“You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” (Isaiah 62:3.)
Saint Cyril of Alexandria comments on this verse from the First Reading proclaimed at Mass today:
“You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” Now this compares both each holy soul and the collective church, that is, the company of the saints, to a garland tied together from many flowers or to a royal diadem, shining with Indian jewels and with a variety of beautiful forms. For many are the noble characteristics of the saints, and there is not one type of distinction but many and various and Christ himself said about his own sheep or the flock of those believing in him, “No one shall snatch them from the hand of the Father.”“As a young man marries a virgin.” This is said to the church about the time in the beginning when it was constituted from the Jewish tribes. For the godly disciples were Jewish according to their human origin, but they stood out from the others and took the lead since they had apostolic status. Yet they retained a great love and respect for their religion, so that there seemed to be great affection toward it as a man ought to feel toward a young virgin bride when he lies with her.
“The Lord will rejoice over you.”For the only-begotten Word of God came down from heaven to make the church fertile, which he presented to himself as a pure virgin, without spot or stain, wholly blameless. She received from him the seeds of the evangelical citizenship, became pregnant and gave birth, not with blood but rather as one shaped to the beauty of the truth.” (Commentary on Isaiah)
A study of Isaiah’s meaning of vindication and victory for this Sunday.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God,
Who govern all things,
both in heaven and on earth,
mercifully hear the pleading of Your people
and bestow Your peace on our times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Who govern all things,
both in heaven and on earth,
mercifully hear the pleading of Your people
and bestow Your peace on our times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
