Category Archives: A Lamp for Today

Canticle 9, first part (Luke 1:46-55); 1 Sam 2:1-10; 2 Cor 10:15; Gen 22:17-18 The first part of canticle 9, called the Magnificat, has been beloved for centuries.  It is the song of rejoicing and triumph of our Mother, and stands in an initial place of Luke’s Gospel, as well as studding our worship services.Continue reading “Light from the Canticles 10: Magnifying the Savior”

Canticle 8 (Dan 3:57-88 LXX) Last time we considered Old Testament Canticle Seven, with its vulnerable and striking confession of Azariah, with the story of how he and his friends are cast into the furnace, and with the beginning of the song of the Three Youths.  Their song opens, as we saw, with the sightContinue reading “Light from the Canticles 9: Sing and Exalt Him Throughout All the Ages!”

Canticle 7 (Dan 3:25-56); 2 King 19:15-20:6; Genesis 22:15-18 The seventh and eighth Biblical canticles, comprising the confession of Azariah and the song of his three friends in the fiery furnace, are everywhere present in holy week.  Indeed, their exhortation to “praise the Lord and highly exalt Him forever” finds its way into the mouthContinue reading “Light from the Canticles Episode 8: Azariah’s Confession and the Beginning of the Song”

Jonah 2:2-9; Matt 12:39-41; Job 41; Psalm 104/LXX 103:26; Psalm 139/LXX 138: 8-12; Psalm 148:7 The song of Jonah, Old Testament Canticle 6, is notable for its poignancy and substance.  Jonah gives voice to the desolation of those who know themselves to be at the brink of death, crying out to the Lord from theContinue reading “Light from the Canticles 7: Jonah’s Cry from the Depths”

Isaiah 26:9-20; Psalm 119; Romans 8:22-39; 2 Peter 1:19 The fifth Biblical Ode, taken from the song in Isaiah 26:9-20, is both challenging, and encouraging.  It begins practically, with a description of human vigilance before God, and ends pragmatically, with a reminder that human beings are given by the LORD a time of rest, forContinue reading “Light from the Canticles 6: Hosea’s Yearning and Hope”

Habakkuk 2:1-4 3:1-19; Joshua 10; Exodus 15 For several years, as we sang the fourth Ode of the Paschal canon, I was mystified at the prominent role given to a relatively obscure prophet, who wrote three short chapters of our Old Testament.  We sing: The inspired Prophet Habakkuk now stands with us in Holy Vigil. Continue reading “Light from the Canticles 5: With Habukkuk in Humility, Hope, and High Places”

1 Samuel/1 Kingdoms 2:1–10, Haggai 2:6, Psalm 74/5:3, Job 9:5 The third Biblical Canticle is one that we often associate with holy Mary’s Magnificat—both songs are uttered by women who have experienced a miraculous conception, the first an Old Testament married woman who had much sorrow, and the second a young virgin whom the LORDContinue reading “Light from the Canticles 4: Hannah’s Humble Faith”

Deut 32:19-43; Jeremiah 1:10; Hosea 6:1-3; Our last episode considered the luminous first eighteen verses of the second canticle of Moses, taken from Deuteronomy, with its many ways of picturing the Almighty.  It ended, though, on a sober note, reminding us how easy it is to forget the LORD, who “gave us birth.”  The secondContinue reading “Light from the Canticles 3: No God Beside Him!”

Deuteronomy 32:1–18 (Second Song of Moses, Part 1) As we have come to the New Year, we have been met by many poignant and wise commentaries upon life, and upon our generation.  Recently a friend of mine posted on FB a citation from St. Basil.  His situation in the fourth century, with the crisis ofContinue reading “Light from the Canticles 2: Remember the Days of Old”

The Song of Moses, Exodus 15:1-19 The singing of hymns, both personally and corporately, has been part of Christian life from the very beginning.  The gospels tell us that as Jesus and his disciples prepared to go to His ordeal on the Mount of Olives, they sang a hymn (Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26). Colossians andContinue reading “Light from the Canticles 1: Gloriously He Has Been Glorified!”