Daily Bible Readings Tuesday December 23 2008 Fourth Week of Advent

December 23 2008 Tuesday Fourth Week of Advent
Saint of the Day – St. John of Kanty

About the sources used. The readings and commentary on this site are mainly from the Haydock Bible according to the daily Lectionary readings for the American Roman Catholic Church. The Haydock Bible contains traditional Catholic commentary and is free from copyright. Due to verse numbering differences and pastoral deletions in the actual Lectionary, these readings may at times vary from the actual readings.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/122308.shtml

Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold, he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts. And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller’s herb: And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice. And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years.

Responsorial Psalm 24:4-5ab, 8-10 and 14 (Ps 25 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Let all them be confounded
that act unjust things without cause.
Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me,
and teach me thy paths.
Direct me in thy truth, and teach me;
for thou art God my Saviour;
The Lord is sweet and righteous:
therefore he will give a law
to sinners in the way.
He will guide the mild in judgment:
he will teach the meek his ways.
All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth,
to them that seek after his covenant
and his testimonies.
The Lord is a firmament to them that fear him:
and his covenant shall be made manifest to them.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 1:57-66
Haydock New Testament

Now Elizabeth’s full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and kinsfolks heard that the Lord had shewed his great mercy towards her, and they congratulated with her. And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him by his father’s name, Zachary. And his mother answering, said:

Not so, but he shall be called John.

And they said to her:

There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And demanding a tablet, he wrote, saying:

John is his name.

And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their neighbours: and all these words were divulged over all the mountainous country of Judea. And all they who had heard them, laid them up in their heart, saying:

What a one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.

Haydock Commentary Malachi 3: 1-4, 23-24
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 1. My angel, viz. John the Baptist, the messenger of God, and forerunner of Christ. Ch. — His purity and office procure him this title. W. — Afterwards Christ himself shall come, for the ruin and for the resurrection of many. Lu. ii. 34. Hence threats and promises are intermixed. The evangelists read his face, making the Father speak, whereas the Son is introduced by the prophet, who however presently changes the person. It is all the same which person of the blessed Trinity speaks, as all act together. C. — Testament. The Messias, the mediator of the covenant with mankind, (W.) with Abraham, and Moses. The latter calls him the prophet; (Deut. xviii. 18.) and Zacharias, alluding to this text, explains angel in the same sense. Lu. i. 76. — Temple. The ancient Jews were convinced that the Messias would come to the temple of Zorobabel, and be its chief glory. Agg. ii. 8. C. — Their descendants put off the coming for some long time, though the prophet says presently, or on a sudden. S. Jer. Basnage vi. 26. — Some take this temple to be the womb of the bless Virgin. S. Cyr. S. Aug. de Civ. Dei. xviii. 35. C. — The Baptist was conceived, born, and preached first; and shortly after Christ appeared. W.
• Ver. 2. Coming. This may be explained of the Baptist, (Lu. iii. 7.) or of the second coming of Christ; though his first coming shewed the hypocrisy of the Jews. They would not acknowledge him, but sought his death, and brought on their own condemnation. C. — Fuller’s. Sept. “washers’ herb.” Borith is found in all the low places of Palestine, (S. Jer.) and probably denotes soda, (Jer. ii. 22. C.) or fullers’ earth. H. — Christ purified the religion of the Jews, or did what was requisite for that purpose. The people would not obey. Yet he established his Church in all purity.
• Ver. 3. Justice. This is spoken of the Christian priesthood, which far excels that of Levi, Heb. v. and vii. &c. C. — Many Jewish priests embraced the gospel. Acts vi. 7. H.
• Ver. 4. Years. So in the mass we beg that God would receive the sacrifice, “as he received the presents of Abel.” M.

Haydock Commentary Luke 1:57-66

• Ver. 63. As then in circumcision, so now in baptism, names are given. And as we see here, and is all the Old Testament, great respect was had of names, so must we be aware of profane and secular names, and rather, according to the catechism of the council of Trent, take names of saints and holy persons, which may put us in mind of their virtues. De Bap. in fine.

Catena Aurea Luke 1:57-66
From Catechetics Online

• AMBROSE; If you carefully observe, you will find that the word signifying fullness is no where used except at the birth of the righteous. Hence it is said, Now Elisabeth’s full time came. For the life of the righteous has fullness, but the days of the wicked are empty.
• CHRYS. And for that reason the Lord kept back the delivery of Elisabeth, that her joy might be increased, and her fame the greater. Hence it follows, And her neighbors and cousins heard, &c. For they who had known her barrenness were made the witnesses of the Divine grace, and no one seeing the child departed in silence, but gave praise to God, Who had vouchsafed him beyond their expectation.
• AMBROSE; For the bringing forth of saints causes the rejoicing of many; it is a common blessing; for justice is a public virtue, and therefore at the birth of a just man a sign of hi future life is sent beforehand and, the grace of the virtue which is to follow is represented, being foreshadowed by the rejoicing of the neighbors.
• CHRYS. The rite of circumcision was first delivered to Abraham as a sign of distinction, that the race of the Patriarch might be preserved in unmixed purity, and so might be able to obtain the promises. But now that the promise of the covenant is fulfilled, the sign attached to it is removed. So then through Christ circumcision ceased, and baptism came in its place; but first it was right that John should be circumcised; as it is said, And it came to pass, that on the eighth day, &c. For the Lord had said, Let the child of eight days be circumcised among you. But this measurement of time I conceive was ordered by Divine mercy for two reasons. First, because in its most tender years the child the more easily bears the cutting of the flesh. Secondly, that from the very operation itself we might be reminded that it was done for a sign; for the young child scarcely distinguishes any of the things that are around him. But after the circumcision, the name was conferred, as it follows, And they called him. But this was done because we must first receive the seal of the Lord, then the name of man. Or, because no man except he first cast aside his fleshly lusts, which circumcision signifies, is worthy to have his name written in the book of life.
• AMBROSE; The holy Evangelist has especially remarked, that many thought the child should be called after his father Zacharias, in order that we might understand, not that any name of his kinsfolk was displeasing to his mother, but that the same word had been communicated to her by the Holy Spirit, which had been foretold by the Angel to Zacharias. And in truth, being dumb, Zacharias was unable to mention his son’s name to his wife, but Elisabeth obtained by prophecy what she had not learnt from her husband. Hence it follows, And she answered, &c. Marvel not that the woman pronounced the name which she had never heard, seeing the Holy Spirit who imparted it to the Angel revealed it to her; nor could she be ignorant of the forerunner of the Lord, who had prophesied of Christ. And it well follows, And they said to her, &c. that you might consider that the name belongs not to the family, but to the Prophet. Zacharias also is questioned, and signs made to him, as it follows, And they made signs to the father, &c. But since unbelief had so bereft him of utterance and hearing, that he could not use his voice, he spoke by his hand-writing, as it follows, And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John; that is, we give no name to him who has received his name from God.
• ORIGEN; Zacharias is by interpretation “remembering God,” but John signifies “pointing to.” Now “memory” relates to something absent, “pointing to,” to something present. But John was not about to set forth the memory of God as absent, but with his finger to point him out as present, saying, Behold the Lamb of God.
• CHRYS. But the name John is also interpreted the grace of God. Because then by the favor of Divine grace not by nature, Elisabeth conceived this son, they engraved the memory of the benefit on the name of the child.
• THEOPHYL. And because with the mother the dumb father also agreed as to the name of the child, it follows, And they all marveled. For there was no one of this name among their kinsfolk that any one could say that they had both previously determined upon it.
• GREG. NAZ. The birth of John then broke the silence of Zacharias, as it follows, And his mouth was opened. For it were unreasonable when the voice of the Word had come forth, that his father should remain speechless.
• AMBROSE; Rightly also, from that moment was his tongue loosed for that which unbelief had bound, faith set free. Let us then also believe, in order that our tongue, which has been bound by the chains of unbelief, may be loosed by the voice of reason. Let us write mysteries by the Spirit if we wish to speak. Let us write the forerunner of Christ, not on tables of stone, but on the fleshly tablets of the heart. For he who names John, prophesies Christ. For he who names John prophesies Christ. For it follows, And he spoke, giving thanks.
• THEOPHYL; Now in an allegory, the celebration of John’s birth was the beginning of the grace of the New Covenant. His neighbors and kinsfolk had rather give him the name of his father than that of John. For the Jews, who by the observance of the Law were united to him as it were by ties of kindred, chose rather to follow the righteousness which is the Law, than receive the grace of faith. But the name of John, (i.e. the grace of God,) his mother in word, his father in writing, suffice to announce, for both the Law itself as well as the Psalms and the Prophecies, in the plainest language foretell the grace of Christ; and that ancient priesthood, by the foreshadowing of its ceremonies and sacrifices, bears testimony to the same. And well does Zacharias speak on the eighth day of the birth of his child, for by the resurrection of the Lord, which took place on the eighth day, i.e. the day after the sabbath, the hidden secrets of the legal priesthood were revealed.
• THEOPHYL. AS at the silence of Zacharias the people marveled, so likewise when he spoke. Hence it is said, And fear came upon all; that from these two circumstances all might believe there was something great in the child that was born. But all these things were ordained, to the end that he who was to bear witness of Christ might also be esteemed trustworthy. Hence it follows, And all they that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying What manner of child, &c.
• THEOPHYL; For fore-running signs prepare the way for the forerunner of the truth, and the future prophet is recommended by auspices sent before him; hence it follows, For the hand of the Lord was with him.
• GREEK EX. For God worked miracles in John which he did not himself, but the right hand of God in him.
• GLOSS. But mystically, at the time of our Lord’s resurrection, by the preaching of the grace of Christ, a wholesome dread shook the hearts not only of the Jews, (who were neighbors, either from the place of their dwelling, or from the knowledge of the law,) but of the foreign nations also. The name of Christ surmounts not only the hilly country of Judea, but all the heights of worldly dominion and wisdom.