Red Sea and through the desert. Probably a desire for rebirthing the People Israel ... led Joachim and Anna to bestow this name, likewise the same for the parents of Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, Mary the mother of James, the mother of Mark.
Her name signifies "lady princess" or, if named after the place called Meribah, "waters of bitterness..."
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...The Catholic Tradition uses such attributes for Mary of Galilee in the Church's devotional hymns and litanies. The biblical sources for such expressions are taken from the Cana event (Jn 2:1-11) and from the Annunciation and Visitation accounts (Lk 1:28-45).
______________________
Today is a Holy Day of Obligation, The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.
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| December 7 Jochebed |
| 12.07.03 (7:43 am) [edit] |
Jochebed, the mother of Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, is considered as a "Mother of Israel" in the Jewish tradition...
...To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Mary is the mother of Jesus who is the Messiah and Savior in Christian belief. She gives birth to Jesus miraculously and together with her husband Joseph protects him from the murderous hands of Herod.
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| December 6 Deborah |
| 12.06.03 (7:02 am) [edit] |
There are two Deborahs mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, the nurse of Rebekah who is buried near Bethel (Gn 35) and the prophetess Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth (Jg 4:4-5:31)...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Mary does not enter into the realm of judging and prophesying nor is she a leader in time of war. She does display a similar gift of practical wisdom and in her Magnificat Canticle sings of the power of God over Israel's enemies. Mary compares with Jael in sharing a similar macarism: "Blessed art thou among women."
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| December 5 Leah |
| 12.05.03 (8:48 am) [edit] |
Leah is an important mother of the Israelites...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Mary gives birth to Jesus who is a descendent of Judah (a son of Leah). Mary likewise is faithful to her family throughout the hidden years and in the public life of Jesus. Her presence in John's Gospel at the foot of the Cross attests to her compassion, her suffering, and her love.
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| December 4 Rachel |
| 12.04.03 (8:14 am) [edit] |
It is from Rachel that the most genuine of the Israelite tribes issue, hence she is a woman of Israel par excellence since she is the mother of Joseph and Benjamin by Jacob. "The story of Rachel is a story of unparalleled love and devotion in the biblical narrative."[See: Anchor Bible, vol 5, 605.]...
To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Rachel gains God's ear because she speaks of love and of family relationships. There is a healing of blood relationships because she not only speaks of love but has lived out of love and experienced it throughout her life. "Rachel's message to God is to relate to Israel with the love that comes from within the family, the holy family" [Neusner's words].
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| December 3 Rebekah |
| 12.03.03 (9:23 am) [edit] |
Rebekah is the second matriarch of Israel. She is described in Genesis 24:16: "The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, untouched by man." Her story is the conclusion of the Abraham saga...
...To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Rebekah is a virgin at the time of her marriage to Isaac. Her single-mindedness, fidelity, and love of predilection for Jacob are qualities that perdure in the narratives about her. She is creative in her manner of helping Jacob to steal the blessing of the firstborn from Isaac (Gn 22:23; 24; 26:6-11; 27). Mary is a virgin in the accounts of Matthew (1:16; 18-25) and Luke (1:26-38). Her blessedness is extolled by Elizabeth (Lk 1:45). Her single-mindedness is seen in the events which relate her to her son Jesus on almost every occasion in which she is mentioned in the New Testament.
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| December 2 Sarah |
| 12.02.03 (11:17 am) [edit] |
God's loving-kindness for humanity continues with the call of Abram and extends throughout the two testaments in the vocation stories of the followers of Abraham and Sarah...
...To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Mary has Sarah's trait of generous hospitality seen in her visit to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-45). Mary is also blessed by God with a son despite the problem of her status as a virgin. She also is a model in faith seen throughout her whole life in the few events recorded about her in the New Testament.
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| December 1 Eve: First Mother of All the Living |
| 12.01.03 (10:24 pm) [edit] |
Eve's name in Hebrew means "life." She is called Chavvah (in the Septuagint, Eva; in the Vulgate, Heva) because she is the mother of all the living (Gn 3:20). Her initial appearance in the Hebrew Scriptures is one of beauty, goodness, wisdom, and life. ...
...To Continue Reading, please visit http://www.udayton.edu/mary/m...
...Jesus' words on the cross, "There is your mother" (Jn 19:27), may point to the popular etymological explanation of Eve's name in Genesis 3:20: "The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living." Just as the Church is "the Jerusalem above ... our mother" (Gal 4:26), so also is Mary the mother of believers, who, at the cross, were concretely present in the person "of the disciple whom Jesus loved."
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