The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to consider how the events of our life are invitations and opportunities to follow the Spirit that calls us to our Baptismal mission as priest, prophet, and leader.
The reading from the Book of Judges describes the annunciation of the Birth of Samson.
* [13:5] A nazirite for God: according to the rules for nazirites set forth in Nm 6:2–8, Samson’s vows would have obliged him to abstain from wine and other products of the vine and to keep his hair uncut. As the story that follows shows, the last requirement proved especially fateful in Samson’s life. (Judges, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)
Psalm 71 is a prayer for lifelong protection and help.
* [Psalm 71] A lament of an old person (Ps 71:9, 18) whose afflictions are interpreted by enemies as a divine judgment (Ps 71:11). The first part of the Psalm pleads for help (Ps 71:1–4) on the basis of a hope learned from a lifetime’s experience of God; the second part describes the menace (Ps 71:9–13) yet remains buoyant (Ps 71:14–16); the third develops the theme of hope and praise (Psalms, PSALM 71, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, the birth of John the Baptist is foretold.
* [1:19] I am Gabriel: “the angel of the Lord” is identified as Gabriel, the angel who in Dn 9:20–25 announces the seventy weeks of years and the coming of an anointed one, a prince. By alluding to Old Testament themes in Lk 1:17, 19 such as the coming of the day of the Lord and the dawning of the messianic era, Luke is presenting his interpretation of the significance of the births of John and Jesus.
* [1:20] You will be speechless and unable to talk: Zechariah’s becoming mute is the sign given in response to his question in v. 18. When Mary asks a similar question in Lk 1:34, unlike Zechariah who was punished for his doubt, she, in spite of her doubt, is praised and reassured (Lk 1:35–37). (Luke, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
Mardell Wilson comments that waiting and trusting that God’s plan is perfect is not easy. We live in a broken and sinful world that oftentimes challenges our faith and trust – not just in God but in one another. How many times do we think that we have to face our adversities alone? Today’s Psalm reminds us that regardless of the challenge, God rescues us from the hand of the wicked. During this time of Advent it is not that we cannot speak, like Zechariah, but that we must be prepared to listen to God’s word and our time will come.
Good and gracious Lord, may your promises of love, mercy and grace mute our doubts as we wait to celebrate the birth of your Son, Jesus, during this Advent season. May our continued faith and trust in your second coming give us the peace that you walk with us in good times and in bad, as we proclaim your wondrous deeds. Amen. (Wilson, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Born for prophecy - murdered for truth,” by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD).
"I do not know what is the most important thing that we should preach - that he [John the Baptist] was wonderfully born or more wonderfully slain - for he was born as a prophecy and murdered for truth. By his birth he announced the coming of the Savior, and by his death he condemned the incest of Herod (Matthew 14:3-12). This holy and righteous man, who was born in an uncommon way as the result of a promise, merited from God that he should depart this world by an uncommon death - that he should by confessing the Lord lay aside his body, which he had received as a gift from the Lord. Therefore John did everything by the will of God, since he was born and died for the sake of God's work." (excerpt from SERMON 5.1-.2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:5-25 invites us to think of first-time parents. Their lives have changed dramatically! The way they treat their child will affect every aspect of his or her life. This child will ask questions for which they will have no answers and present needs that they may not know how to meet. Their new vocation will test their relationship and drive them to depend on God in ways they had never imagined before. But despite all that, this new child will bring them so much joy and love that they will accept every challenge and learn how to weather every storm together.
If we can keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, even in the most stressful of situations, we’ll always find the grace we need to move forward. And finding that grace, we’ll also find reason to rejoice.
“Lord, help me never to lose sight of the joy that you have in store for me.” (Meditation on Luke 1:5-25, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the annunciation narratives of Sampson, a great judge of Israel, and John the Baptist. The questions of Zachariah and Mary to the angel Gabriel had different consequences connected to trust in prayer. Friar Jude notes that “God is merciful” is the mission contained in John’s name.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, writes of the Incarnation of Christ in the person of Jesus. Christians believe that this universal Christ presence was later “born of a woman under the law” (Galatians 4:4) in a moment of chronological time. This is the great Christian leap of faith.
Jesus walked, enjoyed, and suffered the entire human journey, and he told us that we could and should do the same. His life exemplified the unfolding mystery in all of its stages—from a hidden, divine conception, to a regular adult life full of love and problems, punctuated by a few moments of transfiguration and enlightenment, and all leading to glorious ascension and final return. As Hebrews 4:15 states, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who was like us in every way, experienced every temptation, and never backtracked” (my translation). We do not need to be afraid of the depths and breadths of our own lives, of what this world offers us or asks of us. We are given permission to become intimate with our own experiences, learn from them, and allow ourselves to descend to the depth of things, even our mistakes, before we try too quickly to transcend it all in the name of some idealized purity or superiority. God hides in the depths and is not seen as long as we stay on the surface of anything—even the depths of our sins. [2]
We meditate on the twists and turns in our life journey that are the path through which we experience and express love, compassion, and hope. (Rohr, 2022)
We meditate on the twists and turns of our journey and express our gratitude for our experiences of expressing love, compassion, and hope.
References
Judges, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/judges/13?2
Luke, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?5
Meditation on Luke 1:5-25. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/19/557066/
Psalms, PSALM 71. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/71?3
Rohr, R. (2022, December 19). The Second Incarnation Flows from the First — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-second-incarnation-flows-from-the-first-2022-12-19/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Many Will Rejoice at His Birth. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec19
Wilson, M. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/121922.html
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