Many hundreds of thousands of priests and religious have promised under pain of sin to pray each morning today's Gospel reading, Zechariah's canticle, as part of praying the Liturgy of the Hours. I promised to do this decades ago, and by God's grace I have kept my promise.
The Church so emphasizes Zechariah's prophecy because:
Although most of you are not obligated to pray Zechariah's canticle each day, pray it today and each day of the Christmas season. You may decide to pray this prayer forever as Jesus guides your "feet into the way of peace" (Lk 1:79).
| PRAYER: | Jesus, may I make any sacrifice necessary to give You myself as Your Christmas gift. |
| PROMISE: | "Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before Me; your throne shall stand firm forever." –2 Sm 7:16 |
| PRAISE: | "Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel because He has visited and ransomed His people" (Lk 1:67). |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College