From: Luke 1:67-79
The Benedictus
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
67. Zechariah, who was a righteous man (cf. v. 6), received the special grace of
prophecy when his son was born—a gift which led him to pronounce his canticle,
called the “Benedictus”, a prayer so full of faith, reverence and piety that the
Church has laid it down to be said daily in the Liturgy of the Hours. Prophecy
has not only to do with foretelling future events; it also means being moved by
the Holy Spirit to praise God. Both aspects of prophecy are to be found in the
“Benedictus”.
68- 79. Two parts can be discerned in the “Benedictus”: in the first (vv. 68-75)
Zechariah thanks God for sending the Messiah, the Savior, as he promised the
patriarchs and prophets of Israel.
In the second (vv. 76-79) he prophesies that his son will have the mission of
being herald of the Most High and precursor of the Messiah, proclaiming God’s
mercy which reveals itself in the coming of Christ.
72-75. Again and again God promised the patriarchs of the Old Testament that
he would take special care of Israel, giving them a land which they would enjoy
undisturbed and many descendants in whom all the peoples of the earth would
be blessed. This promise he ratified by means of a covenant or alliance, of the
kind commonly made between kings and their vassals in the Near East. God,
as Lord, would protect the patriarchs and their descendants, and these would
prove their attachment to him by offering him certain sacrifices and by doing
him service. See, for example, Genesis 12:13; 17:1-8; 22:16-18 (God’s promise,
covenant and pledge to Abraham); and Genesis 5:11-12 (where he repeats these
promises to Jacob). Zechariah realizes that the events resulting from the birth of
John his son, the Precursor of the Messiah; constitute complete fulfillment of
these divine purposes.
78-79. The “dawning”, the “dayspring”, is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, coming
down from heaven to shed his light upon us: “the son of righteousness shall rise,
with healing on its wings” (Mal 4:2). Already in the Old Testament we were told
about the glory of the Lord, the reflection of his presence—something intimately
connected with light. For example, when Moses returned to the encampment
after talking with God, his face so shone that the Israelites “were afraid to come
near him” (Ex 34:30). St John is making the same reference when he says that
“God is light and in him there is no darkness” (1 Jn 1:5) and that there will be no
light in heaven “for the glory of God is its light” (cf. Rev 21:23; 22:5).
The angels (cf. Rev 1:11) and the saints (cf. Wis 3:7; Dan 2:3) partake of this
divine splendor; our Lady does so in a special way. As a symbol of the Church
she is revealed to us in the Apocalypse as “clothed with the sun, with the moon
under her feel, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (12:1).
Even when we live in this world, this divine light reaches us through Jesus Christ
who, because he is God, is “the true light that enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9), as
Christ himself tells us: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not
walk in darkness” (Jn 8:12).
Such is Christians’ share in this light of God that Jesus tells us: “You are the
light of the world” (Mt 5:14). Therefore, we must live as children of the light (cf.
Lk 16:8), whose fruit takes the form of “all that is good and right and true” (Eph
5:9); our lives should shine out, thereby helping people to know God and give
him glory (cf. Mt 5:16).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
| First reading | 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16 © |
|---|---|
| Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’ |
|
| Psalm or canticle: Psalm 88:2-5,27,29 |
| Gospel | Luke 1:67-79 © |
|---|---|
| John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue and he has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David, even as he proclaimed, by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times, that he would save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us. Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors, thus he remembers his holy covenant the oath he swore to our father Abraham that he would grant us, free from fear, to be delivered from the hands of our enemies, to serve him in holiness and virtue in his presence, all our days. And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins; this by the tender mercy of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ |
|