Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel

TUESDAY 24 DECEMBER (Lk 1,67-79)

Zechariah is the last singer of the mercy, love, compassion and pity of our God and Lord in favour of the salvation of his people. Thus the Psalmist: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His loving kindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods, For His loving kindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His loving kindness is everlasting. To Him who alone does great wonders, For His loving kindness is everlasting; To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His loving kindness is everlasting; To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His loving kindness is everlasting; To Him who made the great lights, For His loving kindness is everlasting: The sun to rule by day, For His loving kindness is everlasting, The moon and stars to rule by night, For His loving kindness is everlasting. To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His loving kindness is everlasting, And brought Israel out from their midst, For His loving kindness is everlasting, With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His loving kindness is everlasting. To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His loving kindness is everlasting, And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His loving kindness is everlasting”. 

From the day of creation to the present everything is the work of God’s mercy: “But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His loving kindness is everlasting. To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His loving kindness is everlasting; To Him who smote great kings, For His loving kindness is everlasting, And slew mighty kings, For His loving kindness is everlasting: Sihon, king of the Amorites, For His loving kindness is everlasting, And Og, king of Bashan, For His loving kindness is everlasting, And gave their land as a heritage, For His loving kindness is everlasting, Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His loving kindness is everlasting. Who remembered us in our low estate, For His loving kindness is everlasting, And has rescued us from our adversaries, For His loving kindness is everlasting; Who gives food to all flesh, For His loving kindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His loving kindness is everlasting” (Ps 136 (135) 1-26).

Christ Jesus is the fruit of the Father’s love. Even John the Baptist is the fruit of the love of the Father. His mission is that of going ahead of the Messiah to prepare the way for him so that he can enter into many hearts.

Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people. He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

To be effective, God’s mercy needs the help, support and mercy of men. Christ Jesus gives his Father all his love, with full obedience. Even John gives the Holy Spirit all of himself, until the shedding of blood. Today whoever must be the mercy of Christ, in the Holy Spirit, to be offered to the Father is first of all the Apostle of the Lord. Through his mercy, the fruit of his most pure faith and his limitless charity, Christ Jesus is announced and, through the power of the Holy Spirit to whom he gave all his heart and his mind, he is believed. If the Apostle deprives the Father of his mercy, the mystery of redemption for him is made vain and fruitless. Mercy of God is also every other minister of the Word and every witness of it. The more people give their Father their mercy, their love and the more Christ is announced and many hearts can adhere to his Gospel, choosing Him as the only Redeemer and Saviour of their lives. If man removes his mercy from God, God’s mercy is rendered vain.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints ensure that every Christian is made mercy of the Father.