Gospel LK 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.”
Reflection:
Seven days remain until we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who was sent into the world to announce that we are to receive a great gift from Our Father, the “Good News.”
We no longer have to strive to be perfect to be loved and accepted by God. God loves us as we are, forgives our sins and anxiously waits for us to return to Him at the end of our time on earth.
Tradition has it that Christmas be celebrated as a day to experience the joy that comes with the “giving” of a gift.
Sadly, over time, children come to view Christmas as a time to be happy over “receiving” gifts.
Children love to come to My Brother’s Keeper during the Christmas season. They pretty much say one of two things to their parents: “Why do we have to go home? When can we come back?”
I’ll often ask a group of children, “Why do you like to come here?”
Full of emotion and excitement, they have difficulty giving me a clear answer: “There are lots of toys and good things to eat. I get to be with my friends. And, oh yes, the Christmas songs are always playing.”
I tell them, “Perhaps there is another reason why you like to come to the Keeper that you don’t even realize.”
Curious, they become quiet and ask, “What is it?”
“Can your remember,” I ask, “when you were five or six years old, the first time someone took you to a store to select a gift for your Mom?”
Wide eyed, with smiles on their faces, they nod their heads.
I help them to re-live the experience: “You wander from aisle to aisle in the store looking on shelves and in bins, searching for just the right thing. Somehow, you feel that when you see it, you’ll just know.
And then, you see it. You think, “Wow! That’s it. She’s going to love it.”
Arriving home, you carefully sneak the gift into your room and hide it deep in your closet.
You want to give it to her right away but Christmas is still a week off. The waiting is difficult but the anticipation of Mom’s happiness over your gift makes the waiting worthwhile.
Finally, on Christmas Eve, with a chair against your bedroom door, you take the gift out of the closet and carefully wrap it in colorful paper. That night you fall asleep picturing the look on your mom’s face when she opens your gift.
At this point in the story, the children’s heads are happily nodding up and down. Their faces are beaming as they recall the moment.
Waking on Christmas morning, you jump out of bed, grab Mom’s gift, and rush down the stairs.
Mom is sitting in her chair and your brother and sisters are giving her their gifts. You wait. Finally, you walk up and hand her your beautifully wrapped present.
Mom carefully, and all too slowly, peels away the tape. It’s taking her forever to open it. You want her to tear the paper away. But, you wait.
When Mom sees your gift, she gives you what you’ve been waiting for for such a long time.
She lifts your gift, and with a big smile, Mom says, “Ohhh, I love it.”
Your insides jump and your mind screams, “YES! I just knew she’d love it.”
I tell them, “Stop right there kids. You see, that’s the real reason you like to come to My Brother’s Keeper: My Brother’s Keeper is all about the joy that comes with “giving.”
As children, we fall into the trap of thinking Christmas is all about what “we” are going to get for Christmas. But the “real joy” isn’t about receiving at all.
The “real joy” of Jesus Christ is all about that feeling you had when your Mom opened the gift you gave her on that Christmas morning long ago.
The world says you gain your life by getting more and more and more and more, but Jesus says, ‘No, that leads to death. You get it back by giving it away and when you give it away you get it back.’ – – Philip Yancey