Message of Abbot Paul - Tuesday 21st December
Message from Fr Paul for Tuesday, 21st December 2021
Today Toby returns to see the vet and, hopefully, to get a clean bill of health. We know that in six weeks’ time or so, he will need another Xray to see if all is well with the plates that have been placed in his leg, but for the time being, this should be the last of his visits. All through this saga, we have never missed our early morning walk together, although since the operation this has been much reduced to as short as three minutes. Now we spend ten minutes and go a bit further afield, but not far. Today is the shortest day in the year in the northern hemisphere and from tomorrow the days begin to lengthen and we can begin to look forward to Spring. By the end of March, we hope that Toby’s walking and running ability will be back to normal and that we can resume our usual rhythm of life. We both love early mornings and this is definitely our favourite walk. Thank you so much for your prayers and cards, which I’m sure Toby appreciates.
The O Antiphon on 21st December is O Oriens and here is a translation.
“O Dayspring, Brightness of Light everlasting, and Sun of righteousness; Come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.” The Prophet Isaiah wrote that, “The people who walked in darkness has seen a great light and on those who lived in a land of deep darkness a light has shone.” (Is 9:2) St Bede the Venerable wrote, “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.” John wrote in the Prologue to his Gospel: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus spoke of himself as being “the light of the world.” Christ’s coming among us is all about light shining in the darkness and the darkness being unable, in the end, to overcome and extinguish the light. This is what we celebrate in Advent, Christ who comes as light into our darkened world and lives.
Today’s Gospel comes from Luke, (Lk 1: 39-45), and is the same as the Gospel we read and discussed on Sunday, so I will say no more, but simply offer the text so that, in the silence of our hearts, we can meditate on God’s word and pray that we might be as humble and obedient as Mary and Elizabeth. May the Lord also grant us their joyful hearts and the fulness of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“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.’”
