Christmas Eve
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Year A
Reading 1: 2 Samuel 7: 1-5; 8-12; 14; 16
Responsorial Psalm: PS 89: 2-5; 27; 29
“For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord”
Gospel: Luke 1: 67-79
Luke 1: 69 – “He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, born of the house of His servant David”
Luke’s Gospel today includes the ‘Canticle of Zechariah’ – a speech given by Zechariah, the Father of John the Baptist, just after John was born and Zechariah had been freed from his inability to speak.
This prayer is especially precious to priests, religious, and all those who pray the liturgy of the hours on a daily basis. It sums up magnificently the whole history of salvation, putting Jesus and John in the context of the great story of Israel.
John has been born to be the last great prophet of the Old Testament. His role is to “prepare the way of the Lord”. John does his job magnificently and, then, after baptising Jesus, he recedes into the distance to allow the Lord to deliver his message and healing ministry to all.
On this holy night, commit yourself once again to our Lord Jesus Christ and may his presence bring you to complete joy.
Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, show us the Love of God.
With thanks to Holy Name of Mary Parish, Hunters Hill, who have supplied these daily Advent and Christmas 2019 reflections from their publication Daily Inspirations of Faith: A Season of Prayer – Advent to Epiphany 2019-20.
