Jesse tree from Capuchin's Bible, c. 1180, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris,
In his time shall righteousness flourish: and abundance of peace. (Ps. 72.7)
Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
Psalm 72.1-7
1 Give the king your judgement, O God:
and your righteousness to the son of a king,
2 That he may judge your people rightly:
and the poor of the land with equity.
3 Let the mountains be laden with peace because of his righteousness:
and the hills also with prosperity for his people.
4 May he give justice to the poor among the people:
and rescue the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.
5 May he live while the sun endures:
and while the moon gives light, throughout all generations.
6 May he come down like rain upon the new-mown fields:
and as showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall righteousness flourish:
and abundance of peace, till the moon shall be no more.
Luke 10:21-24
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’
Advent, by Thomas Merton (1946)
Charm with your stainlessness these winter nights,
Skies, and be perfect!
Fly vivider in the fiery dark, you quiet meteors,
And disappear.
You moon, be slow to go down,
This is your full!
The four white roads make 0H in silence
Towards the four parts of the starry universe.
Time falls like manna at the corners of the wintry earth.
We have become more humble than the rocks,
More wakeful than the patient hills.
Charm with your stainlessness these nights in Advent, holy spheres,
While minds, as meek as beasts, '
Stay close at home in the sweet hay;
And intellects are quieter than the flocks that feed by starlight.
Oh pour your darkness and your brightness over all our solemn valleys,
You skies: and travel like the gentle Virgin,
Toward the planets’ stately setting,
Oh white full moon as quiet as Bethlehem!
O Lord our God,
make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that, when he shall appear,
he may not find us sleeping in sin
but active in his service
and joyful in his praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 72 "Give the King Thy Judgements, O God" · The Choir of York Minster · Organ: John Scott Whiteley, Dir: Philip Moore.