December 19, 2009
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
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. Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb. It is he who will begin the deliverance of
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb.” Luke 1:13-15
Piety
"Be Not Afraid” by John Michael Talbot
You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live.
Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come follow me, and I will give you rest.
If you pass through raging waters in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames, you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell and death is at your side, know that
I am with you through it all.
Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come follow me, and I will give you rest.
Blessed are your poor, for the kingdom shall be theirs.
Blest are you that weep and mourn, for one day you shall laugh.
And if wicked men insult and hate you all because of me, blessed, blessed are you!
Study
God uses some of the most unlikely figures to lead us to him.
First, he uses an unwed teenage mother who chooses to keep her baby conceived (by the Holy Spirit) out of wedlock. Then, he uses a carpenter-father to round out the Holy Family that guides and helps Jesus make the transition into humanity. Finally, he uses a powerless little baby homeless Jewish baby boy.
Stories in scripture today allow us to see and hear how the Lord used women and men among the Hebrews to draw people closer after they turned away. Despite the more powerful and socially acceptable role played by men in ancient
The women we study throughout Advent accepted the will of the Lord to guide their action. However, it was men who had the most difficulty accepting the Emmanuel (“God with Us”) story – Zechariah, Herod, and others. The accepting and obedient witness by the women is more powerful because Mary and Elizabeth and Manoah’s wife gave up their free will to God and immediately acted upon what was asked of them. While they have more spiritual fortitude at the outset, we see more growth and change (conversion) in some of the men.
The choice to believe makes all the difference. Joseph wants to divorce Mary but changes when he gets the message from God. When Zechariah changed and acted out of obedience by naming his son John as instructed by the angel (even though by Hebrew tradition, that name was not in his family genealogy), Zechariah got his gift of speech restored just as John will restore our soul through baptism that “guides our feet into the path to peace.”
Thus their personal conversion leads to public witness that leads to these women and men playing vital roles in leading people and us closer to the Lord.
Action
How does the Lord use people today to pull us closer and closer and closer to the Him? Who is he using in your life to pull you toward him? Who is he using you to bring into or back into the Church community of believers?
We hope to be like Mary. We want to be obedient like Mary. However, coming from a skeptical society that put primary value on individual (trivial) pursuits, we are all probably going to end up being more like Zechariah most of the time. He doubted the message and was made speechless until his son was born and named. From that conversion, Zechariah learned and communicated some powerful lessons to his family, neighbors and to us. How will you react to the Good News when it falls on your ears? Will you be like Zechariah and have doubts or will you be like Mary and accept it as soon as the words are spoken?
What role will you play in salvation history?
What role will you play in salvation history, Tim?
What role will you play in salvation history, Emily?
What role will you play in salvation history, Ken?
What role will you play in salvation history, Alina?
What role will you play in salvation history, John?
What role will you play in salvation history, Barbara?
What role will you play in salvation history, Clement?
What role will you play in salvation history, Kat?
What role will you play in salvation history, Nate?
What role will you play in salvation history, Phil?
What role will you play in salvation history?
