Monday 15 December 2025 - A grace you need

Monday 15 December 2025

Today is Monday the 15th of December, in the 3rd week of Advent. The Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles sing, ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’. Slow down as you step into this time of prayer today. Notice how your Advent journey is going... O Come, O come Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O Come, of all the nations King, The world awaits its ransoming. Remove our sin and faithlessness, Unite us who Thy name confess. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O Come, Thou dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thy advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadow put to flight. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O Come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heav’nly home. Make safe the way that leads to Thee, And close the path to misery. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O Come, thou Wisdom from on high Who orders all things mightily To us the path of knowledge show And teach us in Thy ways to go. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 21:23-27 When [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. The chief priests questioned Jesus’ authority. When have you found yourself questioning God’s ways? What leads to your questioning? Is it curiosity, resistance, fear, a desire to understand more deeply or something else? Where in your life are you being invited to trust the quiet authority of Jesus? Lift that situation to the Lord now. Perhaps there is a grace you need to be open to the authority of Jesus. Ask for that grace. Call to mind someone you know who exercises humble, Spirit-filled authority. Give thanks for them. As you listen to the passage again, notice the calm confidence of Jesus. How might that same authority shape your interactions today? Matthew 21:23-27 When [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. As this time of prayer and reflection comes to a close, ask God for wisdom and courage to recognise and honour Christ’s authority. O Wisdom Lord and Ruler Root of Jesse Key of David Rising Sun King of the Nations Emmanuel Come, Lord Jesus