Advent Week 4

Posted on: 14th December 2022  |
Author: Peter Edmonds SJ
Category: Saints and seasons
Tags: Advent

Peter Edmonds SJ reflects on the daily readings for the fourth week of Advent.

 

23 DecemberThe birth and naming of John the Baptist

Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24; Luke 1:57-66

‘The father asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John”.' (Luke 1:63)

In the days before Christmas, as if in a sort of art gallery, we gaze at various scenes preparing us for the birth of Jesus. Today we contemplate the birth of the Baptist and his naming, the sequel to the annunciation to Zechariah and the visit of Mary to Elizabeth, John’s mother.

We know Zechariah from his meeting with the angel. We know Elizabeth, his wife, from her meeting with Mary, mother of Jesus. We know about John, because while still in the womb, he had leapt for joy at meeting the future messiah, still unborn. But there are also those identified as ‘they’ in the story, neighbours and relatives of Zechariah and Elizabeth.

We may pause over these unnamed people. We concentrate on the words used to describe their activity. They hear about what has occurred and share the joy of the parents. They contradict Elizabeth when she wants to name the child John. They demand to hear the opinion of the father, dumb though he is. They cannot gainsay what he orders. They are amazed; their amazement turns into awe or even fear, because they recognise the activity of the divine. This fear penetrates their hearts. The heart of these people leads to the question: ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ We know the answer from elsewhere, especially in our first reading from the prophet Malachi who announced that God would send Elijah the prophet to prepare a way before him.

Prayer

Father, St Ignatius urges us, as we contemplate gospel scenes, to look at the people and to listen to what they say. May these neighbours and relatives of the parents of John the Baptist help us appreciate all the more the meaning of the Christmas story. Through Christ our Lord.

 

24 DecemberThe fidelity of God

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Luke 1:67-79

‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue.’ (Luke 1:68)

Some people get overshadowed in a story. In a family, one sibling often becomes better known than another. At school, one class member is famous while another with talent remains in obscurity. Likewise, we may well know about the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and about the greeting which Elizabeth gave her when they met, since we recall them every time we pray the Hail Mary. But the angel’s previous visit to the priest Zechariah, and his statement of doubt which left him dumb, may be much less familiar.

But his dumbness did not last, and he was able to speak one of the great prayers of our gospels, so impressive that it now forms part of the official Morning Prayer of the Church. Like all good prayers, it celebrates the qualities of God and gives eloquent expression to our needs. We praise God above all for his fidelity to his promises. Among these was the promise made to David which we hear as our first reading. As for our needs, we all pray that we may spend our days serving God in holiness and virtue, and that we may walk in the way of peace.

Zechariah begins by expressing his joy because God has visited his people. Visits demand hospitality. In the gospel that follows, many people give hospitality to Jesus. We pray that we may be numbered among them by proving hospitable to God in all the situations in life in which he visits us, whatever form this visit may take. In his canticle, Zechariah gives us a prayer to pray and a song to sing.

Prayer

Lord, who visited Zechariah and Mary through an angel, make us conscious of the many ways in which you send messengers to us in our lives too, and may we, like them, respond in words and deeds which are true expressions of our hospitality. We pray this through Christ our Lord.

 

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