“Hearts Open to Receive the Lord” by Colleen O’Sullivan

“Hearts Open to Receive the Lord” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

The woman went and told her husband, "A man of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.  I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.  But he said to me, 'You will be with child and will bear a son.  So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.  For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of his death.'" (Judges 13:6-7)

For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb, you are my strength.  (Psalm 71:5-6ab)

Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.   Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.  But the angel said to him, "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.  (Luke 1:10-15a)

Piety

O Lord, may the ears of my heart be open to anything you desire to say to me or ask of me.

Study

Two visits from angels.  Two extraordinary promises to aging individuals.  Two unexpected, though longed for, late-in-life babies.  And then, ultimately, two men for whom God had special plans.  The Scriptures tell us that the Lord blessed Samson and the Spirit of the Lord stirred him.  Samson was the one chosen to begin freeing Israel from the military might of the Philistines.  About John the Baptist the angel says, He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  John points us to the Savior.

My first thought after reading the passages from the Book of Judges and Luke’s Gospel was, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God always sent an angel who spoke clearly and concisely whenever God had something to say to us?”   There would be no doubt about God’s desires for us. 

Upon further reflection, however, I realized that God could send a legion of angels, and unless the eyes and ears of our hearts are open and receptive, it all would be for naught.  Samson’s mother was frightened by the appearance of her visitor, but she believed he was an angel and accepted what was said to her.  Zechariah, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure about his heavenly visitor.  He showed doubt about the message, as well as the messenger, asking how he could verify all of it because he and his wife were so old.   Evidently, he had forgotten the words of the psalmist about putting one’s trust in God from birth on. 

Action

How are we doing on trust?  What is it that keeps us from recognizing the voice of God whispering to us?  Advent is the beginning of a new year.  It’s a season for welcoming the Lord.  It’s a great time to ask Jesus to remove whatever keeps us from seeing and hearing Him.