The Word of God Sings During Advent

The Birth of John the Baptist. Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, Link[/caption] If you listen carefully today you may be able to hear God’s word singing in three verses:

Singing of the Vocation of Israel to be a light to the nations,
Singing of the Vocation of John the Baptist to lead Israel out to the desert away from the temple and to true repentance and conversion, profound change of mind, heart and soul.
And then the solitary voice of John the Baptist heralding the Good News of the arrival of the Lamb of God, who is to gather all the nations of the world into the House of the Father, into His mercy and great joy.

Listen to the song of Zechariah when John the Baptist is born, the Benedictus: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty savior, born of the house of his servant David, Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. And, you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord, to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever world without end. Amen. And hear the beautiful Song of Simeon at the Presentation in the Temple: Lord, now you let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the nations, a light to reveal you to the gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. And finally the Baptist sings as a solitary voice crying out in the desert: Luke’s Gospel situates the powerful preaching of John the Baptist at a precise moment in history, the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, etc. and Luke carefully invites us to listen to the singing of a solitary voice crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord. Make every crooked way straight and the rough ways smooth so that all flesh can see the salvation of God.” May our singing lead us to repentance, fill us with hope, and bless us with Advent Joy. Each weekday, the homily from Daily Mass at Holy Cross Family Ministries is shared online. Visit Family Rosary: World at Prayer and sign up to receive notifications of each day's homily.