The Byzantine Churches keep all these and many more OT Saints. Every night, I share the Saints for that day in the Byzantine Calendar, so I cover them all.
From Fr Z's Blog
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 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, is the Winter Solstice AND the Feast of St. Micah.
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 Martyrology.
19 Nov – Abdia or Obediah.
1 Dec – Nahum
2 Dec – Habakkuk
3 Dec – Sophonius or Zephaniah
16 Dec – Haggai and some sources David (others have David on 29 Dec)
18 Dec – Malachi
21 Dec – Micah
24 Dec – “Commemoratio omnium sanctorum avorum Iesu Christi, filii, David, filii Abraham, filii Adam…”
Just a little public service announcement.
FYI… other prophets
1 May – Jeremiah
9 May – Isaiah
15 June – Amos
20 July – Elijah
23 July – Ezekiel
21 Sept – Jonah
17 Oct – Hosea
19 Oct – Joel
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