Exclusively published to the Touchstone website each week, these Daily Reflections are brief commentaries on the lectionary readings contained in the St. James Daily Devotional Guide. The reflections are penned by Patrick Henry Reardon, editor of the Daily Devotional Guide and a senior editor of Touchstone. Father Reardon provides here a very brief directional clue for one of the readings each day. Long-time readers of the Daily Devotional Guide will find these reflections an additional help to their reading of Holy Scripture which they can print and keep with their Guide.

The Daily Reflections will be updated weekly.

Sunday, December 16

Revelation 21:14-27: The twelve foundation stones of the New Jerusalem correspond to those ancient stones representative of God’s holy people. Those stones, taken from the floor of the baptismal river, marked the entrance of the holy people into the Promised Land (Joshua 4:1-8) and adorned the breastplate of the high priest when he appeared before the Lord in His temple (Exodus 28 & 29). Rather like our contemporary birthstones, they correspond also to the twelve stars of the zodiac that crowned the head of the Woman in Revelation 12. In this new city, the temple and the heavenly lights have been replaced.

Monday, December 17

Revelation 22:1-11: The symbolism of the number twelve continues in these verses, now referring to the fruits of the tree of life, from which Adam was not permitted to eat, and its salubrious leaves, destined to heal the wounds of Adam’s fall. The city, originally a creation of man’s sin (Genesis 4:17; 11:1-8), has now become assimilated to the garden, originally a creation of God’s prodigality (2:8f). Ezechiel had long ago spoken of this union of city and garden (28:11-16).

Tuesday, December 18

Revelation 22:12-21: Jesus is called by the first and last letters of the alphabet, because He is the Word, the beginning and end of language. Indeed, as God’s primordial Word, He is the Book of Life and contains the names of those who belong to Him. This final page of the Bible contains the deepest longing of the Church, and also of that Holy Spirit who prays within the Church (Romans 8:23-26). This longing expresses itself as a plea for the coming of the risen Christ, whom we await to deliver us from the final wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

Wednesday, December 19

Hosea 13:1-16: The final wrath, with which so much of the Book of Revelation is preoccupied, was prophesied also by Hosea, who wrote his book in the middle of the eighth century before Christ. Addressing himself to the northern tribes of Israel, Hosea’s immediate concern was to summon them to repentance before the dreadful day of God’s visitation in judgment. This chapter foretells that judgment in vivid colors. Like his contemporary, Amos, Hosea regarded the coming wrath as inevitable because of the many sins that polluted the land. There was an immediate vindication of the prophecies of both of these men when the armies of Assyria deported the northern tribes in 722 B.C.

Thursday, December 20

2 Peter 1:12-21: Like the prophet Hosea and the Book of Revelation, this second epistle of the Apostle Peter is very concerned about the impending judgment of God. His salutary warnings on the matter will occupy much of Chapter 3 of this epistle. In this first chapter, however, he is more concerned with his own death, which he believes to be imminent. As he prepares to die, his soul is comforted by his remembrance of that vision of the transfigured Christ, which he and the two sons of Zebedee had contemplated many years earlier. The "morning star" of his hope is, of course, Christ Himself, as we recently read in Revelation (22:16).

Friday, December 21

Luke 1:1-56: Luke’s narrative, begun now in the immediate context of Christmas, commences with a series of doublets: two angelic annunciations, two responses, two pregnancies, two canticles, and two births. Luke’s Gospel, which contains more explicit teaching on prayer than any of the other gospels, begins and ends with prayer at the temple in Jerusalem (1:9f; 24:52f). Angels, also, appear near both the beginning and end (1:11,26; 2:9-13; 22:43; 24:4). In this first chapter we will particularly note the faith of the Mother of Jesus (1:38,45), which is contrasted with the evident doubt, however slight, of Zachary (1:18-20).

Saturday, December 22

Micah 2:1-13: Micah was also a prophet of the mid-eighth century before Christ, roughly contemporary with Hosea and Amos. His prophecy is being read at this time because of his explicit reference to Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah (5:2), a prophecy fulfilled in Luke 2:4,11 and even cited in Matthew 2:5. This second chapter of Micah foretells the coming of the true Shepherd (2:12) whom Luke will describe as being welcomed by the shepherds (2:8-20).

 

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