Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
(Psalm 33:20-21)
Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste … When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:39, 41-43)
Piety
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death. (O Antiphons)
Study
Our soul waits for the Lord. Elizabeth named Jesus “Lord” before his birth, proclaimed to her by the leaping joy of her own unborn baby John. Here are two ordinary (enough) Jewish women experiencing great changes, not all of them comfortable yet trusting, hoping, exulting in God who touched and filled their souls in new ways. Mary was probably sore after a long donkey ride. Elizabeth, an older first-time mother, most likely was exhausted, wishing she could stay off her swollen feet. Yet what a tender and blessed meeting in Elizabeth’s home and also within the eternal truth of God-breaking-into-history.
The O Antiphons, drawn from the poetry of Isaiah, create images that form an escort of honor approaching the Birth of Jesus. They proceed from “Wisdom” toward our ancestral, theological roots in “Jesse” and “David”. Today’s “O Radiant Dawn” reminds us of the illuminating love God has for us. The image of the vulnerable baby, born in a dirty (probably dark) stable reminds us that He comes to us again and again in the innocent, enlightening power of love.
Action
Reflect and absorb the beautiful music of today’s O Antiphon and consider where God is illuminating your life with eternal light and sunshine of justice. Where are the shadows of darkness within yourself that obscure God’s love for you? How might you become vulnerable and let God’s radiant love sweep clean for the birth of Joy?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y7h4zO7nTM James MacMillan (1959): "O Radiant Dawn" Ensemble InContrà conductor: Roberto Brisotto 14/6/2015 Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta Bibione (VE) ITALY
Illustration:
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