14 December - Advent Prose, Verse 3
The third verse of the Advent Prose, for the third Sunday in Advent.
I know that was yesterday, but the 'Gaudete' idea was even better, so tough.
A second traditional Advent practice, aside from the general penitential/expectation one that covers the whole season, is to divide it up into the weeks and give them individual themes. Of these, perhaps the most well-known is "Patriarchs, Prophets, John and Mary".
This being the third week, the theme is John the Baptist - who in the Gospel according to John describes himself as Isaiah's "voice crying in the wilderness", shouting "God's coming - make a way for him". In the Bible, John is the first of the witnesses to Jesus, even before either of them was born, when he's described a "leaping for joy" in the womb when his mother Elizabeth hears Mary's greeting.
Whether you believe there's historical truth to the stories behind the carols or not, their beauty and the dense interconnections between them are marvellous in their own right. We'll pick up with Mary's visit to Elizabeth next weekend.
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Drop down, O heavens, from above, Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, Drop down, O heavens, from above, |