Daily Readings - Wed Dec 21 2022

First Reading - Zephaniah 3.14-18a or Song of Solomon 2.8-14

¹⁴Give praise, daughter of Zion. Shout joyfully, Israel. Rejoice and exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem¹⁵The Lord has taken away your judgment; he has turned aside your foes. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall no longer fear evil¹⁶In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, "Do not be afraid," and to Zion, "Do not let your hands be weakened.¹⁷The Lord your God is the strength in your midst; he will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. In his love, he will be silent. He will exult over you with praise¹⁸The triflers who withdrew from the law, I will gather together, because they were from you, so that you may no longer suffer disgrace over them

Song of Solomon

Chapter 2

⁸Bride to Chorus: The voice of my beloved! Behold, he arrives leaping along the mountains, jumping across the hills⁹My beloved is like a doe and like a young stag. Lo, he stands beyond our wall, gazing through the windows, watching through the lattices¹⁰Lo, my beloved speaks to me: Groom to Bride: Rise up, quickly, my love, my dove, my shapely one, and advance¹¹For winter has now past; the rain has decreased and gone away¹²The flowers have appeared in our land; the time for pruning has arrived. The voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land¹³The fig tree has brought forth its green figs; the flowering vines bestow their odor. Rise up, my love, my brilliant one, and advance¹⁴My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollows of the wall, reveal to me your face. Let your voice sound in my ears. For your voice is sweet, and your face is graceful

Luke

Chapter 1

³⁹And in those days, Mary, rising up, traveled quickly into the hill country, to a city of Judah⁴⁰And she entered into the house of Zechariah, and she greeted Elizabeth⁴¹And it happened that, as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit⁴²And she cried out with a loud voice and said: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb⁴³And how does this concern me, so that the mother of my Lord would come to me⁴⁴For behold, as the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy⁴⁵And blessed are you who believed, for the things that were spoken to you by the Lord shall be accomplished.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful expressions of joy and trust in God’s presence. The first reading from Zephaniah invites us to rejoice because the Lord is in our midst, bringing strength and salvation. This prophet, writing to a people in distress, reminds us that even in darkness, God’s presence is our light. The second reading, from Luke’s Gospel, captures the joyful encounter between Mary and Elizabeth, where the unborn John the Baptist leaps for joy at the presence of the Messiah carried by Mary. Elizabeth’s exclamation, “Blessed are you who believed,” highlights the fruit of faith and trust in God’s promises. These readings are connected by the theme of joy as a response to God’s presence and action in our lives. In Zephaniah, the people are called to rejoice because God has removed their judgment and fear. In Luke, Mary and Elizabeth’s joy flows from their faith in the miraculous work of God unfolding before them. Both passages remind us that God’s presence transforms fear into trust and despair into hope. In our daily lives, we are called to embody this same spirit of joy and trust. Like Mary, we are invited to carry Christ into the world, even in the ordinary and unexpected moments. Like Elizabeth, we are called to recognize the movements of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in others. Let us ask ourselves: Where is God present in my life today? How can I respond with joy and faith, even when the road ahead seems uncertain? May we, like the people of Zephaniah and the women in Luke’s Gospel, find strength in God’s presence and trust in His plan, allowing His joy to overflow in our hearts and actions.