The Catholic Calendar for Monday, December 20, 2004
Monday of Fourth Week of Advent

Scripture from Today's Liturgy of the Word:
Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 24:1-6
Luke 1:26-38

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

The Throne of David

Jesus came into the world full of promise. His birth was a wondrous mystery. An angel of the Lord appeared to Mary to announce his birth and foretell his greatness. The angel appeared to Joseph too, to assure him that the child was conceived not in sin and infidelity, but by grace and the Spirit. All of this filled them with fear and hope. The child was destined for greatness. He was the Messiah! They would not have believed it had they not heard it from an angel.

Many years later he would appear as a teacher and wonder-worker, and he would raise the hopes of all who saw and heard him. Was this the one they were waiting for, the Messiah who would ascend the long-disgraced throne of David and restore this people to greatness? They had never seen anyone like him, so they were filled with hope.

In the end all the hopes and expectation that surrounded him led not to a triumphal return to David's throne, but to the cross. And Jesus on the cross looked in every way like a defeat.

But faith assures us that the wood of the cross is more precious than any worldly throne, and the ascent to the cross is not a defeat but a glorious victory. By dying on the cross, Jesus did in fact restore the fortunes of his people, though they did not see it that way. He ascended the throne, not of a worldly domain, but of the eternal domain of heaven.

Because we are called to follow Jesus on the way of the cross, our life of faith appears to the world to be a defeat, just as the cross was. When we give our pledge of allegiance to our eternal Lord and King, we no longer belong to this world. We no longer seek worldly things - possessions, prestige, power. Instead we set our hearts on the kingdom of heaven. We place our hope in the true Son of David, whose reign will be forever.

O Come,
Key of David,
Opening the gates of God's eternal kingdom,
Free the prisoners of darkness!

- John Gedbaw
(http://www.grainofwheat.net)

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posted by joachim at 4:45 AM