OPreach

The sun rises every morning. Yes, some stories are worth telling again and again.

Thursday’s Responsorial Psalm is the Canticle of Zechariah (also known as the Benedictus – a blessing). We pray this every day as part of our Morning Prayer or Lauds. We hear this canticle again during the season of Advent as we retell the story of the coming of Christ.

Some stories are simply worth telling again and again!

Blessed are you, God of Israel, for You have visited and redeemed Your people,
And have raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of Your servant.

As You spoke through the mouths of Your holy prophets from of old,
That we should saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who oppress us;

To perform the mercy to our ancestors, 
and to remember the holy covenant, 

The oath he swore to Abraham and Sarah, to grant us deliverance from evil,
That we might serve you without fear
In holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, 
For you will go before the Holy One to prepare God’s ways.

To give knowledge of salvation to God’s people
In the forgiveness of their sins.

Through the tender mercy of our God
When the day shall dawn upon us from on high

To give light to those who sit in darkness
And in the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.

This particular version of the Canticle of Zechariah, written in inclusive language, is found in the People’s Companion to the Breviary, published by the Carmelites of Indianapolis. This beloved prayer has been “translated” into many versions, been put to music, and has been sung and chanted throughout the history of the church. We continue to love to tell the story.