Tag: Zechariah

“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.

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah.” | Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

Today’s antiphon, O Radix Jesse: O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his people: come to save us without delay! (Isaiah 1:1; 11:10)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:5-25)

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.”

Luke recounts the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. During Zechariah’s service in the sanctuary of the temple, the angel Gabriel appears to him, causing Zechariah to be troubled and afraid to announce the birth of their son, John the Baptist. The angel describes John’s role as a great prophet who will prepare the way for the Lord and “turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous.” When Zechariah expresses doubt and fear, he is made mute until the fulfillment of the angel’s words in the birth of John. Elizabeth then conceives and in seclusion delights in what the Lord has done for her in his divine intervention.

God, the O Antiphon for today ends with “come to save us without delay!” It brings to mind the familiar prayer said in the Liturgy of the Hours, “O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.” Keep my faith supple, Lord, able to discern your works even as I wrestle with doubt and fear. Not by my own power can I save myself, Lord, but by you alone, the giver of all good gifts. Gabriel tells Zechariah what the outcome of John’s consecrated birth will bring: “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.” Help me be attentive to what you bring to fruition today; let me be a witness to the joy and gladness that follow as you come to my assistance.

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.

Maximilian Kolbe Shrine—Blessed Sacrament

“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.

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

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.

Today’s Gospel reading takes place after the archangel Gabriel visited Zechariah and told him that his elderly wife Elizabeth would conceive a son and that they should name him John. Zechariah questioned Gabriel, and the angel told him that he would be unable to speak until the child was born. At John’s circumcision, Elizabeth and Zechariah name him John to the amazement of their relatives and neighbors. Luke shows us that God is always faithful to his promises, even when we cannot see how they will be fulfilled.

God, help me hear and respond to your will today just as you were present to John who “grew and became strong in spirit.” A combination of fear and stubbornness often drives me throughout the day to overlook your presence. Help me carry on the work of John, who turned the hearts of the people of Israel to your Son. I want to understand my purpose on this earth in doing your will today and every day. Lord, as the day quickly runs its course, let me know the peace of your presence in every moment.

Be with me, Lord. From the responsorial psalm, “O LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.” Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!

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.

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Mass in the Morning: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “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.”

Continuing where yesterday’s Gospel reading left off, Zechariah prophesies John’s role in preparing the way for the Lord. Repentance is key in giving knowledge to people of the forgiveness of their sins. Zechariah recognizes that through God’s mercy in sending his Son, God will “break upon” sin, darkness, and death and guide us toward him into the way of peace. This is the same God who speaks to David through the prophet Nathan: “It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.” God himself breaks through to rescue us from whatever hinders the path to him so that, as Zechariah prophesies, we are “free to worship him without fear . . . all the days of our life.”

Incredible as it may seem, God, you enter human history through Emmanuel to ransom us from sin and death. One to one, person to person, you call each of us by name to worship you. Help me understand what the limits of my knowledge and contemporary skepticism obscure. I want to put that aside and ponder the words of the Gloria: “For you alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.” For the sake of your glory, Lord, help my unbelief.

From the time the angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah that he would have a son, Zechariah’s disbelief left him mute. Here today, filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesies that his son will prepare the way of the Lord. Holy Spirit, fill me today with whatever leads me to God’s tender compassion that Zechariah speaks of; be the dawn from on high to break upon me with your light.

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.

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.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

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