“O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.”
Today is the second day of the “O Antiphons”, the ancient antiphons used to recall the different titles attributed to God and which are used in Late Advent, that is, December 17th to December 24th. Yesterday would have been the first of the titles, “O Sapientia” (O Wisdom), except that it was the celebration of the Third Sunday of Advent.
Long before God’s people demanded that a king be named to rule over them, God was their leader. He, Adonai, was the one who appeared to Moses in the fiery bush. He was the one who delivered His people from captivity in Egypt. He was the one who split the Red Sea. He was the one who gave the law on Sinai. God was their ruler and it was to their God that the people looked for deliverance.
We know where the story goes, though, don’t we? The people eventually strayed. They demanded an earthly king. They became lost in their own wants and desires. They seemed to carry on this love-hate relationship with God: clinging to Him when times were bad and ignoring Him when times were good.
We have not come very far in these past thousands of years. We still cling to God when we are in dire need but seem to reject Him when times are good. We need to remember that He alone is our ruler and that we need to take our cue from God.
FAITH ACTION: Pray that God’s rule may be established upon our fragile earth so that all people may be united in God’s merciful love.