Today's readings give us a lot to think about as we continue our preparations during this Advent season with Christmas eve being celebrated tomorrow. 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 and from what do we need safety? Are we so caught up in the busy whirlwind of the holiday season, in the materialism of our culture, so much so that the stillness and solitude that we can find in our relationship with God may be missing in our lives? Is the message of hope and salvation that we are called to find in the birth of our Lord so detached from the reality of our daily lives?
Then we hear about Zechariah's encounter with the Angel Gabriel in our reading from Luke’s Gospel today, 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. What are those things we need to ponder in our lives? Is there any barrenness in our life of faith that is in need of God's redemption and grace?
As we celebrate the final days 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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