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Saturday, December 4, 2021

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St. John of Damascus


Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Psalm 147:1-6
Matthew 9:35—10:1, 5-8

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after the messiah comes

“The reign of God is at hand.” —Matthew 10:7

Isaiah prophesied that after the Messiah comes:

  • “No more will you weep” (Is 30:19).
  • “As soon as He (God) hears He will answer you” (Is 30:19).
  • “The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst” (Is 30:20).
  • “A voice shall sound in your ears: ‘This is the way; walk in it’ ” (Is 30:21).
  • “He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground” (Is 30:23).
  • “The wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant” (Is 30:23).
  • “Upon every high mountain and lofty hill there will be streams of running water” (Is 30:25).
  • “The light of the moon will be like that of the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times greater” (Is 30:26).
  • The Lord will bind “up the wounds of His people” (Is 30:26).
  • He will give His Church the authority to “cure the sick, raise the dead, heal the leprous, expel demons” (Mt 10:8).

The Messiah has come and is coming anew this Christmas season. This Christmas, Christ will do “more than we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20). “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared” this Christmas “for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9). Raise your expectations. Christmas is not merely recalling Christ’s past coming but meeting Christ personally here and now. “O come, divine Messiah!”

Prayer:  Father, give me the faith to let You do all that You want.

Promise:  “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” —Ps 147:3

Praise:  St. John of Damascus had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. He was also an author and poet.

Reference:  

Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from December 01/2021 through January 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio May 5, 2021"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.