Today's readings give us a lot to think
about as we continue our preparations during this Advent season with Christmas
less than a week away. 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 into our world, from
what do we need to be rescued, from what do we need safety? We may be so caught up in the busy whirlwind
of the holidays, in the materialism of our modern secular culture, so much so
that the stillness and solitude that we can find in our relationship with God
may be missing in our lives. The message
of hope and salvation that we find in the birth of our Lord may be so detached
from the reality of our daily lives that we do feel the joy in our hearts that
is a part of this holy season.
Then we hear about Zechariah's
encounter with the Angel Gabriel, about his questioning of Gabriel's
announcement of the impending birth of Zechariah's son, John the Baptist. Although Zechariah was a holy priest who
blamelessly followed God's commandments, he was made silent in order to reflect
upon what the angel had told him.
Elizabeth rejoices at how the Lord has taken away the humiliation she
had suffered for having been barren for so many years. What are those things we need to ponder and
reflect upon in our lives? Is there any
barrenness in our life of faith that is in need of God's grace?
As we enter the final week of Advent in
our preparation for Jesus' birth into our world, may our hearts be filled with
joy and gladness, may we find refuge in the Lord and hear his voice crying out
to us in the darkness.
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