Psalm 110

The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.
The LORD has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at Your right hand;
He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.
He shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
He shall execute the heads of many countries.
He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He shall lift up the head.

Reading: St. Luke 2:1-14 or 2:8-14

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Meditation: Christ was born at night, because He who is the light of the world, which shines in the darkness. The angels of the Lord appeared to faithful shepherds, because all faithful pastors are hearers of the angelic voice of God. But they were greatly afraid, for who can stand when He appears? Yet the angel spoke the Gospel to them: Do not be afraid! Why not? For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. For this is the day which the Lord hath made; therefore we will not fear, but rejoice and be glad in it. And the selfsame Lord, who has made the day, and whose glory shone around them, He it is, and not another, who is found wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. See, He who for ages past was wrapped in Moses and the prophets is now wrapped in swaddling clothes. He who is the Bread of Life for us who are the sheep of His pasture lies in a manger for feed. So let all behold Him at the holy feeding place, the Christ-mass, where He will be found, and nowhere else; and so let us feed on Him, singing the Gloria like the angels from whose lips it was first heard; and hearing again their announcement of peace; for He is our Peace, who brings to all the earth the goodwill of God toward men.

(But if Sunday after Christmas, insert that here, and move 26-30 to 27-31 December)

Psalm 119.III (v17-24)

Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.
You rebuke the proud—the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.
Remove from me reproach and contempt,
For I have kept Your testimonies.
Princes also sit and speak against me,
But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
Your testimonies also are my delight
And my counselors.

Reading: Acts 6:8-15 and/or 7:54-60

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Meditation: St. Stephen’s Day is observed on the second day of Christmas, for the revelation of God in the flesh is shrouded in poverty. What did the shepherds see in the poor manger? Did they not see God Himself in the flesh, and that the majesty of Christ is found hidden in His humble appearance? So also in the humility of all Christian suffering and martyrdom is the majesty of Christ hidden. For the holy saints of God were citizens of the kingdom of heaven, which is not of this world; therefore the world does not receive it. Neither did it receive St. Stephen, nor see him for who he was, as it is written, They have eyes but they see not. Rather, they gnashed at Him with their teeth. But what did Stephen himself see? He saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. But they did not hear his Gospel, for they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord, as it is written, Ears have they but they hear not. So they stoned him to death; but Stephen’s mind was at peace, consumed in the holy wounds of Christ, as he cried in likeness to his crucified Master, receive my spirit, and, do not charge them with this sin. For martyrdom is the most holy of experiences of Christ our incarnate Lord.

(But if Sunday after Christmas, insert that here, and move 27-30 to 28-31 December)

Psalm 92

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands.

O LORD, how great are Your works!
Your thoughts are very deep.
A senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this.
When the wicked spring up like grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity flourish,
It is that they may be destroyed forever.

But You, LORD, are on high forevermore.
For behold, Your enemies, O LORD,
For behold, Your enemies shall perish;
All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox;
I have been anointed with fresh oil.
My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies;
My ears hear my desire on the wicked
Who rise up against me.

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the LORD
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Reading: St. John 21:19-24

This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”

Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”

This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.

Meditation: Since it was the Holy Evangelist St. John who wrote that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, therefore he also calls himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. He also was the disciple who loved Jesus, for he leaned on His breast at the supper. Now in this he provides an example for faith. For those who believe that Jesus loves them will do well to lean on His breast at the Holy Supper. For the breast of Jesus is known there, where He gives Himself to His people and holds nothing back. It is most fitting to receive the Sacrament on Christmas Day, for Christmas means Christ-Mass, as the manger of Christ is surely the holy paten and chalice; and the sheep of His pasture receive the Bread of Life there. So too, there they proclaim His death till He come, which is why Jesus says, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow me. For the Apostle knew that he would indeed abide eternally with Jesus if he had partaken in Him, and that his word was divinely inspired, for he testifies in the plural, saying, We know that His testimony is true. Surely even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written, for the works of Jesus continue to the present day, most especially at the Holy Altar.

(But if Sunday after Christmas, insert that here, and move 28-30 to 29-31 December)

Psalm 9

I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has perished.
But the LORD shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the people.
When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the humble.

Have mercy on me, O LORD!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
That I may tell of all Your praise
In the gates of the daughter of Zion.
I will rejoice in Your salvation.

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
The LORD is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O LORD,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
Put them in fear, O LORD,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men.

Reading: St. Matthew 2:13-18

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

Meditation: Behold how Christ fights against evil: by humility. Herod seeks the young Child, so He flees to Egypt. Herod desires to destroy Him, so He hides until Herod is destroyed by death. And thus the word of the prophet is fulfilled: out of Egypt I called My Son. For it was in the same feeble way that Israel had been delivered from Pharaoh. They who had no weapons saw their mighty enemies swallowed up in the sea, for God’s power is made known in weakness. So Herod, like Pharaoh before him, is stricken with madness and a murderous mind, so he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem. But still he loses the battle to the poor Christ Child, whose response to this terror is to rest serenely in His mother’s lap. Yea, terror and the holy blood of the Innocents drenches the homes of the poor people, that is, of Rachel weeping for her children. But where is Christ? In Egypt, in token of the great Passover when the firstborn of all the Egyptians were once likewise slain. For Christ is our Passover, and His blood marks all His faithful, who await the Day of His Just Judgment, when the destroying angel shall vindicate them all, as He demonstrated ahead of time by the death of Herod.

(But if Sunday after Christmas, insert that here, and move 29-30 to 30-31 December)

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.\
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Reading: St. John 1:15-18

John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Meditation: Of His fullness we have all received. What does this mean? The Apostle tells us that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily. This is the mystery of the incarnation, for who can comprehend what is incomprehensible? (Or who has known the mind of God?) How can the Creator of all, the Almighty, Omnipresent God be contained in the little space of the manger? This is the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father. Yet He is also Mary’s Son, and in His holy nativity is in Mary’s bosom: as the hymnist declares, With milk was fed the Lord of all, who feeds the ravens when they call. But not only is this mystery so, but, wonder of wonders, of His fullness we have all received. Behold, all the fullness of the Godhead therefore dwells also in the faithful, bodily. Do we not partake in Christ? Do we not feed at the manger, which is the Altar? And do we not, therefore, in eating His body, eat that in which all the fullness of the Godhead dwells? Therefore we eat all the fullness of the Godhead. How can we not therefore be partakers in His resurrection and ascension? Indeed, how can we not be called one with God? for God became flesh in order that man might become divine.

(But if Sunday after Christmas, insert that here, and move this to 31 December)

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Reading: St. Luke 2:15-20

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Meditation: No one can find Christ by his own reason or strength, for even these shepherds declared, the Lord has made known to us these things. And it was only because of this grace that they went to Bethlehem to seek and to find. What did they find? See, they found Mary first, even as no one can find Christ until he first finds the Church which is the Holy Mother of us all. Next they found Joseph, even as those who find the Church must find also the head of that household, that is, the preachers of the Gospel. And then, having found these, they shall find the Babe. Where shall they find Him? Lying in a manger, that is, as though He were feed, and as though they were sheep. So let us as sheep feed on Him, then, at the altar. But these men were not sheep but shepherds; therefore they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child, even as every shepherd of Christ must do, according to his calling as pastor (which means shepherd). Now it says that all those who heard it marveled, but that Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart, even as do all the faithful of God, among whom she must be called first. Yea, let all follow her example, and ponder these things, which are our life and salvation.

(or the Seventh Day of Christmas, if 31 December is a Saturday)

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Reading: St. Luke 2:33-40

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Meditation: Behold the four faithful people who are with Jesus at His presentation in the temple. Two are old and two are young, even as all the faithful of God and company of heaven have worshiped Him in Spirit and truth, whether among Israel of old or in the new age of Holy Christendom; and both pairs have a male and a female, even as Christ and His Bride have always been found together, whether before or after their holy marriage in the flesh of His incarnation. And the old Simeon, does he not well speak for all the prophets and wise men of old, when he recognizes the Holy Child, destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel? For many in Israel must fall, who do not recognize Him, and many oppressed in Israel must rise, who have long been waiting for the consolation of Israel, as the prophets have long taught. And the old Anna, does she not well represent all the people of God of old, being a widow for eighty-four years? For eighty four is seven times twelve, or Israel’s number multiplied by creation’s number, signifying the new creation of Israel in this Christ. And she spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem, for this is surely the voice no longer of the Widow, but of the Bride, saying, Come.

Psalm 8

O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Reading: St. Luke 2:21

And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Meditation: Christ was circumcised according to the law of Moses; or rather, in fulfillment of the law of Moses, for in Christ all of Moses is fulfilled. For the flow of His holy infant blood, foreseen in every circumcision prior, is the bleeding of the Lamb of God for the sin of the world. The cutting off of His flesh is a preamble to the holy sacrifice of this Lamb, who would Himself be cut off from the land of the living. For Christ is our Circumcision, in whose holy flesh our sins are cut off and removed. For on this day His name was called JESUS. Now this name means “the LORD Saving,” for He is the Incarnate God, our Salvation. And His name, is it not given to all who are baptized? For baptism is in His name; therefore whoever is baptized has received His name. Surely He was not circumcised for Himself, then, to whom such a lofty name was given, but rather for His own people. Moreover this is the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb, for although Adam named every living creature, and whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name; yet Christ is no creature but the Creator, forever blessed. So God here names Himself, as He did in the days of Moses, that He might give His name to man.

(if Sunday after New Year, see also 28 December, Holy Innocents, for its Gospel)

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Reading: St. Luke 2:22-24

Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Meditation: Why does the blessed Virgin need purification? Was it not because at the birth of her Son there was a flowing of her blood? Now the flow of blood bespeaks death. Is this not a wonder, that out of the same blessed womb springs both life and death? For in giving birth, she bore Him who is our Life, but while bearing, bled in token of death, as is foreseen in the birth of every child prior. So Life and death contended, but as soon as the days of her purification, that is, forty days, were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. And in this blessed presentation Life prevails over death. How so? In that He, the One who opened the womb, fulfills the Moses’ word, Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD. For in the birth of Christ, foreseen in every firstborn prior, Life prevails over death, as it is written, Jacob took hold of Esau’s heel. And the offering of a sacrifice betokens Him who is our sacrificial Offering. And since she was not able to bring a lamb, she brought a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons; yet He is Himself the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, and the two birds betoken the nesting of the Jews and Gentiles in the branches of the Tree of Life.

(if Sunday after New Year, see also 28 December, Holy Innocents, for its Gospel)

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Reading: St. Luke 2:25-32

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Meditation: Faithful Simeon waits for the Consolation of Israel, for he, unlike many in his evil and perverse generation, was just and devout. Behold true devotion, in this man who came by the Spirit into the temple, for in the temple faith is at home as nowhere else, as David says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. For the temple signifies the peace of God, having been built first under Solomon the prince of peace (for under David his father Israel fought many wars, but under Solomon, whose name means peace, there were none). Yet now we see that Simeon in the temple took Him up in his arms and blessed God, for he knew Him as the Lord’s Christ. So now, free to rest among the blessed dead, he says, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace. For Christ is our Prince of Peace, greater than Solomon, and He is also our Temple, greater than Solomon’s. And as Solomon’s temple, once destroyed, was under Nehemiah rebuilt, so also Christ, referring to his death and resurrection, said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Now as the Holy Sacrament is this same body of Christ, so is it fitting that upon partaking the faithful should sing Simeon’s song.

(if Sunday after New Year, see also 28 December, Holy Innocents, for its Gospel)

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Reading: St. Matthew 2:19-23

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Meditation: Now an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, even as the Lord has likewise been made known in dreams in Egypt to Joseph his forebear. And Joseph arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel, even as Moses had likewise once been raised up to lead Israel out of Egypt into the promised land. And the angel declared to him that those who sought the young Child’s life are dead, even as Pharaoh and his host, who sought the lives of the children of Israel, were drowned in the Red Sea. So too, in Holy Baptism, all children of God are called out of death, through water, into the promised land of God, as all their enemies are drowned in that flood, according to the words of the psalmist, He drew me out of many waters. But Joseph was afraid to go to Judea, even as all the faithful of God must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of heaven. For Joseph feared Archelaus, which means, “ruler of the people.” Yet he was comforted by the warning of God to dwell in Nazareth, which means “root”; so also, when all the faithful fear the rulers who take counsel together, against the LORD and against his anointed, shall they be comforted in Him who is the Root whence mercy ever flows.

(if Sunday after New Year, see also 28 December, Holy Innocents, for its Gospel)

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Reading: St. Luke 3:1-9 or 3:7-9

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Meditation: With vigor John condemns the multitudes, calling them Brood of vipers. Now this makes them offspring of that Serpent of old, to whom it was said that the woman’s Seed would bruise His head. This is in order that they might repent, and follow instead that blessed Seed to whom the promise was given. For a seed well planted and watered must produce fruit; therefore John’s preaching plants Christ, the blessed Seed, into the hearts of his hearers, that whoever would receive Him, being watered in Holy Baptism, might also bear fruits worthy of repentance. For no one can claim Abraham as father by blood alone; rather, by blood and water together, that is, through Christ and Baptism. Then shall they be living stones raised up by God. Stones are tokens of the law of condemnation and wrath, written on stone; but flight from that wrath is granted by God, by John’s preaching and washing of Baptism. Indeed, not only flight, but resurrection, as John declares here, God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Yet anyone not raised up thus will be as a dead tree with no fruit (yea, a cross with no Christ), condemned by the holy Ax of God’s judgment and thrown into hellfire.