December 21 & 22 Advent Scripture Readings: God Identifies Himself & Describes Himself In Christ Like Ways — Christ’s Salvation Reunites “All” Of Mankind Back To God

December 21 (Isaiah 48:12-21; 49:9b-13)

The Lord identifies Himself as the Creator of all, and He describes Himself in ways that Christ will be described.

Hearken to me, O Jacob, and thou Israel whom I call: I am he, I am the first, and I am the last. My hand also hath founded the earth, and my right hand hath measured the heavens: I shall call them, and they shall stand together.

Assemble yourselves together, all you, and hear: who among them hath declared these things? the Lord hath loved him, he will do his pleasure in Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.

I, even I have spoken and called him: I have brought him, and his way is made prosperous. Come ye near unto me, and hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning: from the time before it was done, I was there, and now the Lord God hath sent me, and his spirit.

Thus saith the Lord thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord thy God that teach thee profitable things, that govern thee in the way that thou walkest.

O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments: thy peace had been as a river, and thy justice as the waves of the sea, and thy seed had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof: his name should not have perished, nor have been destroyed from before my face.

Come forth out of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, declare it with the voice of joy: make this to be heard, and speak it out even to the ends of the earth. Say: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob. They thirsted not in the desert, when he led them out: he brought forth water out of the rock for them, and he clove the rock, and the waters gushed out.

They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in every plain. They shall not hunger, nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun strike them: for he that is merciful to them, shall be their shepherd, and at the fountains of waters he shall give them drink. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my paths shall be exalted.

Behold these shall come from afar, and behold these from the north and from the sea, and these from the south country.

Give praise, O ye heavens, and rejoice, O earth, ye mountains, give praise with jubilation: because the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy on his poor ones.

•Source: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition of the Bible (in the public domain)

December 22 (Isaiah 49:14-50:1)

Christ, through the plan of salvation, will reunite all mankind to God. In this reading for December 22, we see that our sins have separated us from Him, but the Lord does not forget those whom He has both created and chosen.

And Sion said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee in my hands: thy walls are always before my eyes. Thy builders are come: they that destroy thee and make thee waste shall go out of thee.

Lift up thy eyes round about, and see all these are gathered together, they are come to thee: I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt be clothed with all these se with an ornament, and as a bride thou shalt put them about thee. For thy deserts, and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction shall now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, end they that swallowed thee up shall be chased far away. The children of thy barrenness shall still say in thy ears: The place is too strait for me, make me room to dwell in. And thou shalt-say in thy heart: Who hath begotten these? I was barren and brought not forth, led away, and captive: and who hath brought up these? I was destitute and alone: and these, where were they?

Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and will set up my standard to the people. And they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and carry thy daughters upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and queens thy nurses: they shall worship thee with their face toward the earth, and they shall lick up the dust of thy feet. And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, for they shall not be confounded that wait for him. Shall the prey be taken from the strong? or can that which was taken by the mighty be delivered? For thus saith the Lord: Yea verily, even the captivity shall be taken away from the strong: and that which was taken by the mighty, shall be delivered. But I will judge those that have judged thee, and thy children I will save.

And I will feed thy enemies with their own flesh: and they shall be made drunk with their own blood, as with new wine: and all flesh shall know, that I am the Lord that save thee, and thy Redeemer the Mighty One of Jacob.

Thus saith the Lord: What is this bill of the divorce of your mother, with which I have put her away? or who is my creditor, to whom I sold you: behold you are sold for your iniquities, and for your wicked deeds have I put your mother away.

•Source: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition of the Bible (in the public domain)
Suggested Reading

The 19th & 20th Day Of December Advent Scripture Readings — Babylon Was Used To Punish Disbelief And Will Also Be Punished For Disbelief; More Prophecies Concerning The Coming Of Christ

GO HERE for the seventeenth and eighteenth day of December Advent scripture readings.

December 19 (Isaiah 47:1,b3-15)

The prophecies of Isaiah continue to point to the coming of Christ. In the reading for December 19, we discover the fate of Babylon, which represents those who have rejected the Lord. God used Babylon to punish the Israelites (the Babylonian captivity), but the Babylonians never came to worship Him. Now, as Christ comes and Israel is restored in the New Testament Church, Babylon will be punished for her unbelief.

Isaiah 47:1, 3b-15
Come down, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne for the daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called delicate and tender. I will take vengeance, and no man shall resist me. Our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms.

I was angry with my people, I have polluted my inheritance, and have given them into thy bend: thou hast shewn no mercy to them: upon the ancient thou hast laid thy yoke exceeding heavy. And thou hast said: I shall be a lady for ever: thou hast not laid these things to thy heart, neither hast thou remembered thy latter end.

And now hear these things, thou that art delicate, and dwellest confidently, that sayest in thy heart: I am, and there is none else besides me: I shall not sit as a widow, and I shall not know barrenness. These two things shall come upon thee suddenly in one day, barrenness and widowhood. All things are come upon thee, because of the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great hardness of thy enchanters. And thou best trusted in thy wickedness, and hast said: There is none that seeth me.

Thy wisdom, and thy knowledge, this hath deceived thee. And thou best said in thy heart: I am, and besides me there is no other. Evil shall come upon thee, and then shalt not know the rising thereof: and calamity shall fall violently upon thee, which thou canst not keep off: misery shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

Stand now with thy enchanters, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, in which thou hast laboured from thy youth, if so be it may profit thee any thing, or if thou mayst become stronger. Thou hast failed in the multitude or thy counsels: let now the astrologers stand and save thee, they that gazed at the stars, and counted the months, that from them they might tell the things that shall come to thee.

Behold they are as stubble, fire hath burnt them, they shall not deliver them- selves from the power of the dames: there are no coals wherewith they may be warmed, nor fire, that they may sit thereat. Such are all the things become to thee, in which thou best laboured: thy merchants from thy youth, every one hath erred in his own way, there is none that can save thee.

•Source: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition of the Bible (in the public domain)

December 20 (Isaiah 48:1-11)

In this passage from the Book of Isaiah for December 20, the Lord tells the people of Israel that His prophecies, announced in the past and already fulfilled, were to keep Israel from falling into the worship of idols. Now, the Lord will announce new prophecies—those concerning Christ—and the fact that they have not been heard before will be evidence of the power of God, once they are fulfilled.

Hear ye these things, O house of Jacob, you that are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Juda, you who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in justice. For they are called of the holy city, and are established upon the God of Israel: the Lord of hosts is his name.

The former things of old I have declared, and they went forth out of my mouth, and I have made them to be heard: I did them suddenly and they came to pass. For I knew that thou art stubborn, and thy neck is as an iron sinew, and thy forehead as brass. I foretold thee of old, before they came to pass I told thee, lest thou shouldst say: My idols have done these things, and my graven and molten things have commanded them. See now all the things which thou hast heard: but have you declared them?

I have shewn thee new things from that time, and things are kept which thou knowest not: They are created now, and not of old: and before the day, when thou heardest them not, lest thou shouldst say: Behold I knew them. Thou hast neither heard, nor known, neither was thy ear opened of old. For I know that transgressing thou wilt transgress, and I have called thee a transgressor from the womb.

For my name’s sake I will remove my wrath far off: and for my praise I will bridle thee, lest thou shouldst perish. Behold I have refined thee, but not as silver, I have chosen thee in the furnace of poverty. For my own sake, for my own sake will I do it, that I may not be blasphemed: and I will not give my glory to another.

•Source: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition of the Bible (in the public domain)

Advent Scripture Readings — December 17 To December 24 — Preparing The Way For The Lord — December 17 & 18 . . . Cyrus Protects The Israelites & The Israelites Constantly Turning From God In Favor Of Pagan Idolatry

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Its easy to get caught up in the convivial merriment of the Christmas season . . . the buying of gifts for those of whom are cherished; all the spectacular lights and decorations; special Christmas parties at work, friends and loved ones homes; the music and of course all the wonderful food. The good folks go out of their way to bake homemade cookies, fudge, and prepare meals with love as the main ingredient. I am exceedingly grateful for the one-of-a-kind Christmas Holidays of my youth that were provided for by people that genuinely cared for the season and cared for me. I am also grateful for having a wife that had similar special Christmas memories, and wanted to carry on the traditions year after year and make each Christmas a bit more special. I actually feel sorry for men that have wives that don’t have the love or skills to provide a Christmas Holiday Season for the ones they supposedly care about. Such empty, meaninglessly non-celebratory self centered lives are to be pitied.

Yes it is easy to get entirely too caught up in the secular, temporal dynamics of Christmas, and that is why The Roman Catholic Church (Christ’s one and only true church) from December 17 to December 24 dedicates a daily scripture reading through the Office of the Readings to key parts of the Book of Isaiah. During Advent, the Church turns to the Old Testament book of the Prophet Isaiah. There are many themes in Isaiah’s prophecy, but some of the most important are:

•The need for repentance
•Spiritual conversion
•The extension of salvation from Israel to all nations

My Advent Christmas Tree display has a trinket and a specific Isaiah Scripture inside every small box. Open the door to the December 17th box and find a trinket that represents a simple, harmless part of the secular, temporal Christmas and a reading of Isaiah 45: 1-13:

Thus saith the Lord to my anointed Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of, to subdue nations before his face, and to turn the backs of kings, and to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut.

I will go before thee, and will humble the great ones of the earth: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and will burst the bars of iron. And I will give thee hidden treasures, and the concealed riches of secret places: that thou mayest know that I am the Lord who call thee by thy name, the God of Israel.

For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have made a likeness of thee, and thou hast not known me. I am the Lord, and there is none else: there is no God, besides me: I girded thee, and thou hast not known me: That they may know who are from the rising of the sun, and they who are from the west, that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is none else: I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord that do all these things.

Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a saviour: and let justice spring up together: I the Lord have created him.

Woe to him that gainsayeth his maker, a sherd of the earthen pots: shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it: What art thou making, and thy work is without hands? Woe to him that saith to his father: Why begettest thou? and to the woman: Why dost thou bring forth?

Thus saith the Lord the Holy One of Israel, his maker: Ask me of things to come, concerning my children, and concerning the work of my hands give ye charge to me. I made the earth: and I created man upon it: my hand stretched forth the heavens, and I have commanded all their host. I have raised him up to justice, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and let go my captives, not for ransom, nor for presents, saith the Lord the God of hosts.

•Source: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition of the Bible (in the public domain)

The above was one of the greatest prophecies from the Book of Isaiah: Cyrus the Great, king of the Persians, whom God used as a protector of the Jews, even though Cyrus did not profess faith in Him. The works ascribed to Cyrus are those that are later performed by Christ.

More to come . . .

December 18 Advent Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 46:1-13

The Israelites were constantly tempted to abandon faith in God and to turn to idols instead. In this passage from the Book of Isaiah, the Lord reveals the futility of idols. He created us; He alone is our God; and He alone can save us. His plan of salvation will soon begin, with the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Bel is broken, Nebo is destroyed: their idols are put upon beasts and cattle, your burdens of heavy weight even unto weariness. They are consumed, and are broken together: they could not save him that carried them, and they themselves shall go into captivity.

Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who are carried by my bowels, are borne up by my womb. Even to your old age I am the same, and to your grey hairs I will carry you: I have made you, and I will bear: I will carry and will save. To whom have you likened me, and made me equal, and compared me, and made me like? You that contribute gold out of the bag, and weigh out silver in the scales: and hire a goldsmith to make a god: and they fall down and worship. They bear him on their shoulders and carry him, and set him in his piece, and he shall stand, and shall not stir out of his place. Yea, when they shall cry also unto him, he shall not hear: he shall not save them from tribulation.

Remember this, and be ashamed: return, ye transgressors, to the heart. Remember the former age, for I am God, and there is no God beside, neither is there the like to me: Who shew from the beginning the things that shall be at last, and from ancient times the things that as yet are not done, saying: My counsel shall stand, and all my will shall be done: Who call a bird from the east, and from a far country the man of my own will, and I have spoken, and will bring it to pass: I have created, and I will do it.

Hear me, O ye hardhearted, who are far from justice. I have brought my justice near, it shall not be afar off: and my salvation shall not tarry. I will give salvation in Sion, and my glory in Israel.

•Source: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition of the Bible (in the public domain)

***1/14/2010 Christmas Photo Update — The Photos Keep Pouring In***Before Christ’s Birth — The Earth Was Starving In The Darkness Void Of Salvation

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We added more lights to our Christmas display. The back yard of our home was too dark just like the Earth before Christ’s birth. A nurtured 12 foot Holly tree that was properly shaped by our landscapers was perfect for some new bright LED lights representing Christ’s Salvation.

Time began with the birth of Jesus Christ. God Almighty makes himself small and comes to His children vulnerable in the form of an infant to fully understand what it is to be human and understand our sinful ways. The lights of Christmas are the joyful bearers of the “Good News Of Christ’s Salvation.” Welcoming Jesus into our homes and our hearts, full of hope and joy, prepares us to properly celebrate Jesus’ birth through His Church and anticipate His return.

Every single aspect of Christmas’ old and new, from Santas to Nativities, to Christmas season meals and every Christmas light reminds me of the gift of Christ’s Salvation and opportunity for eternal life . . . Let my 2010 pictorial celebration of God’s Salvation through His Son Jesus Christ begin on this third Sunday of Advent.

December 8TH — The Immaculate Conception Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

On this day in the year of Our Lord (December 8, 1854),

Pius IX pronounced and defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary “in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin.”

The words divinely authored by the Holy Spirit of one of the successors to Peter (the Vicar of Christ upon earth) are broken down below . . .

“The Blessed Virgin Mary…”The subject of this immunity from original sin is the person of Mary at the moment of the creation of her soul and its infusion into her body.

“…in the first instance of her conception…”The term conception does not mean the active or generative conception by her parents. Her body was formed in the womb of the mother, and the father had the usual share in its formation. The question does not concern the immaculateness of the generative activity of her parents. Neither does it concern the passive conception absolutely and simply (conceptio seminis carnis, inchoata), which, according to the order of nature, precedes the infusion of the rational soul. The person is truly conceived when the soul is created and infused into the body. Mary was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin at the first moment of her animation, and sanctifying grace was given to her before sin could have taken effect in her soul.

“…was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin…”The formal active essence of original sin was not removed from her soul, as it is removed from others by baptism; it was excluded, it never was in her soul. Simultaneously with the exclusion of sin. The state of original sanctity, innocence, and justice, as opposed to original sin, was conferred upon her, by which gift every stain and fault, all depraved emotions, passions, and debilities, essentially pertaining to original sin, were excluded. But she was not made exempt from the temporal penalties of Adam — from sorrow, bodily infirmities, and death.

“…by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race.”The immunity from original sin was given to Mary by a singular exemption from a universal law through the same merits of Christ, by which other men are cleansed from sin by baptism. Mary needed the redeeming Saviour to obtain this exemption, and to be delivered from the universal necessity and debt (debitum) of being subject to original sin. The person of Mary, in consequence of her origin from Adam, should have been subject to sin, but, being the new Eve who was to be the mother of the new Adam, she was, by the eternal counsel of God and by the merits of Christ, withdrawn from the general law of original sin. Her redemption was the very masterpiece of Christ’s redeeming wisdom. He is a greater redeemer who pays the debt that it may not be incurred than he who pays after it has fallen on the debtor.

Such is the meaning of the term “Immaculate Conception.”

(GO HERE FOR MORE) Nothing could be more fitting during the second week of Advent . . . Upon lighting the second Advent Candle; the path to Jesus The Christ becomes brighter.

(GO HERE) for more about the Advent Candles

The First Sunday Of Christ’s Church’s Advent — Lighting The Way For The Coming Of Christ

The Advent of Christ’s Church is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days.

With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished:

•to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord’s coming into the world as the incarnate God of love

•thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and

•thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.

1st CANDLE – (purple) THE PROPHECY CANDLE or CANDLE OF HOPE – We can have hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises made to us. Our hope comes from God. “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.’ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:12-13)

2nd CANDLE – (purple) THE BETHLEHEM CANDLE or THE CANDLE OF PREPARATION – God kept his promise of a Savior who would be born in Bethlehem. Preparation means to “get ready”. Help us to be ready to welcome YOU, O GOD! “As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.‘ (Luke 3:4-6)

3rd CANDLE – (pink) THE SHEPHERD CANDLE or THE CANDLE OF JOY – The angels sang a message of JOY! “…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:7-15)

4th CANDLE – (purple) THE ANGEL CANDLE or THE CANDLE OF LOVE – The angles announced the good news of a Savior. God sent his only Son to earth to save us, because he loves us! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)