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Where God answers prayers.

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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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At the time when this Gospel passage occurred, there were about 20,000 priests in Israel. Often, this honor came by birthright; any male who was a descendant of Aaron was automatically a priest. Such was the case for Zechariah.

Because of the sheer number of priests, most never had the opportunity to enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost room of the Temple where God’s presence dwelt. There sacrifices were made on behalf of the entire nation of Israel.

Providentially, the lot fell on Zechariah. His time had come, but it was a bittersweet moment. 

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Though a priest, Zechariah harbored angst and grief in his heart. He and his wife, Elizabeth, were childless. At that time, being barren was seen as a curse, or a punishment by God. It was even grounds for divorce.

What had either Zechariah or Elizabeth done to merit such punishment? Both were devout servants of the Lord…

Thus, when Zechariah entered the Holy of Holies, he was not only praying for his nation; but he was also praying for a son. Suddenly, the archangel Gabriel appeared telling him that his prayer had been heard! 

Unlike Mary, who will welcome the news of bearing a son in faith, Zechariah doubts Gabriel’s promise, so the angel strikes him mute.

Scholars say this was an act of mercy to prevent Zechariah from speaking blasphemously, doubting God’s power while standing in his presence. Zechariah will not be able to speak again until God’s promise is fulfilled, and his son, John, is born.

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What might Zechariah’s story say to us today?

Never underestimate the power of God. 

And notice where God reveals his power… in the Temple. 

Like Zechariah, sometimes we must make a pilgrimage to God’s house, standing before his altar if we want our prayers to be heard. Where might we find ourselves this week?

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Image credits: (1) Patheos (2) Zechariah in the Temple, Jan Lievens (3) More Incense, Less Nonsense, WordPress.com

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Christmas according to Saint Joseph.

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Gospel: Matthew 1: 18-25

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 be with child 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.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We’ve all heard the Christmas story before. Many of us can also remember participating in a Christmas pageant as children. 

Maybe you were Mary, rocking the child Jesus in your arms. Maybe you were an angel rejoicing in heaven. Or maybe you were Joseph, the character sometimes forgotten in the Christmas story. 

While the stage light is often shining upon the archangel Gabriel, Mary, and Christ conceived in her womb, the story could not have moved forward without Joseph – and it’s his experience that most of us can relate to today.

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Joseph’s role in the Christmas story has deep historical roots. More than 700 years before, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed that a king would arise in Israel’s midst, that all nations would come to worship him, and that this king would usher in a reign of peace.

It seemed impossible at the time.

Israel had been divided; their nation was beginning to crumble. Life looked terribly bleak. Still, Isaiah foresaw a period of renewal and the coming of a king, who would descend from the line of David.

Fast forward 700 years. In today’s Gospel, we find Saint Joseph – heartbroken and asleep. Somehow, Mary, his bride-to-be, has conceived a child and Joseph knows it is not his. His dreams are shattered; every very fiber of his being is rattled.

Although he could have Mary stoned to death according to the Law, Joseph decides to divorce her quietly, because he’s a kind and gentle man. Suddenly, an angel appears to him in a dream, convincing him that Mary has done nothing wrong; quite the opposite.

God has acted in her life. And now God intends on acting in Joseph’s. But if God is to do anything good for him, then Joseph must accept this divine mess and claim it as his own. He must take Mary and this child that isn’t his into his home.

Mary needs Joseph’s lineage to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy that this king would descend from the line of David. So, when he awakens, Joseph does as he is told. And he never says a word.

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What might his story say to us today? 

First, God is present in messy situations.

Second, his plans are often not our own.

And third, saying “yes” to God leads to new possibilities, which we never could’ve imagined for ourselves.

This Christmas, may we open our hearts to God’s grace, which comes into our often messy lives, for he comes to bring us peace and new possibilities.

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Image credits: (1) Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus, Guido Reni (2) The Dream of Saint Joseph, Philippe de Champaigne (3) Milena Ciciotti, YouTube

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Lessons from Christ’s Family Tree.

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Gospel: Matthew 1:1-17

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Over the last number of years, many have used DNA test kits – like 23andMe – to learn more about their ancestry. Such advanced science didn’t exist at the time of Christ. Rather, people traced their history orally.

In today’s Gospel, Matthew traces the lineage of Jesus Christ all the way back to Abraham, who lived thousands of years before him in order to teach us several important lessons.

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First, God acts in history. 

Jesus did not strut onto the world stage as an unimpressive newcomer; his birth was the fruit of long-awaited anticipation – for at least 42 generations, dating back to Abraham.

And through his Spirit, God continues acting in our world, even in our own lives today.

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Secondly, God is a God of inclusion.

Five of the people named in the genealogy of Jesus are women. All of them, with the exception of Mary, are Gentiles, not Jews.

Thus, from the beginning, God’s plan of salvation included men and women, Jews and Gentiles. The Lord still relies upon people of every race and tongue to accomplish his will today.

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Finally, God works through ordinary, even sinful, people. 

Several of those listed in Christ’s genealogy were sketchy characters – from con artists to prostitutes. They remind us that we do not need to be perfect in order to be instruments of grace.

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So, what might the history of Christ’s family tree mean for us?

Just as God relied upon a vast array of characters to prepare the way for his first coming, so he can use any one of us to prepare the way for his second.

In the words of John the Baptist, “Prepare the way of the Lord, and make straight his paths.”

May we be agents of God’s peace today.

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Image credits: (1) Campus Ministry at the University of Saint Mary (2) Dreamstime.com (3) One Family Under God, WordPress