Thursday December 23rd: Neighbours and relatives …. shared her joy.
December 23, 2021
Saturday December 25th: This baby is Emmanuel-God with us!
December 25, 2021
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; He has visited His people and redeemed them.”
Luke 1:67-79
Today’s gospel is the Benedictus which we pray during morning prayer every day. Benedictus means ‘to bless or praise’. It was Zechariah’s hymn praising God at the birth of his son John the Baptist.
The Benedictus praises God because He has visited His people with the long-awaited gift of salvation which He promised through the prophets of old. The hymn praises God because He has not forgotten His people. It sings of John the Baptist who prepared the way for the Messiah. The Benedictus thanks God that He has shown compassion and guides His people into the way of peace.
The Benedictus is as relevant today as it was for Zechariah and the Israelites long ago. Today, every time we sing the Benedictus, we are praising God because He continues to show us compassion and He still guides us into the way of peace and leads us into salvation. Praying the Benedictus is a beautiful way to bless God every day.
