We have less than a week to go before Christmas arrives. Today's
readings give us a lot to think about as we continue our preparations during
this Advent season with Christmas. The
psalmist prays today, “Lord, be my rock
of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.” As we prepare our hearts
for the birth of Christ, perhaps we are wanting to be rescued from something in
our lives. Perhaps we are feeling unsafe
where we are at on our journey. Perhaps the secular world
has swept us away in the busy whirlwind of the holiday season, in the
materialism of this time of the year in our secular culture, so much so that
the stillness and solitude that we want to find in our relationship with God
may be missing in our lives. Perhaps the message of hope and redemption
that comes to us in the birth of our Lord seems so detached from the reality of our daily
lives.
In our Gospel reading, we
hear about Zechariah's encounter with the Angel Gabriel, about his questioning
of Gabriel's announcement regarding the impending birth of Zechariah's son,
John the Baptist. Although he was a holy
priest who blamelessly followed God's law, Zechariah was made silent in order to ponder and
reflect upon what the angel had told him. Today's Gospel concludes
with Elizabeth rejoicing at how the Lord has taken away the humiliation she had
suffered for having been barren for so many years. Perhaps there are things
going on in our own lives that we need to reflect upon and ponder. Perhaps there is a sense of barrenness in our life of faith
that is in need of God's redemption and grace?
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