St Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family
23rd December “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary into your home as your wife. For this child has been conceived in her womb through the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you shall name him Jesus, for he will save h
St John the Baptist, Prophet of the Most High
22nd December “And you, my child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” (Luke 1:76-77) St John the Baptist w
The Prophet Malachi speaks of the Messiah’s temple
21st December “Behold, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to the temple.” (Malachi 3:1) The book of Malachi was written after the reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by Zeru
The Prophet Micah speaks of the Messiah’s birth
20th December “But from you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, among the tiniest of the clans of Judah, from you will come forth for me one who is to be a ruler in Israel, one whose origins are from the distant past, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:1) Micah w
The Prophet Hosea speaks of the Messiah in Egypt
19th December “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” (Hosea 11:1) While Isaiah was prophesying in Judah, a new prophet’s voice was heard in the north, in the land of Israel. His name was Hosea and he lived in
The Prophet Daniel speaks of a royal coronation
18th December “I beheld approaching on the clouds of heaven one like a son of man. He came before the Ancient One and was presented to him. Dominion and glory and kingship were conferred upon him so that all peoples and nations of every language wo
The Prophet Ezekiel speaks of a royal shepherd
17th December “My servant David will be their king, and they all will have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be scrupulous in obeying my statutes.” (Ezekiel 37:24) Ezekiel was the third of the Four Major Prophets. He was forcibly exiled
The Prophet Jeremiah speaks of a royal branch
16th December “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous branch from the line of David. He will reign as king and rule wisely and ensure justice and righteousness in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:5) Jeremiah was the s
The Prophet Isaiah speaks of a royal child
15th December “The virgin will be with child, and she will give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Having learned more about Christ’s ancestors, we now turn to the Old Testament prophets who spoke of his comi
Zerubbabel, the chosen servant
14th December “On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:23) A new chapter of C