Dec 18 Mon
O Antiphons: Dec 18, O ADONAI, O Lord.
O Lord and leader of the house of Israel, who once appeared to Moses and spoke to him from a bush aflame, and on the peak of Sinai gave him the Law. Come now, Lord, bring us your redemption with your mighty outstretched arm.
Jesus Christ is born to redeem us. He comes to free us from the power of our enemies, to break the ties of sin, and ransom us from the devil's bondage.
In Deuteronomy 10:17, the proper name of God, Yahweh, appears alongside the superlative constructions "God of gods" elōhê ha-elōhîm, and "Lord of lords" adōnê ha-adōnîm (כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הוּא אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַאֲדֹנֵי הָאֲדֹנִים).
With righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins." Isaiah 11:4-5
Mankind could do nothing to rise from its fallen state, to satisfy for sin, or to merit pardon. As the Psalm says: ‘Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire.’ Man's position, as before God, was like that of the servant in the parable who was completely unable to pay his debts. Yet those who were upright in heart constantly pleaded: ‘Come, Lord, and make no delay. Release your people from their sin.’ For only God could repair the damage caused by our faults.
“It is very difficult to realize just how perverse sin is and to understand what our faith tells us. We should remember that even in the human context the scale of an offense is frequently determined by the importance of the injured party - his social standing, his qualities. But with sin man offends God, the creature repudiates his Creator."
The Redemption is still being carried out. The story of mankind repeats itself in our own life. “And opposed to the wonderful workings of Redemption is man, pronus ad peccatum (prone to sin) after the first fall, inclined towards evil; and there are all the passions of men, and all the workings of the devil." Therefore, we should pray, full of hope and contrition: Lord, rescue us with your mighty power!
To ensure that our voice reaches Jesus above the noise caused by our many sins, let us go to Mary. God has made her the repository of his Mercy. Through her intercession we pray: All-powerful God, renew us by the coming feast of your Son and free us from our slavery to sin.