Three Days Till Christmas – O Rex Gentium

December 22, 2024 – The 4th Sunday of Advent – O Rex Gentium (O King of the Peoples) Following are excerpts from and links to the Mass Readings for the day.

Micah 5:1-4 – The promise of Bethlehem. “But you, O Bethlehem o Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 3  Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.

Psalm 80 – “Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see; take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted, the son of man whom you yourself made strong.”

Hebrews 10:5-10 – Jesus explained the truth. “5 Consequently, when Christ[a] came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7  Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’

Luke 1:39-45 – The Visitation. “In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb.”

Prayer ?

An excellent source for Mass Readings and commentary about them.

Four Days Till Christmas – O Oriens

December 21, 2024 – Saturday, Four Days Before Christmas – O Oriens (O Rising Sun and various other English translations.) Following are excerpts from and links to the Mass Readings for the day.

Song of Solomon 2:8-14 – A hint of God’s love for us. “10 My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; 11 for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.13 The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.”

Psalm 33 – “Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, For in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust.”

Luke 1:39-45 – The Visitation. “41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

Five Days Till Christmas – O Clavis David

Friday December 20, 2024 – Friday, Five Days Before Christmas – O Clavis David (Key of David – click on the link to hear it sung.) – Following are excerpts from and links to the Mass Readings for today.

Isaiah 7:10-14 – “14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman (the virgin in Greek translation) is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. (A prophecy from 736 BC)

Psalm 24 – “Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.”

Luke 1:26-38 – The Annunciation –  30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.

Six Days till Christmas – O Radix Jesse

December 19, 2024 – Thursday, Six Days Before Christmas – O Radix Jesse (Stock of Jesse) Excerpts from and links to Mass readings for the day follow.

Judges 13:2-25 – The promise of Samson. “2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, having borne no children. 3 And the angel of the Lordappeared to the woman and said to her, “Although you are barren, having borne no children, you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, or to eat anything unclean, 5 for you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor is to come on his head, for the boy shall be a nazirite[a] to God from birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

Psalm 71 – “For you are my hope, O LORD; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength.

Luke 1:5-25 – Promise of John to Zechariah and Elizabeth. “Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Prayer?

Seven Days Till Christmas – O Adonai!

December 18, 2024 – Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Advent – O Adonai! (O Soverignty), the second of seven Advent Antiphones. Mass Readings for the day follow.

Jeremiah 23:5-8 – “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security.”

Psalm 72 – “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous deeds. And blessed forever be his glorious name; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.”

Matthew 1:18-25 – The birth of Jesus. “18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

Prayer?

Eight Days Till Christmas – O Sapientia

December 17, 2024 – Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Advent – O Sapientia (O Wisdom), the first of seven Advent antiphons. Mass reading selections and links to the total reading follow.

Genesis 49:2-10 – The choice of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was called Israel. “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion, like a lioness—who dares rouse him up? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him;[b] and the obedience of the peoples is his. (The Kingdom of Judah)

Psalm 72 – “O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son; He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.”

Matthew 1:1-17 – The genealogy of Jesus, beginning with Abraham, according to Matthew. “17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah,[h] fourteen generations.” (Jesus adopted into Joseph’s line of David.)

Prayer – ?

Bible Punch Lines

Bible verses read without pertinent context may be misleading. Sometimes, important verses are at the end of a passage and might be surprising, like a punch to the nose, not making us laugh like a punch line to a joke, but hitting us with simple statements of theological truth! Consider these two verses:

Bible Punch Lines

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13

Matthew 6:25-44

The Matthew 6 verse is spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” seems to be the theme of the pertinent pericope, Matthew 6:25-44. We are told not to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear or how long we shall live. The birds of the air and the lilies of the field do not have such worries and neither should we! We are told that our heavenly father knows we need these things.

And then comes that punch line: But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

Luke 11:1-13

The Luke 11 verse begins with Jesus finishing a time of prayer and one of his disciples asking him to teach them to pray. The Our Father follows, and then Jesus tells of a man who is asking a friend for bread at an inconvenient time. The friend resists. Jesus says that persistence will pay off. At this point, persistence in praying for whatever we want or need, even something as simple as a loaf of bread, seems to be the theme of the pertinent pericope, Luke 11:1-13.

But then Jesus says something puzzling: “Ask, and it will be given you…for everyone who asks receives.” We can be tempted at this point to substitute whatever it is we want for that little two-word pronoun, it. But then comes the punch line which includes the proper reference for that pronoun.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13

Deeper Meanings/Lessons

One way to see the meaning of these lessons is that, if we truly seek first the “Kingdom of God and his righteousness,” we will be completely satisfied with whatever food and clothing we have and whatever life span we are given and will not be worrying about getting more of those earthly things. And if we sincerely ask God for the “Holy Spirit,” the single most important thing he wants to give us. he will give it to us.

We just need to be careful what we seek and what we pray for! And, when reading the Bible, we need to be careful about where to start and stop!

Closing Comment

As usual, one layman’s understanding and opinions. Comments, corrections, and questions are welcomed.

Herod, Herod, Herod, Herod, Herod, and Herod

Yes, there are six Herods in the New Testament. I’m not sure that has any theological significance, but does have some historical significance with respect to getting things in the right order and understanding who did what. And it may have some value in trivia game competition and crossword puzzle solving.

I started out to do some research on the subject with the goal of providing clear and simple explanations of these six characters. My search led to “The Good Book Blog,” The Talbot School of Theology Faculty Blog, and an article by Kenneth Berding, Professor of New Testament at that School.

His explanation was so clear and entertaining and short, with some humor, that it seemed the only fair thing to do was to share it. So here it is. Enjoy!

How Many Herods Are There in the Bible?
Kenneth Berding — 

Three Christian Evangelists

Fulton John Sheen (1895-1979) was a renowned theologian and Catholic Bishop who became famous through radio and television exposure from 1930 to 1968. Life is Worth Living was on television in the 1950’s, and The Fulton Sheen Program in the 1960’s. Bishop Sheen taught theology, emphasizing the common ground all Christian faiths share. His programs are still available on television on EWTN. I never watched the originals in the 1950’s and 1960’s but have enjoyed lots of the reruns on EWTN. He was a blessed and talented lecturer.

William Franklin Graham, Jr. (1918 – 2018) was known as Dr. Billy Graham. He was a Baptist evangelist who became famous around the world because of preaching to large crowds and broadcasting his sermons. Hour of Decision was his radio show. He preached to more than 200 million people in more than 185 countries. Graham’s focus was on inviting people to accept Jesus as their personal savior and to then connect with a local church for Christian education and service. He developed ties with Catholic leaders and encouraged unification of Catholics and Protestants. He was famous also for strongly opposing racial segregation when it was still well established. I was always a Billy Graham fan but attended only one of his preaching events. It was at the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium.

Robert Emmet Barron  (1959 – ) is a renowned theologian and Catholic Bishop who has become famous through his television news appearances, social media presence, public speeches, and his YouTube channel which has more than a million subscribers. Bishop Barron is the founder of Word on Fire which has the objective of evangelization, drawing people into the Christian Church, using Catholic history, art, architecture, philosophy, and theology to appeal broadly to interested folks. Bishop Barron is willing to record and publish theology discussions with just about anybody or any group, being faithful to Catholic theology while seeking common ground. I am a fan and am amazed at the depth of his theology and church history and his ability to be understood.

We should all thank God for Bishops Sheen and Barron and Dr. Billy Graham, who have been leading Christian evangelists of the last 100 years.

A Current Opportunity

Ten years ago, then Father Barron produced a ten episode course on Catholic theology. It is called Catholicism, and information about it and a free episode are here. For this month of September 2024, in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the course, all ten episodes are available free. The information is presented with visits to many important historical Christian locations and churches, understandable theological discussions, and information about early Church leaders and theologians. Protestants will learn about Catholic fundamentals that were rejected in the Reformation and will get a sound theological explanation of the great bulk of theology that is still common to Protestants and Catholics. I am currently enjoying an episode each evening and believe I would have enjoyed it even during my 32 Baptist, 16 Presbyterian, and 20 Lutheran years. It might help some Protestants better understand why some relatives have become Catholic. And it will be an excellent refresher of the basics for any Catholic. Certainly the many regrettable splits in the Christian Church have complicated the evangelism for which we are responsible, and better understanding of each other leading to more cooperation and less mutual criticism would help move us in the direction Dr. Billy Graham favored.

To read about it and get your free pass, go HERE.

 

 

 

Abortion – The Fundamental Problem

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; – Matthew 5:21-22 NRSV

 

In the United States, murder is illegal and subject to severe punishment, but there are still about 25,000 homicides per year, almost three per hour. About half of those murders go unsolved, the killers unidentified and unpunished. We don’t have a measure of how much unsatisfied murder-motivating anger there is.

 

Abortion legality is mixed and currently left to the states to regulate. About 190 Million people (57% of the population) live in states with no abortion restrictions. About 65 Million people (20%) live in states with gestational restrictions. About 80 Million people (23%) live in states that have banned most abortions.  Under these circumstances, abortion is quite common in the USA, about 25 abortions for each reported homicide or more than 600,000 per year.

 

Tagging abortion as murder is inflammatory and pretty much shuts down rational discussion of the issue but could it be possible to at least get general agreement that abortion is termination of human life at an early stage of development? If so, surely we could get general agreement that such action is at least regrettable since no one knows what those undeveloped unique humans might have contributed or accomplished or what kind of friends or parents or teachers or leaders or inventors they might have become.

 

Anti-abortion efforts are typically aimed at getting restrictive laws passed, blocking access to abortion clinics, and praying for an end to abortion. Are prayers for an end to abortion prayed with faith or in desperation or just with a sense of obligation? If such prayers were considered answered with total outlawing of abortion, would there still be abortions just like before abortions were legalized by Roe vs. Wade in 1973. Yes, of course there would still be abortions.

 

Perhaps, considering the current situation and Matthew 5:21-22, focus should be not on reducing abortions, but on reducing the desire for abortion. If there were no desire for abortion, abortions would be rare, only for serious medical reasons.

 

So, imagine a culture in which there is no desire for abortion. Family structure is strong with generations linked and loving and caring for each other. Every child conceived is conceived by a man and woman who would welcome a child. Family formation is a priority, valued over such as travel and wealth accumulation. The economy is strong and self-supporting, providing meaningful jobs of obvious value for all women and men who can and want to work. Education, even at the high school level, is aimed at preparing girls and boys to be productive, qualified for available jobs. Medical expenses are all covered by universal insurance. There is a network of loving homes available for children whose birth parents are unable or unavailable to serve. And even the most destitute, those ill or handicapped or unable to work, are supported at a reasonable level instead of just being kept barely alive with a few hundred dollars a month of food stamps or social security. There would be little or no desire for abortion in such a culture.

 

Maybe we should be demanding government support and development of that loving culture instead of government outlawing of abortion.