Saturday, December 7, 2013

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 180

The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left.




The Hebrew prophets would have been astonished to hear of our "spiritual" interpretations of their writing. When Isaiah says "with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher" he is not speaking symbolically or metaphorically. His intention in entirely literal. 

The Church rejoices in that rock of our faith, the actual appearance among us of the Teacher and Lord. He is one of our neighbors, and one of our own children. He lived among us and we saw his glory
Seasonal collects may be used to conclude
the Intercessions

We hear as clearly the voice of our Church -- usually in the form of our immediate family, friends and fellow parishioners -- saying, "This is the way; walk in it!" 

During this Season of Advent, as we approach Christmas, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ in our world. Though he lived and died among us in the flesh many centuries ago, his appearance is just as real as history, which is as deep and irremovable as our genetic code. It does not permit us to ignore it. We cannot pretend it never happened or is unimportant. 

Rather we thank God that He has kept his promise. With our eyes we have seen our Savior.

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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.

Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.

I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.

You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.