Day 196: the destruction of israel

Isaiah 9:1-6 This passage is proclaimed as the First Reading at the Mass during the night (“Midnight Mass”) on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).


Ch 9:6-7 This child, a descendant of David, will lead the People of God along paths of justice and righteous forever. Indeed, Christ was born in Bethlehem, the very city of David’s own birth (cf. Lk 2:11-12).


Ch 9:6 Prince of Peace: The promise of peace that permeates the Old Testament is fulfilled perfectly in Christ, who gives a peace that the world cannot give. This peace consists in sharing in the love and joy of Christ. Those who abide in the life and love of Christ first received in Baptism and nourished by the Eucharist will be an oasis of peace and serenity for everyone. (CCC 2305)


Ch 9:8-10:34 This long prophecy is a judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel, parts of which were already suffering under the Assyrians.


Ch 10:1-4 The prophets especially castigated the Kings of Israel for their infidelities and for having failed in their responsibility to defend the weak and maintain justice for all their people. 


Ch 10:5-19 The inspired books of Scripture often credit or blame God for natural disasters, victory or defeat in war, and afflictions related to sin; in fact, nothing can occur without God’s knowledge and without his consent. However, the Lord does not will evil deeds, especially those that inflict suffering upon others; rather, he allows for the exercise of people’s freedom and its subsequent consequences. (CCC 304)


Ch 10:18 Both soul and body: The human person is composed of body and soul. The soul animates and gives configuration to the body. While the soul unites with and expresses itself through the body, it can live separately from the body after death. At the resurrection of the body on the last day, the just will enjoy everlasting life. (CCC 365)


Ch 10:20-34 Assyria carried out God’s judgment unwittingly on Samaria, and the army was moving south toward Judah. God intervened to save those who trusted him. Those spared from the destruction of foreign forces and domination would one day form the faithful remnant that witnessed the restoration of Judah. 


Tobit 10:1-7 Tobit and Anna grew concerned that Tobias had not yet returned as expected. Ironically, it was the blind Tobit who saw the protection of God toward his son with the eyes of faith, while Anna, whose sight was intact, faltered in her trust of God. 


Ch 10:7-13 Tobias, conscientious about his duties to his mother and father, departed with Sarah to return to them. Raguel and Edna recognized this refined respect and charged their daughter to have the same disposition toward her new in-laws. The familial love and bond was quite evident among all parties involved. The Fourth Commandment is first among the seven Commandments dealing with human relationships, which signifies that honor for one’s parents is an obligation that follows immediately after love of God. (CCC 2197)


Ch 11:1-19 Immediately upon his cure, Tobit praised God for his mercy; he continued to praise God with the news and vision of his daughter-in-law. Tobias had fulfilled every word of his father’s advice.


Ch 12:1-22 The gratitude of both Tobit and Tobias prompted them to reward Raphael generously for his assistance. Raphael’s response was rich with wisdom as he extolled the virtues of prayer, obedience to God, self-denial, and almsgiving. He also revealed his identity and how he was sent by God to heal both Tobit and Sarah in answer to their prayers. They were awestruck, but the angel referred all their praises to God, whose will he fulfilled.


Ch 12:8 Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the traditional means to grow in the Christian life. These different acts of piety and penance should be especially practiced during the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent and are principal ways of seeking conversion. In prayer we express our desire and commitment to conversion to God, by fasting we experience conversion through the discipline of our physical bodies, and in almsgiving we bear evidence of our conversion to others. (CCC 1387, 1434)


Ch 12:12-15 Angels are present and active throughout Scripture; this is especially true in this book. Angels take our prayers to God and also transmit God’s will to us. Our guardian angels in particular watch over us and intercede for us before the Father. (CCC 336)


Proverbs 10:12 This proverb implies a remote connection between faith and works. Urging hospitality and service to others, Peter wrote that life for one another “covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pt 4:8-10). James taught that a person who repents from sin will save his or her “soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (Jas 5:20). This is also echoed in Paul’s essay on life: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7). (CCC 1815)

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)


(*Walking With God: A Journey Through The Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)



Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we give you praise and glory and we thank you so much. We thank you for your word and we thank you for your wisdom that you give to us through these wise sayings of Solomon in the Book of Proverbs. Because we know. We know it is true that you call us to not mess around with evil. You call us to choose the good with our whole heart, to choose you with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, to love you with everything we have and everything we are because hatred stirs up strife but love covers all offenses. Help us to love you well. Help us to love you wisely in this world that can often be so confusing and so tricky to know how to love the people around us well, to know how to love you well, and to let people into our lives, to let them know us, to let them love us. So we ask for your help, Lord. Help us to love well. Help us to be loved well. And help us to be an image of you in this world every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”