December 17
Then the Creator of all things gave me (Wisdom) a commandment, and the one who created me assigned a place for my tent. And he said, “Make your dwelling in Jacob and in Israel receive your inheritance.” From eternity, in the beginning He created me, and for eternity I shall not cease to exist. In the holy tabernacle I ministered before Him, and so I was established in Zion. In the beloved city likewise He gave me a resting place, and in Jerusalem was my dominion, so I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the Lord, who is their inheritance. Sirach 24:8-12
The Old Testament, which many imagine to be the revelation of a terrifying God, is full of the gentleness of His approach. He comes as a “still small voice”; He covers His face, lest it should wither away the light of man’s eyes by its majesty. He is compared to the coming of morning light and to rain falling upon the thirsty earth: “We shall know and we shall follow on that we may know the Lord. His going forth is prepared as the morning light, and He will come to us as the early and the latter rain to the earth...” (Hosea 6:3) Caryll Houselander
HYMN
O Come thou Wisdom from on high,
and order all things far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show and cause us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
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.
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
My Christ, come quickly
and order my life according to the pattern of your own.
Replace the chaos which threatens to submerge me
with the holy calm that is the fruit of prayer
and the deep and quiet joy that is the harvest of obedience.
Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.
