The Benedict Year › Reading Backwards from the Pascha
Advent · Weeks 12–14
The Promise
A branch for Advent that plants Isaiah 11, which comes back in May at confirmation.
Why it is here
The shoot from the stump of Jesse, with the sevenfold Spirit resting on him, returns in May as the text behind the child’s own confirmation. Irenaeus on the knot of Eve’s disobedience untied by Mary’s obedience is recapitulation in miniature: the Pascha’s logic, small enough to hold.
What is it for?
The Spirit resting on the shoot. The text answers: to judge the poor with justice (Isaiah 11:2–4).
Unanswerable
Why a woman’s offspring, and not a warrior, to crush the serpent?
The weeks
| Week | Dates | Read aloud |
|---|---|---|
| Week 12 | 30 November – 4 December 2026 | The woman and the serpent: Genesis 3:1–15; Irenaeus, On the Apostolic Preaching §§32–33: Mary as the new Eve |
| Week 13 | 7–11 December 2026 | Emmanuel: Isaiah 7:10–16; Isaiah 9:1–7; Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 100: the new Eve, earlier than Irenaeus |
| Week 14 | 14–18 December 2026 | The shoot from the stump: Isaiah 11:1–10; Luke 1:26–56 |
Books for this unit
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