December 4, 2021

PRAYER:
It is truly good and right, with all the powers of our heart and mind, to praise you Father and your Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear Father, by your wondrous condescension of loving-kindness toward us your servants, you gave up your Son. Dear Jesus, you paid the debt of Adam for us to the eternal Father by your blood poured forth in loving-kindness. You cleared away the darkness of sin by your magnificent and radiant resurrection. You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror. You reconciled heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of eternal happiness before you redeemed us. Your resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence and brought us joy. How inestimable is the tenderness of your love! Amen. ~ GREGORY THE GREAT, 6TH CENTURY.

Exodus 20:18-21

New Living Translation

When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.

And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”

“Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”

As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.