December 21

 
Traditional Antiphon
O Orient! splendour of eternal light, and Sun of justice! Come and enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. 
 
Liturgy of the Hours
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
 
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, O Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
 
Virtue: Justice – “Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the ‘virtue of religion’” [or piety]. “Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships…harmony”[i]We can think of the cardinal virtues as a journey. Prudence is our destination, the good that we are going toward. Justice is the road that gets us there. To arrive at the ultimate good we must give God and neighbor what they are due. We “sit in darkness” as the antiphon says. How can we make a journey on the road of justice unless we have light? When we travel roads at night the streetlights are spaced in such a way that we always have light. Our headlights do not shine light on the mile ahead of us, but rather just a few feet ahead of us. Justice helps us to do right now, what is in front of us and it is Christ who is our street light and head light.
 
Search: Justice: Thanks and Praise
 
Sacrament: Anointing of the Sick – Anointing of the sick is usually associated with Last Rites which include Reconciliation and the Eucharist. “The Eucharist given to the sick in danger of death is called Viaticum, because it is food to sustain them during their journey into eternity. According to the rules of the Ritual, Viaticum should be given without delay to those who are seriously ill lest they die without this great benefit”[ii] The Eucharist is central to Anointing of the Sick. It was customary in the Church that the priest and the people face East during the Mass. This posture in the Catholic liturgy is called ad orientem (Latin for "to the east"). Jesus is called “O Orient” because He is the sun, that rises in the east (Orient). At the Mass we remember His passion, death and resurrection. Just as the sun rises in the east, so to we face east remembering the rising of the Son of God from the dead. As the priest elevates the Eucharist in the Mass, especially when the priest is ad orientem, the congregation sees Jesus, the Son of God, now in the form of bread, rise from the altar at the hands of the priest. The Eucharist is elevated above the horizon of the vestments for all to see. In the Eucharist, we receive, Christ, the light of the world and it is this light that give us direction on our journey. Usually anointing of the sick is given when those on this earth on in the final mile of life and need light to enter into the after life. Many who have had near death experiences describe the experience as seeing a light. In the hymn, “Christe qui Lux es et Dies” we sing, “O Christ, you are the light and day, which drives away the night, The ever shining Sun of God and pledge of future light.” During Night prayer, after Evening Prayer II on Sundays and Solemnities the Church reads from Revelation 22:4-5, “They shall see him face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. The night shall be no more. They will need no light from lamps or the sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever.” Christ is the splendor of eternal light, that we behold in heaven, but also that is the very food and light of our journey to heaven.
 
Reflection:
O Jesus, divine Sun! thou art coming to snatch us from eternal night: blessed for ever be thy infinite goodness! But thou puttest our faith to the test, before showing thyself in all thy brightness. Thou hidest thy rays, until the time decreed by thy heavenly Father comes, in which all thy beauty will break upon the world. Thou art traversing Judea; thou art near Jerusalem; the journey of Mary and Joseph is nigh its term. Crowds of men pass or meet thee on the road, each one hurrying to his native town, there to be enrolled, as the Edict commands. Not one of all these suspects that thou, O divine Orient! art so near him. They see thy Mother Mary, and they see nothing in her above the rest of women; or if they are impressed by the majesty and incomparable modesty of this august Queen, it is but a vague feeling of surprise at there being such dignity in one so poor as she is; and they soon forget her again. If the Mother is thus an object of indifference to them, it is not to be expected that they will give even so much as a thought to her Child, that is not yet born. And yet this Child is thyself, O Sun of Justice! Oh! increase our Faith, but increase, too, our Love. If these men loved thee, O Redeemer of mankind, thou wouldst give them the grace to feel thy presence; their eyes, indeed, would not yet see thee, but their hearts, at least, would burn within them, they would long for thy coming, and would hasten it by their prayers and sighs. Dearest Jesus! who thus traversest the world thou hast created, and who forcest not the homage of thy creatures, we wish to keep near thee during the rest of this thy journey: we kiss the footsteps of Her that carries thee in her womb; we will not leave thee, until we arrive together with thee at Bethlehem, that House of Bread, where, at last, our eyes will see thee, O splendour of eternal light, our Lord and our God!

[i] Catechism of the Catholic Church; Section 1807
[ii] Roman Catholic Daily Missal (1962)