Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; He will bring forth justice to the nations…
He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth….
Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it;
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name…
Isaiah 42: 1, 4 – 8
Over and over again, the prophecies from the Old Testament point to Jesus. He comes forth from the Father to bring true and eternal justice to all the nations. He is the light of the world, and gives sight to those who are spiritually blind and freedom to those who are spiritually imprisoned in sin. He gives us the start to a new Covenant – purchased by His blood on the cross. His mission: conquering death for us. While we travel through Lent, let us keep this in mind: the battle He fought for us, He did so willingly out of immeasurable love.
Let us pray with St. Gregory:
Son of the living God, blessed in all things,
You who came not to destroy our mortal souls, but to give them life,
forgive my countless wrongs with your abundant mercy.
For you alone are in heaven beyond words, and on earth beyond understanding,
in the substance of existence unto the ends of the earth,
the beginning of everything and the completion of everything in all ways, blessed in the highest. Glory forever to you
with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Prayer 41 A, B
