People
chosen by God for a special mission in his plan of salvation
are constantly presented in the Bible as chosen and loved before
birth, with their birth announced in a special way; they are
moved by the Spirit of God; their mission demands sacrifices.
Witness the call of Samson in his folkloric saga, or that of
John the Baptist. The silence of Zechariah comes probably from
the joy of an overwhelming message, too great to be put into
words.
Underlying
these vocation stories is that people are weak, that salvation
is gratuitously given by God, that barrenness (the barren women)
gives way to fertility, that sacrifices are demanded. And so,
people are to be moved by the Spirit of God. All this holds
true also for us as we are called to prepare the way of the
Lord.
Opening
Prayer
Lord,
mighty God,
no angel announced our birth,
but we know that you loved us
even before we were born,
and that you call us to prepare
the fuller coming of your Son among people.
Reveal your strength in our weakness,
keep us hoping in your future,
that we may overcome all obstacles
to establish the kingdom
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture
Readings
First
Reading: Jdg
3:2-7, 24-25
There
was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife
could not bear children.The Angel of Yahweh appeared to this woman
and said to her, "You have not borne children and have not
given birth, but see, you are to conceive and give birth to a
son.
Because
of this, take care not to take wine or any alcoholic drink, nor
to eat unclean foods from now on, for you shall bear a son who
shall be a Nazirite of Yahweh from the womb of his mother. Never
shall his hair be cut for he is consecrated to Yahweh. He shall
begin the liberation of the Israelites from the Philistine oppression."
The
woman went to her husband and told him, "A messenger of God
who bore the majesty of an angel spoke to me. I did not ask him
where he came from nor did he tell me his name.
But
he said to me: 'You are to conceive and give birth to a son. Henceforth,
you shall not drink wine or fermented drinks, nor eat anything
unclean, for your son shall be a Nazirite of God from the womb
of his mother until the day of his death'."
The
woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew and
Yahweh blessed him. Then the Spirit of Yahweh began to move him
when he was in Mahane Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Responsorial
Psalm: Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17
R
My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your
glory!
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.
R My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing
your glory!
For
you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing
your glory!
I
will treat of the mighty works of the Lord;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing
your glory!
Gospel
Reading: Lk
1:5-25
In
the days of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah,
belonging to the priestly clan of Abiah. Elizabeth, Zechariah's
wife, also belonged to a priestly family. Both of them were upright
in the eyes of God and lived blamelessly in accordance with all
the laws and commands of the Lord, but they had no child. Elizabeth
could not have any and now they were both very old.
Now,
while Zechariah and those with him were fulfilling their office,
it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priests, to
enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the time of
offering incense all the people were praying outside; it was then
that an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right
side of the altar of incense. On seeing the angel, Zechariah was
deeply troubled and fear took hold of him.
But
the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah, be assured
that your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you
a son and you shall name him John. He will bring joy and gladness
to you and many will rejoice at his birth.
This
son of yours will be great in the eyes of the Lord. Listen: he shall
never drink wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with holy
spirit even from his mother's womb. Through him many of the people
of Israel will turn to the Lord their God. He himself will open
the way to the Lord with the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah;
he will reconcile fathers and children, and lead the disobedient
to wisdom and righteousness, in order to make ready for the Lord
a people prepared."
Zechariah
said to the angel, "How can I believe this? I am an old man
and my wife is elderly, too." The angel replied, "I am
Gabriel, who stands before God, and I am the one sent to speak to
you and bring you this good news! My words will come true in their
time. But you would not believe and now you will be silent and unable
to speak until this has happened."
Meanwhile
the people waited for Zechariah, and they were surprised that he
delayed so long in the sanctuary. When he finally appeared, he could
not speak to them and they realized that he had seen a vision in
the sanctuary. He remained dumb and made signs to them.
When
his time of service was completed, Zechariah returned home and some
time later Elizabeth became pregnant. For five months she kept to
herself, remaining at home, and thinking, "What is the Lord
doing for me! This is his time for mercy and for taking away my
public disgrace."
(Commentary)
–
For married couples who expect a child, that they may welcome
the child as a present from God, we pray:
–
For parents, that they inspire their children to put their talents
at the service of people, we pray:
–
For prophets of our day, that the Holy Spirit may move them
to awaken us with God’s word from our lack of concern for the
good of the community, we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
God,
our Father,
you had prepared your chosen people
to welcome your Son as the Savior
and yet his coming took them by surprise
and they did not recognize him.
Wake us up with the cry
of present-day prophets
to recognize and welcome him
not only in these signs of bread and wine
but also in the poor and the misfits
who hunger and thirst for food,
for justice and peace
and, perhaps without knowing it,
for the dignity of your children.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer
after Communion
Lord,
God of hope,
we are your people today
and yet we often hide
the presence of Jesus, your Son,
by our compromise and conformity.
Let your Son pour for us
the young wine of hope,
to rupture with our settled ways
and to make us new people
who reveal in our littleness and fragility
the presence in our midst
of someone much greater than we are,
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Christmas
is near. Let our prayers become more insistent that we may become
more committed to bring the love and justice of Christ into
our cold and harsh world. May God bless you, the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Gospel
Commentary
(Thrusday)
What's
going on? Abarren woman, advanced in age, conceives a child.
An angel announces the event as the work of God, bringing joy
and gladness to many. Like Samson, the child will be consecrated
to God from his mother's womb. He has been chosen before he
was born, for a particular purpose, to prepare the way for someone
greater than himself. He will be anointed with divine power
as a reconciler, leading many to God. The Spirit of God is at
work here. God's style is unmistakable: events of universal
and cosmic significance unfold in the greatest simplicity, visible
only to those with the wisdom of a child.
TOP
Taken
from Liturgy
Alive for Weekdays
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