Message of Abbot Paul - Wednesday 21st December 2022

O Oriens, splendor lucis æternæ, et sol justitiæ;

veni et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

 

O Dayspring, splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

 

Whatever we say about Advent and Christmas in our Northern Hemisphere, we can never get away from the interplay of dark and light. We experience in December long, dark nights and a few days before the festival of Christ's Nativity, the more ancient festival of the Solstice, the longest night and shortest day, which is today, 21st December. Isaiah prophesied that, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who lived in a land of deep darkness, light has shone." (Is 9: 2). Saint Bede the Venerable wrote a wonderful evocation of this light, Christ, our true Morning Star: 'Christ is the morning star who when the night of this world is past brings to his saints the promise of the light of life and opens everlasting day'. Jesus Christ is, as John’s Gospel Prologue proclaims, “The Light that shines in the darkness; the Light that darkness cannot overcome.” (Jn 1: 5)

 

​Today’s Gospel passage from Luke, (Lk 1: 39-45), recounts Mary’s visitation to her aged relative Elizabeth, which follows on that of the Annunciation.

“Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’”

 

Jesus will tell his hearers that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb and here it is Elizabeth who is filled with the Holy Spirit as the child in her womb leaps for joy at the coming of Mary bearing Christ in her womb. Filled with the Spirit she prophesises that Mary is the most blessed of all women, for the child in her womb is blessed. In fact, Mary bears God made man, and the fruit of her womb is the Saviour of the world, the Kyrios, the Lord. Mary’s greeting causes John to leap for joy, for the whole world is filled with joy at Christ’s Incarnation. Today themes of joy and light fill our own hearts as we look forward to celebrating Christ’s birth as Light of the world at Christmas.