Day 7: Taking Responsiblity

The third antiphon:

O Stock of Jesse, You stand as a signal for the nations, kings fall silent before You whom the peoples acclaim, O come to deliver us, and do not delay.

O come, Thou rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny; from depths of hell Thy people save, and give them victory over the grave:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Oh, how ancient our tradition of blaming Satan for what ails us! And to be sure, Satan does roam to and fro looking for ways to disrupt God’s kingdom coming. But Lord, O that we might not play into his hand by asking kings to deliver us rather than YOU deliver us. And woe be unto us if we do not take responsibility for our part in colluding with the Evil One. So on this night, when we pray, may we pray for open hearts, filled with love, inclusion, acceptance and service.