Living with Christ Morning Prayer

Living with Christ Morning Prayer
Thursday, December 19, 2013

How shall I know this? 

God of love, 
the birth of Jesus 
was accompanied 
by miraculous events. 

Today, Zechariah hears the miraculous
news he has longed to hear—
even long after any rational person
would have given up hope.

To this news of great “joy and gladness,”
the stunned Zechariah responds
as I think I would respond:
“How shall I know this?”
I would probably say, “Really?”

Even with a vision in the Temple,
it must be hard to believe in news so wonderful
when there is yet no sign of its coming true.

Lord, I am like Zechariah.
I read of the holy and miraculous events of Jesus—
events that faith says have changed the world.
There is hope in my heart,
and yet I ask, “Really? How shall I know this?”
I don’t see many signs
that anything has changed at all.

Help me, Lord of Hope, to never stop looking
for signs of your coming.
Help me to ponder the Scriptures
that serve as my angel in the Temple.
Help me to truly believe the good news.
Help me prepare every day
for your coming into my life,
so that when the good news
is fulfilled at its “proper time,”
I, like Zechariah, may raise my voice in praise.
Amen.

For the O antiphon for today, see page 190 in the December issue of Living with Christ.