Old Testament Prophets are SAINTS in the Church’s calendar: A Christmasy Emamaus

Today is 18 December, the Feast of the Old Testament Prophet St. Malachi.

Since the beginning of December, Holy Mother Church has been imitating the Lord on the Road to Emmaus.

She has been reminding us of all the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah who would also be incarnate God.

She has done this subtly, through feast days, but feasts that are not generally visible to most of us.  Holy Mother Church has used her “album of the saints”, the Roman Martyrology, to teach about the Old Testament Prophets.

Sometimes you hear people – even priests, for shame – use the word “liturgy” when they mean “Mass”.  “In today’s ‘liturgy’…”, they say.

No.  The Mass is the greatest expression of the Church’s liturgy, but it is not all there is.  There are also the canonical hours of the divine Office.  The Office also makes use of the liturgical book called the Roman Martyrology.

Paging through the 2005 Martyrology, we find that many Old Testament figures are counted as saints.

If the general calendar of the Church permits, it would even be possible to celebrate them for Mass!

Today, for example, St. Malachi who pointed to the forerunner of Christ, St. John the Baptist who heralded the coming of the Lord.  Christ quotes Malachi on this in Matthew 11.

In a few days we have the Winter Solstice and the Feast of St. Micah.  Micah said (5:2)

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
    from ancient days.

About those Old Testament prophets…

Keep in mind that in earlier days, Advent was longer than it is now, from Martinmas.  Prophets start popping up in the calendar in the 2005 Martyrology.

19 Nov – Abdia or Obediah. (RomMart 2005, p. 632)
1 Dec – Nahum (p. 652)
2 Dec – Habakkuk (p. 654)
3 Dec – Sophonius or Zephaniah (p. 655)
16 Dec – Haggai (p. 674) and some sources David (others have David on 29 Dec)
18 Dec – Malachi (p. 677)
21 Dec – Micah (p. 680)
24 Dec – “Commemoratio omnium sanctorum avorum Iesu Christi, filii, David, filii Abraham, filii Adam…” (p. 684)  Commemoration of all the holy “ancestors” (lit. grandfathers) of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham, son of Adam

Just a little public service announcement.

FYI… other prophets

1 May – Jeremiah (p. 263)
9 May – Isaiah (p. 277)
15 June – Amos (p. 338)
20 July – Elijah (p. 401)
21 July – Daniel (1878 MartRom)
23 July – Ezekiel (p. 408)
4 Sept – Moses (1878 MartRom)
6 Sept – Zachariah (1878 MartRom)
21 Sept – Jonah (p. 528)
17 Oct – Hosea (p. 575)
19 Oct – Joel (p. 579)