Gift of Goodness – December 23, 2021

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:  come to save us, Lord our God!

With this last antiphon, our expectation finds joy now in the certainty of fulfillment. We call Jesus by one of the most personal and intimate titles, Emmanuel, God-with-us. We recall that in His birth from the Virgin Mary, God takes on our very flesh and human nature:  God coming nearer to us than we could ever have imagined! Yet He is also to be exalted above us as our king, the lawgiver and judge, the one whom we honor and obey. And He is our savior, long expected by all creation. The final cry rises from us urgent in our need for daily salvation and forgiveness of our sins, and confident that our God will not withhold himself from us.

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

Today, O Emmanuel, my King and law giver, you are the desired of the nations and the savior of us all, come save me my Lord, my God!