This is Cardinal Francis George. I invite you to join me for the next two minutes to reflect

with Father Robert Barron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire. Word on Fire Catholic

Ministries is a non-profit ministry at the forefront of Catholic evangelization, using

new media to spread the faith and every continent. Father Barron challenges us to open our hearts

to the Word on Fire, which is God's Word of Love for each of us. If our hearts are open,

the Lord can change and transform us so that we might speak with love about the one who

is love. The global benefactors of Word on Fire with the support of the Archdiocese of

Chicago now present Word on Fire. Peace be with you. Friends, in order to understand the

readings for today, this fourth Sunday of Advent, we have to move into a Davidic space.

I mean, a space that's characterized conditioned by King David. Along with Moses and Abraham, David

was the most important figure in the Old Testament. His kingship represented the fulfillment of

so many of the expectations of Israel, and his reign became synonymous with imperial power

and with peace. It was the high point of Israelite life. Moreover, David received an extraordinary

promise, unlike a promise given to any other figure in the Old Testament. You'll find it recorded

in the second book of Samuel. Through the prophet Nathan, God informed David that David's

line would last forever and that a son of his body would rule over Israel forever. Now, it's

interesting, isn't it? Because you say, okay, a line that lasts forever, I kind of get that,

that your line will just go on and on endlessly. But then the second part of the promise, that

somehow the fruit of your body, a descendant of yours, would rule over Israel forever. Something

very mystical, very strange about that prediction. Now, during the long years that followed the time

of David, it's fair to say that Israel remained haunted by the memory of this great King and haunted

even more by this promise. Now, soon after David's reign, his United Empire fell apart. It split

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