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| “The Holy Family with St. Elizabeth and the Infant St. John the Baptist” by Bartolomeo Passerotti, 1572 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Judges 13:2-7, 24-25ad
There was
a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,
whose
name was Manoah.
His wife
was barren and had borne no children.
An angel
of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,
“Though
you are barren and have had no children,
yet you
will conceive and bear a son.
Now,
then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink
and to
eat nothing unclean.
As for
the son you will conceive and bear,
no razor
shall touch his head,
for this
boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he
who will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the
power of the Philistines.”
The woman
went and told her husband,
“A man of
God came to me;
he had
the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.
I did not
ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he
said to me,
‘You will
be with child and will bear a son.
So take
neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.
For the
boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb,
until the
day of his death.’”
The woman
bore a son and named him Samson.
The boy
grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the
Spirit of the LORD stirred him.
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Commentary
on Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a
This story from Judges appears to
parallel the Christ story in a number of ways. First, in the circumstances of
the Israelites who are under the rule of a foreign power at this point in
history, it is the Philistines who have conquered. Next, there is divine
intervention in the conception of a person who could be called a savior of the
people, although the one conceived is not the Messiah. Samson, in a more
conventional way, was dedicated from the womb to be God’s servant and under the
ancient rite was placed under the nazirite vow. This vow obliged him to
abstain from drinking wine or having his hair cut: cf Numbers 6:2-8.
CCC: Jgs 13 332
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17
R. (see 8) 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!
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Commentary
on Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17
Psalm 71 is the lament of an old person whose afflictions are
considered to be divine judgment. The focus of this passage is on the
dedication of this person to God from birth and follows the theme established
in Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a. Here we are told of the faithfulness of one so dedicated.
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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.”
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Commentary
on Lk 1:5-25
This passage from St. Luke is the
story of Zechariah receiving the news that he is to have a son with his wife
Elizabeth. It can be contrasted with the story of the unnamed woman who bore
Samson in Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a.
Elizabeth was, like the mother of
Samson, also barren. Both conceptions were announced by angels, although in the
case of Zechariah, the angel was one of the three named archangels, Gabriel.
Both children were dedicated to God from the womb, but St. John the Baptist,
whose tale this is, was given a specific task and labeled from the womb as a
great prophet: “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.”
In the final verses, Elizabeth goes
into seclusion with praise to God for having given her the gift of her child.
This statement reflects the societal view of that period. Women who could not
have children were being punished by God and therefore had committed some
hidden sin: “he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.”
CCC: Lk 1:11 332; Lk 1:15-19 724; Lk 1:15 717; Lk 1:17 523, 696, 716, 718, 2684; Lk
1:23 1070
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Reflection:
Sometimes
the fingerprints of God are hard to distinguish and at other times they shine
with unmistakable brilliance. In
scripture today, we are shown two major points in history where God reached
down and, using the flesh, gave the world evidence of his love. In today’s examples more is revealed; we are
given an M.O. or modus operandi.
It
seems that when God wants to really get involved in saving his people, he acts
very strategically. He does not take a
hand in real-time. Rather he reaches
down to the most improbable people and uses their issue as tools to create
amazing and wondrous events. We see it
coming in the Old Testament and it culminates in the most spectacular event in
all eternity with the birth of Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son.
Today
we see clearly the similarities between these touch points, and just as clearly
the differences come into stark relief.
In the case of first Samson and then John the Baptist, the parents of
these two salvific persons were told that they would give birth to children who
would be dedicated to God from “the womb.”
In the case of Jesus however, Mary was a young virgin who had never known
man and it was through the Holy Spirit she conceived, not through divine
pronouncement of a human act.
In the
cases of both Samson and John the Baptist (although John’s mission was much
more clearly established by God), both men accomplished great things because
they were supported by God. In Jesus’
case, his self-predicted path, while going in scope and in depth beyond
anything seen before, seems almost anti-climactic, an expected outcome in spite
of its heroic proportions. Perhaps it is
because of his quiet passion and humility that we feel his great power. There was nothing about him that would have
otherwise called our attention to him (see Isaiah 53:1-2).
As we
fly through this last week before we celebrate the Lord’s Nativity, we are
given another insight into the God who saves us. We can take that additional piece of
understanding and bolster the faith that is the foundation of our strength and
brace ourselves for the wondrous event that is fast approaching.
Pax
O Antiphon for the date:[4]
O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised
up
as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent
in your
presence; the nations bow down in worship
before
you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to
our
aid.
O Radix Jesse, qui stas
in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt
reges os suum,
quem gentes
deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos,
iam noli tardare.
[1]
The picture used today is “The Holy Family with St. Elizabeth and the Infant
St. John the Baptist” by Bartolomeo Passerotti, 1572.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New
American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least
the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat
canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology
that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old
Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old
Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative
"Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. (USCCB)
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