Author: admin

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Gospel: Luke 1: 5-25

In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth. 
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years. 

Once when he was serving as priest
in his division’s turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. 
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. 
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. 
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. 
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.” 

Then Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this? 
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 
And the angel said to him in reply,
“I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. 
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. 
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. 
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.

Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home. 

After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Once a year, a priest was chosen to enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost room of the Temple, where it’s believed God’s presence dwelt.

This was the closest a human being could be physically to God.

Zechariah was chosen to enter that day, to pray on behalf of an entire nation.

While this was a tremendous honor, the moment was bittersweet. Zechariah was not only placing the needs of his nation before the Lord; he was also interceding for his wife, Elizabeth, who was elderly and barren.

Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed their whole life for a child…and, suddenly, the angel Gabriel appears to him and says, “Your prayer has been granted.”

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The angel Gabriel will deliver a similar message to the Virgin Mary. “Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son.”

Mary responds to the angel in confidence, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”

But Zechariah is filled with doubt. “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years,” he says. Zechariah favors human logic over divine providence.

For this reason, he’s struck mute. Scholars say that this was an act of mercy, preventing Zechariah from blaspheming against God while in the Holy of Holies.

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How often do we find ourselves in Zechariah’s position? We pray to the Lord, but in our heart of hearts we wonder if anything will really change?

 We favor human logic over divine providence.

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Today’s Gospel – and by extension the Advent season – reminds us to never give up. The elderly and barren conceive. The Virgin is found with child. The Word is made flesh and dwells among us.

Truly, nothing is impossible for God. 

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Image credits: (1) Busyblessedwomen.com (2) Zechariah’s Question to Gabriel, Aleteia (3) Lifehouse

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Gospel: Matthew 1: 18-24

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, 
but before they lived together, 
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame, 
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 
“Joseph, son of David, 
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit 
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, 
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel, 
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him 
and took his wife into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We’re now one week away from Christmas! 

Can you feel the tension in our readings? We’re so close that today’s Gospel gives us the Christmas story early from Joseph’s perspective.

What might he say to us from his experience of Christmas?

When God enters your life, buckle up buttercup!

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Joseph was an ordinary man. He never wrote a book. Never went to college. Never held public office. Never lived in a major city or even journeyed far from his home. He was far from royalty, a simple carpenter who earned his daily bread by the sweat of his brow.

Perhaps the best thing that ever happened to him was meeting Mary, his bride-to-be. But now she’s pregnant…and the child isn’t his.

Imagine how you’d feel.

Anyone standing in Joseph’s shoes would’ve been heartbroken. Perhaps we’d be filled with anger or begin plotting our revenge.

But the Gospel tells us that Joseph is a “righteous” man, a good man, who decides to divorce Mary quietly. 

Under the Law, he could’ve taken her to court and sued her for his dowry. He could’ve exposed her to shame, or even had her stoned. But Joseph takes the path of least resistance, tempering justice with mercy.

That’s a virtue every Christian can learn from: mercy. When someone we love hurts or disappoints us, instead of seeking revenge or entertaining angry thoughts, we treat them with mercy, instead.

What might that look like for me, treating others with greater mercy?

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Even after Joseph “resolves” the problem of a scandalously pregnant fiancé, his story is only beginning. God invites him to accept a future he never imagined.

Buckle up, buttercup.

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Joseph is told in a dream that his worst nightmare – Mary becoming pregnant out of wedlock – was, in fact, the will of God. It was an act of God. 

She conceived a son by the power of the Holy Spirit!

No human wisdom will help here.

Anyone would’ve been baffled. Perhaps this strange turn of events would’ve made us even more bitter. 

But, immediately after awakening from this dream, Joseph takes Mary into his home, showing that he’s not only a man of mercy.

He’s also a man of action.

He doesn’t do what I might do and take a forty-day silent retreat to process what he’s heard. He doesn’t pause or question. As soon as he opens his eyes, he welcomes Mary, and this child that isn’t his, into his home. He accepts them both on God’s terms.

The rest of Joseph’s life becomes caught up in God’s plan – a divine plan – a plan that is far greater than himself. 

What I find most striking of all is the fact that the Gospels never record Joseph saying anything. He’s the silent hero of the Christmas story.

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As Christians, we tend to assume that the idea of God entering into our lives is a good thing. A great thing. It’s what brings us to church on Sunday!

But asking God to guide us can also be risky and, at times, upsetting.

Just look at what happened to Joseph. He was stretched to the brink. Instead of living life on his own terms, he became a foster father, accepting a future he never imagined. He becomes a man living in surrender.

How might our lives change if we had the heart of Joseph? Would we act more boldly on God’s Word? Would we accept a future we haven’t planned or carry a cross we didn’t ask for?

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The Christmas story reminds us that, when God enters into your life, the world becomes unpredictable, divine, other-centered. Fear gives way to trust.

Deep down, it’s what we all want – God at the center of our lives. 

But be prepared. When God takes over, buckle up, buttercup.

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Image credits: (1) Buckle Up Buttercup, Words Quotes Carmilla (2) Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus, Guido Reni (3) SooToday.com

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Gospel: John 5: 33-36

Jesus said to the Jews:
“You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. 
I do not accept testimony from a human being,
but I say this so that you may be saved. 
John was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. 
But I have testimony greater than John’s. 
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.”

The Gopel of the Lord.

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Every morning before I begin praying at my desk, I light a tea candle and place it in a stand. The candle burns bright for over an hour before its tiny little wick runs out, disappearing into a small silhouette of smoke.

It’s such a simple object, but that candle teaches us several lessons about the life of John the Baptist, whom Jesus praises in today’s Gospel.

“He was a burning and shining lamp,” Jesus says, “and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.”

John was like a little tea candle. 

But, what exactly do John and a tea candle have in common?

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They both give off light.

The purpose of light is to guide. As the Psalmist says, “Your WORD is a lamp for my steps, and a light for my path.” John was a light, a “bright and shining lamp” who led people to Christ.

They produce warmth. The light of a candle attracts and warms human hands; the light of Christ, present in John the Baptist, warmed human hearts.

Finally, and most poetically of all, the candle loses itself in the process of giving off light. The more light and heat it produces, the shorter its wick becomes until there’s nothing left.

Like a tiny tea candle, John’s life – his ambitions, his hopes, his understanding – slowly burned away until only Christ remained. As he himself said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”

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In what ways are we like a tiny tea candle? 

Do we emit the light of Christ? Do we attract others by our warmth? Above all, do we allow the Holy Spirit to melt away our plans and desires until only Christ is left?

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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Saint John the Baptist, Carlo Maratti (3) Pixaby