SATURDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENTMASS IN THE MORNING, DECEMBER 24, 2022

MASS READINGS

A reading of the holy Gospel according to Lk 1:67-79

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. 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 to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

REFLECTION

"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 to guide our feet into the way of peace."

It is the day before Christmas. Merry Christmas to All! We have as our Gospel reading The Benedictus. The Benedictus or the Canticle of Zechariah is prayed daily in the Morning Prayer from the Divine Office or the Liturgy of the Hours. The Benedictus is Zechariah's hymn of praise and thanksgiving sung by Zechariah on the occasion of his son's circumcision and the naming him John the Baptist. He prophesies about the greatness of God and that his son, John the Baptist, is the forerunner who announced the coming of Jesus Christ.

The four canticles or song-prayers in Luke are the following: The Benedictus or the Song of Zechariah Luke 1:67-79, the Magnificat or the Canticle of Mary, Luke 1:46-55, and the Gloria of the Angels, Luke 2:14, and the Nunc Dimittis or Song of Simeon Luke 2: 29-32

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. He said this beautiful song-prayer on that auspicious day. PAPA has Top Secret I booklet, The Handbook of Joy, the Seven Secrets of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's song is the Song of Eternal Love. He sings to Himself and sings over you. He wants you to sing when you enter into His Presence, He wants you to sing to everyone but also to Him in person. Veni Sancte Spiritus! Sing from your heart! Open up your heart and sing to Him, with Him and in Him, sing together and with others. Sing with the Holy Spirit and He will cast out the evil spirits. Sing in battle.

And when you sing to the Holy Spirit, He will create an atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving, enhance your focus, dispel demonic influence, energize you to focus on your Creator, bless you, and He will conquer your enemies.

Zechariah needed nine months to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Lord set him on this road when he doubted and the Holy Spirit filled him with graces of joy and peace.

Remember:

Love is patient,

Love is kind,

It is not jealous,

Love is not pompous,

It is not inflated,

It is not rude,

It does not seek its own interests

It is not quick tempered,

It does not brood over injury,

It does not rejoice over wrongdoing

But rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things,

Believes all things,

Hopes all things,

Endures all things.

Most important of all,

Love never fails.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

God Bless You