An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son.” Judges 13:3
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord. Luke 1:17
PietyLord, help us to put aside our doubts and fears. We are, after all, only human. We are, after all, Your emotional, irrational creation. We make decisions with the minds you gave us, with the hearts you gave us or with both. Help us to be present to you and the mission you have in life for us this Advent season. Be patient with our eventual obedience. Help us, like you did with Zechariah, get over the obstacles to your friendship. Here I am Lord. I come to do your will. Amen.
Today’s reading gives us several distinct parallels.
First, we see Elizabeth is in a situation (barren) like many of the other great mothers of the Hebrew Bible – Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, the mother of Samson (from today’s first reading) and Hannah.
Second we see again the comparison of John to Elijah preaching preparation for the Lord’s coming. Like Samson (Judges 13:4-5) and Samuel (1 Sam 1:11), John is to be consecrated by Nazirite vow and set apart for the Lord's service.
Third, we read of Zechariah’s reaction to the angel (doubt) which can be compared and contrasted with Mary’s reaction (obedience) as well as Menoah’s obedience and offer of sacrifice.
Sometimes God just acts but other times, God sends an angel to announce what is happening or what is come. In Luke’s Gospel, we see two reactions. Today, the reading details the response from John the Baptist’s father when his son is conceived. Later we will read of Mary’s obedience. Even Mary does question the angel because she had not been with a man when her pregnancy is revealed.
Throughout the Hebrew Bible and the Good News, one natural reaction to such angelic proclamations is fear. So the angels spend some time comforting those who are granted such visions (“Do not be afraid.”).
The angels come to people where they are in their journey. So the shepherds see the angels while they are watching their flocks in the fields at night. Mary’s encounter happens in her house. And Zechariah’s encounter actually happens in the sanctuary of the temple where he was offering a sacrifice of burning incense.
How would you react to the announcement of angels if they came to where you are on your journey? At home? At work? At church?
I think I can relate to Zechariah. He was troubled. Fear overcame him. In his unbelief, Zechariah bears another burden when he is stricken mute for his doubts until his son is born and named John.
So many messages come at us these days in daily life. Some are carried by signs people have on the side of the road. Others by advertising. Others by those annoying little pop-up ads on the Internet. Still others through some kind of radio, TV, magazine, newspaper or alternative media. How do we sort out the good messages from the bad? How can we begin to know the messages that come to us from God apart from those who come from other, perhaps evil, sources?
Hope lies in the eventual obedience that Zechariah does show to the prophecy of the angel. John is born. Zechariah follows through on what he was asked to do just like Mary did. The obedience is rewarded with healing.
We all hope to be like Mary. But in today’s skeptical society, might it not be more realistic that we would be like Zechariah when the angel comes to us with a proclamation?
Be aware of the messages that you are sent today. How do you sort out the good from the bad? Keep track of the good messages and see how many you follow-through on right away. What good messages get a delayed reaction from your? What if these were from an angel of the Lord?
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