Wednesday, December 24, 2014

WAY Christmas Novena - Day 9

December 24

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a colt, the foal of an ass... because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your captives free from the waterless pit.  Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double... Then the LORD will appear over them, and his arrow go forth like lightning... On that day the LORD their God will save them for they are the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.  Zechariah 9:9, 11-12, 14,16.

At Bethlehem Love and Death met in the Body of Christ, and Love prevailed.  Over and over again in every human life, love and death meet face to face.  No human power of splendour or strength; no material might or wealth can overcome death--the death of the soul.  But if the life in the soul is the tiniest spark of the life of Christ, love prevails and death is overcome in us.  Caryll Houselander


HYMN
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold him, born the King of Angels;
O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.


MAGNIFICAT
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.


PRAYER
Welcome, Infant Lord;
Gift of Life for languishing souls;
Healing Hope for all who despair;
Freedom for hearts held captive by lesser loves.
The door of my heart is open to receive you.
My hands are empty; my mind no longer labors in futility
to secure false claims of future comfort and success;
for You are here, and Everything has changed:
Pure Possibility descends, as benediction,
on all the ordinary places of my life.
My God and My All sleeps blissfully
in the arms of the Virgin.


Cause of our joy, pray for us.