◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 113 (Praise to God who lifts up the lowly); Isaiah 42:14-21 (God is like a woman in labor); Luke 1:5-25 (Elizabeth will bear a child) (New Catholic Bible)

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December 23, 1964

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 113

The Egyptian Hallel—Pss 113–118^[a]

Psalm 113^[b]

Praise of the Lord for His Care of the Lowly

¹Alleluia.

Praise, you servants of the Lord,^[c]
    praise the name of the Lord.
²^[d]Blessed be the name of the Lord
    now and forevermore.
³From the rising of the sun to its setting
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.
⁴^[e]High is the Lord over all the nations,
    and supreme over the heavens is his glory.
⁵Who is like the Lord, our God,
    the one who is enthroned on high
and who stoops down to look
⁶    on the heavens and the earth?
⁷^[f]He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the rubbish heap,
⁸seating them with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
⁹He settles the barren woman^[g] in a home
    and makes her the joyful mother of children.
Alleluia.

Footnotes

Psalm 113:1 The Hallel (“praise”) psalms are found in three separate collections: the “Egyptian Hallel,” also known as the “Little Hallel” (Pss 113–118), the “Great Hallel” (Pss 120–136), and the “Concluding Hallel” (Pss 146–150). The Egyptian Hallel and the Great Hallel (most of which are pilgrimage psalms: Pss 120–134) were sung during the annual feasts (see Lev 23; Num 10:10). The Egyptian Hallel received a special place in the Passover liturgy; by custom Pss 113–114 were recited or sung before the festive meal and Pss 115–118 after it (see Mt 26:30; Mk 14:26). These were probably the last psalms Jesus sang before his Passion. Only the second (Ps 114) speaks directly of the Exodus, but the themes of the others make it an appropriate series to mark the salvation that began in Egypt and would spread to the nations. The concluding Hallel psalms (Pss 146–150) were incorporated into the daily prayers in the synagogue after the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.
Psalm 113:1 This psalm presents a surprising contrast in the praises of Israel: the acclamation of the glory of the Almighty One attains its summit, and certitude becomes even stronger that God is near to the lowly. His tenderness reaches those whom the powerful of the earth regard as nothing. The God of justice reverses established situations, as both the canticle of Hannah (see 1 Sam 2:4-8) and the Magnificat of Mary (see Lk 1:46-55) attest with equal intensity. In celebrating the salvation of the humiliated poor man and the abandoned woman, Israel keeps alive the hope of a wondrous renewal in the Messianic age (see Pss 76; 87; Isa 49:21; 54:1-8).
In praying this psalm, we are aware that the New Testament provides us with new motives for praising God the Father for the great condescension he manifests toward Zechariah, Mary, and those known as the poor of Yahweh. We can also chant this psalm in honor of the glorified Christ. Exalted by his Father above every earthly power and introduced by him into divine glory (Phil 2:9-11; Heb 2:7-9), Christ shows himself to be incomparable by uniting to his supreme transcendence an astonishing condescension. It was toward the poor and lowly that he stooped during his public ministry, eating and drinking with them (see Mk 2:16), offering them the kingdom of God (see Mt 5:3-12) with its mysteries (see Mk 4:11), and making them the princes of his new people (see Mk 3:13-19). It is on the poor and the weak in the eyes of the world that he continues to confer his spiritual riches and powers (see 1 Cor 1:26-28).
Psalm 113:1 Servants of the Lord: the Lord’s loyal people, together with the priests and the Levites, come together to worship the Lord. These are all those who know “the name of the Lord” (v. 3; see Ps 50:1; Zep 2:11; Mal 1:11). Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
Psalm 113:2 The name of the Lord is to be proclaimed so that every generation may remember what he has done and how he has revealed himself (see Ex 3:16). This praise is to extend in time (forevermore) and in space (from the rising of the sun to its setting, i.e., from the east to the west; see Mal 1:11).
Psalm 113:4 The psalmist calls attention to the contrast: the exalted rule of the Lord and his accommodation to the needs of his people. Over all the nations: and by implication over all their gods (see Pss 95:3; 96:4f; 97:9). Over the heavens: i.e., above all creation.
Psalm 113:7 The Lord does not ally himself with the high and mighty but takes care of the poor and needy by transforming them from outcasts of society (the dust, see Isa 47:1, or rubbish heap, see Lam 4:5) into those who have a position of prominence (with the princes of his people, v. 8; see 1 Sam 2:8; Job 36:7). The afflicted man will be accorded recognition, and the oppressed woman will be given honor.
Psalm 113:9 Barren woman: a barren wife was considered cursed by God and a social outcast, a disappointment to her husband, to other women, and especially to herself (see Gen 16:2; 20:18; 1 Sam 1:6; 2:5; Lk 1:25). The Lord blesses her with children (see Ps 115:14; Isa 48:19; 54:1-3). Alleluia: i.e., “Hallelujah” or “Bless [or praise] the Lord”; it probably was once the first line of Ps 114.

Isaiah 42:14-21

¹⁴For a long time I have restrained myself;
    I have maintained my silence and held my peace.
Now I will cry out like a woman in labor,
    gasping and panting.
¹⁵I will lay waste mountains and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation.
I will convert rivers into islands
    and dry up the pools.
¹⁶I will lead the blind^[a]
    and guide them along paths they do not know.
I will turn darkness into light before them
    and make straight their winding roads.
These are the things I will do for them,
    and I will not forsake them.
¹⁷But those who place their trust in idols
    and who say to carved images,
“You are our gods,”
    will be turned back in bitter shame.
¹⁸You who are deaf, listen!
    You who are blind, look and see!
¹⁹Who is so blind as my servant,
    or so deaf as the messenger I send?
Who is so blind as the one dedicated to my service,
    or so deaf as the servant of the Lord?
²⁰You have seen many things without comprehending them;
    your ears are open but you do not hear.
²¹For the sake of his justice the Lord was pleased
    to make his law great and glorious.

Luke 1:5-25

The Infancy Narrative^[a]

Announcement of the Birth of John.^[b] At the time of the reign of King Herod of Judea,^[c] there was a priest named Zechariah, a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were righteous in the eyes of God, observing blamelessly all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.

⁸On one occasion, when his division was on duty and he was exercising his priestly office before God, ⁹he was designated by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.^[d] ¹⁰At the hour of the offering of incense, all the people were outside, praying. ¹¹Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing to the right of the altar of incense.

¹²When Zechariah beheld him, he was terrified and overcome with fear. ¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear for you a son, and you shall name him John. ¹⁴He will be a source of joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.

“He will never imbibe wine or any strong drink. Even when he is still in his mother’s womb, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to reconcile fathers with their children and to convert the disobedient to the ways of the righteous, so that a prepared people might be made ready for the Lord.”

¹⁸Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be assured of this? For I am an old man and my wife is well past the stage of giving birth.” ¹⁹The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to convey to you this good news. ²⁰But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their appointed time, you will lose your power of speech and will become mute until the day that these things take place.”

²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he was delaying so long in the sanctuary. ²²When he did emerge, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision while he was in the sanctuary. He was only able to make signs to them, but he remained unable to speak.

²³When his term of service was completed, he returned home. ²⁴Shortly thereafter his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she remained in seclusion for five months, saying, ²⁵“The Lord has granted me this blessing, looking favorably upon me and removing from me the humiliation I have endured among my people.”^[e]

Footnotes

Luke 1:5 The Gospel is first and foremost a proclamation of what Jesus did and taught and, above all, of his Death and Resurrection for the salvation of humankind; everything that the preachers of the mission and message of Jesus proclaimed led toward the mystery of Easter. But, like Matthew, Luke decided to preface all that with a description of the period preceding the public appearance of Jesus, because the Church wanted to know the mystery of Jesus back to its very beginnings.
⁵
The events described by Matthew, however, are not focused on the birth, which is recounted for us through the experiences of Joseph; Luke speaks directly of the birth through the experience of Mary. Regarding Mary, the opening pages of the third Gospel have provided the Church down the centuries with an abundant, and still flowing, wellspring for its faith (Marian teachings), its devotion (the “Hail, Mary”), and its art. Some points emerge with utter clarity: Mary is the Mother of Jesus; the birth took place at Bethlehem; and the newborn child was placed in a manger. The primary statement made is undoubtedly this: that Jesus was born not by the will of human beings but by the initiative of God, and that he was born of a virgin mother.
Luke 1:5 The time is toward the end of the reign of Herod the Great (37–4 B.C.). A faithful and devout couple have been praying for the salvation of the people (v. 13). The husband belonged to the eighth class of priests (1 Chr 24:10) and had the joy of entering every so often into the sanctuary. In the midst of the service, an angel—Gabriel, the messenger of the time of salvation (Dan 9:21-27)—appears to him and tells him of an unexpected birth. Like Isaac (Gen 21:2), Samson (Jdg 13:3-7), and Samuel (1 Sam 1), this child will be the result of a miracle, and, even before his birth, he is destined for the service of God; he will live as an ascetic, a “Nazirite” (see Num 6:3-4; Jdg 13:4-5); he will be the mysterious forerunner of the last times, the new Elijah whom the people expected in accordance with an old tradition (Mal 3:23-24). His name will be John, which means: “The Lord is gracious.”
Luke 1:5 Judea: meant here is the entire territory of Palestine.
Luke 1:9 Incense was offered in the Holy Place, the room in front of the Holy of Holies or innermost part of the temple. The rite of incense was performed morning and evening at the time of sacrifice.
Luke 1:25 The humiliation I have endured among my people: lack of children deprived the parents of personal happiness but also brought about social reproach (see Gen 16:2—Sarai; 25:21—Rebekah; 30:23—Rachel; 1 Sam 1:1-18—Hannah; see also Lev 20:20-21; Ps 128:3; Jer 22:30).

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Egyptian Hallel—Pss 113–118[a]

Psalm 113[b]

Praise of the Lord for His Care of the Lowly

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Infancy Narrative[a]

Footnotes

The Egyptian Hallel—Pss 113–118^[a]

Psalm 113^[b]

The Infancy Narrative^[a]