When peaceful stillness compassed everything and the night in its swift course was half spent, Your all-powerful word, from heaven’s royal throne bounded, a fierce warrior, into the doomed land, bearing the sharp sword of your inexorable decree. (Wis 18: 14-16; 19:6-9)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111823.cfm
This passage from the Book of Wisdom influenced the Christmas traditions more than we realize. The famous carol and Marian hymn, Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming (in German, "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen”), as well as the Christmas tradition of Midnight Mass comes from this passage: when half-spent was the night. Today is also the dedication of two of the major basilicas of Rome, the Vatican Basilica of Saint Peter and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, honoring the two apostles of Rome.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, November 18
