An Advent Reflection: Angels

Waiting with Our Lady for the coming of Our Saviour, we will meditate each day of Advent on a different aspect of the circumstances of His birth, the moment of The Incarnation amongst us.

Reflection: ANGELS
Invite the angels to adore God with you. Today, be aware of the Divine indwelling on your soul.

Prayer: Holy and Divine Trinity, dwelling within me, teach me to be ever aware of your presence as the angels see you glory. Teach me to provide a worthy home for You.

Scripture: The Nativity LUKE 2

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin′i-us was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

O Antiphon: O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, you are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Saviour. O come and save us, Lord, our God.

I’ll give you a clue if you’re collecting the initial letters from these Antiphons… Today’s letter ‘E’ is the beginning of a new word….

Poem: Malcolm Guite – “O Emmanuel”

O come, O come, and be our God-with-us
O long-sought With-ness for a world without,
O secret seed, O hidden spring of light.
Come to us Wisdom, come unspoken Name
Come Root, and Key, and King, and holy Flame,
O quickened little wick so tightly curled,
Be folded with us into time and place,
Unfold for us the mystery of grace
And make a womb of all this wounded world.
O heart of heaven beating in the earth
O tiny hope within our hopelessness,
Come to be born, to bear us to our birth,
To touch a dying world with new-made hands
And make these rags of time our swaddling bands.

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The featured image is “Annunciation to the Shepherds” (circa 1485-1490), from the Emerson-White Hours, and is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.