Tag: Elizabeth

“The dawn from on high.” | Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

From the Gospel acclamation: “O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:67-79)

“You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Today’s Gospel picks up where yesterday’s passage left off. The friends and neighbors of Zechariah and Elizabeth take to heart the events surrounding the birth and naming of John the Baptist, asking, “What, then, will this child be?” As Zechariah regains his speech, he praises God for fulfilling his promises in freeing his people from the hands of enemies so that they are “free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight.” In connecting the role that John would have, at the coming of the Messiah in the fullness of time, Zechariah proclaims that God’s mercy and salvation is for all. As he recounts God’s promises throughout salvation history, Zechariah identifies John as the one who will prepare the way of the Lord and through a call for repentance, reveal to God’s people knowledge of salvation.

God, tomorrow is the birth of your Son. As Isaiah prophesied, “A child is born to us, a son is given to us.” I feel as if I’m standing at the edge of a cliff. However much I prepared during each day of Advent, I look back at its smallness. What I’ve done counts for nothing. Not in false humilty but in truthful realization, I have to say that although I have given a little to you, you have given me every good gift—the fullness of grace in the Nativity of your only Son and salvation through his passion, death, and resurrection. Open my eyes, Lord, to your gift of freedom, free to worship the light that came into the darkness. Saint Augustine said of you: ” You called, you shouted, and you burst open my deafness. You flashed, you shone in radiance, and you drove away my blindness.” In your tender compassion, Lord, let your light shine so that all may see.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“John is his name.” | Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Today’s antiphon: “O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!” (Isaiah 7:14)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:57-66)

But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.

Neighbors and relatives who are close to Elizabeth and Zechariah witness the blessings and mercy of the Lord at the birth of John. Luke tells us that they rejoiced with Elizabeth. Yet, as close as they are, they remain outside looking in as God’s plan unfolds before them. When the time comes to circumcise the child, the people believe he will be named Zechariah after his father. But Elizabeth says, “No. He will be called John.” As they ask Zechariah, he affirms what Elizabeth has spoken and immediately he begins to speak, blessing God. The amazement and fear that comes upon the witnesses draws them from the periphery of faith to its glorious center, and the word spreads qiuckly throughout the hill country of Judea. In holy fear of the Lord, those who dwell on these events take them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.” John’s role from his birth was to illuminate the way to the Morning Star, to point to its center, the light of the world.

God, help me hear and take to heart the story of John’s birth and his witness to Jesus. The friends and neighbors of Elizabeth and Zechariah went about preparations for the circumcision in the usual way. What shall we call him? Yet, in an unusual and surprising way, you broke into their lives by naming him from on high through the message of an angel. The messenger of God brought to Zechariah the name of the messenger of Jesus, and in writing it Zechariah could speak again and bless you. There’s something spontaneous and gleeful in this. Yet, if the friends and neighbors of Elizabeth and John hadn’t rejoiced with them in the first place, they wouldn’t have witnessed how John’s name was revealed. Give me the grace today, Lord, to notice and rejoice where your mercy shines. Help me take to heart the subtle and surprising ways you prepare me for the light that shines in the darkness that the darkness cannot overcome.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“And how does this happen to me?” | Fourth Sunday of Advent

Today’s antiphon: O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust! (Isaiah 9:5; 2:4)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:39-45)

“Blessed are you among women,  and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

At the Visitation, Elizabeth responds to Mary’s greeting with these words and with a question. She tells Mary that at the sound of her greeting, the infant John leaped in her womb. And then she asks a question, which is direct and at the same time full of meditation and wonder. Elizabeth is undoubtedly one of the first to ponder how it is that the Blessed Virgin, the mother of the Lord, would come to her. In pondering, she recognizes that Mary’s visit is a grace she receives, that it happens to her. Mary brings the grace and blessing of Christ to Elizabeth, to the infant John, and to the house of Zechariah. She does the same for us as we ask for her to intercede for us as the Mother of God, whose soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and brings us always to her son and our savior.

God, help me prepare for the birth of Jesus in the example of Mary and Elizabeth. Mary brought the grace of the infant Christ to Elizabeth and John. Elizabeth responded in wonder that the mother of her Lord should come to her, rejoicing with youthful exuberance at the visit of Jesus and Mary. The Advents and Christmases of past years have led me to certain expectations and old habits, ways of doing things. Let that change. As I take in the Visitation, grant me a good measure of the overwhelming jubilation that Mary and Elizabeth experienced in the nearness of Jesus, present within Mary and brought to the whole world through the Immaculate Conception and in the nativity of Jesus.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Blessed are you who believed.” | Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Today’s antiphon: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death. (Isaiah 9:1)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:39-45)

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Luke narrates Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation. It reveals the significance of Mary’s pregnancy and Elizabeth’s recognition of Jesus’ divine role even before his birth. Mary travels to visit Elizabeth in haste, expressing the level of joy she must have felt in the angel Gabriel’s message and the fulfillment of it in her pregnancy. In responding to Mary’s greeting, Luke tells us that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice, “Most blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary exudes the joy of faith in the Lord; Elizabeth affirms it, saying “Blessed are you who believed.” From these two faithful women, God’s tender compassion begins to break through darkness and the shadow of death, a dawn from on high that will illuminate the entire world.

God, by my faith and in my participation of the sacraments, help me be a means of bringing Christ to others. Mary visited Elizabeth, bearing your Son with overwhelming joy. Through fervent participation in my faith, help me know and share the same joy in carrying within me the Incarnate Word. In the Song of Songs is a kind of irony reflecting your mastery over nature, that in the dead of winter and at the longest night, the readings speak of new light that dawns from on high, bringing the peace that only Christ gives: “For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land.” Splendor of eternal light, shine on us and on the whole world.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“John is his name.” | Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:57-66)

When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.

Hearing this story, the people in the hill country of Judea become fearful and discuss among themselves what has happened. About John and the events surrounding his birth, they say: “What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.” The prelude to all of this is, as Luke tells us, [Elizabeth’s] neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.” The birth of John would bring great joy to Elizabeth, Zechariah, and their relatives and neighbors. In it, they recognized his miraculous birth and rejoiced in God’s goodness. In their lives, we see a sterling example of faith in God and a response of gratitude for all of the blessings he bestows upon us.

God, stir in me the same sense of awe and holy fear the people in Judea experienced. Just as their response to the birth and naming of John the Baptist was filled with wonder and speculation at the extraordinary events unfolding, give me the grace to see your extraordinary hand in my life and in all your people. At the coming birth of Christ, help me remember to pause from routines and ordinary ways of seeing to see with the eyes of faith the fulfillment of your promises in the Messiah. Give me the wisdom, Lord, to know your work in the world when I witness it.

From the responsorial psalm: “All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees. The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him, and his covenant, for their instruction.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.