Wednesday in the Third Week of Advent, December 16, 2020

Psalm 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (Isaiah 45:8) Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior. 

I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord – for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. 

Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. 

The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. 

Since we looked at the Gospel reading for today’s Mass not long ago, let’s consider today’s responsorial psalm.

The Antiphon, from Isaiah 45, 8, is Rorate caeli desuper et nubes pluant Justum, in the Latin.  This verse has been chanted for centuries in the Mass and Divine Office to celebrate the season of Advent.  The Church understands it as a prophecy of the Incarnation of the Son of God in the form of a cry of yearning by the Patriarchs, Prophets, and all the righteous of the Old Testament.  Literally, the Latin says, “Drop down dew from above, O heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One.”  The picture the verse draws is of a gentle rain in the morning, when the dew is still on the grass.  This is the Savior who comes into the world not with thunder and lightning and earthquakes, but virginally conceived in the womb of a human woman, and then given birth to in the natural way (and according to ancient tradition, without labor or birth pains for his Mother).  

The first verse of the psalm to which this antiphon is attached says, “I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord – for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land.”  That is, those who, like Simeon and Anna, were “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2, 25), listen for the words of the Lord, for they know that he “proclaims peace to his people” and not just peace but “the Prince of peace” (Isaiah 9, 6).  The Son of God is himself the Salvation that has drawn near, and the Glory of the Father who has come to dwell in our land.  

“Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven.”  In this beautiful line we see how in the Lord Jesus all that is good is present and harmonious: kindness and truth, for his kindness is to lay down his life for us; and truth, which he has come to reveal to us.  Justice, for he rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked; and peace, for in the establishment of his justice there is eternal peace: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more. Nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 22, 4).  Justice and peace have “kissed”.  They are like a bride and a groom to each other: they are complementary and together form a unity.  Rare in the world, justice and peace come together perfectly in the Lord Jesus and will be found in his Kingdom.  “Truth shall spring out of the earth”, that is, it will be revealed by means of the Lord’s human nature in a way fit for our comprehension; “and justice shall look down from heaven”, that is, it will be exercised by his divinity when he returns.

“The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps.”  The “benefits” of the Lord is his preaching and miracles, which he openly bestows.  “Our land”, the Church, “shall yield its increase”, which is to say, “thirty-, sixty-, or a hundred-fold” (Mark 4, 8), by the power of these “benefits”.  “Justice shall walk before him”, meaning John the Baptist, crying out to all people to repent, and warning the wicked: “For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that brings not forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire” (Luke 3, 9).  “And salvation, along the way of his steps”, meaning that every step the Lord took was a step towards Calvary and our salvation.

As we draw nearer to the celebration of our Lord’s Nativity, let us recall the reason why he came — to save us from our sins — and give heartfelt thanks to him.