HOMILY FOR 3RD THURSDAY IN ADVENT — YEAR A

HOMILY FOR 3RD THURSDAY IN ADVENT — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: “God will make a way even though there seems to be no way”?
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
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.”
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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.”
The fourth day of our Simbang Gabi is about barren women, who, by God’s hands, still bore sons. Such stories are very significant events particularly for the Jewish people. It must be noted that a woman who bears no child is considered cursed by God, and is subsequently looked down upon by people. So, for a barren woman, to bear a son is, indeed, a great blessing and a big story in the community.
The liturgy today gives us the story of such women. In the first reading, we hear about the wife of Manoah, who “was barren and had borne no children.” But the angel of the Lord appeared to her and announced the news that she will bear a son. She was the mother of Samson.
The Gospel is about Elizabeth, the wife of the priest Zechariah. Aside from being barren, she was already too old to conceive a child. But the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah in the Temple and told him that his wife will conceive and bear a son. He doubted the words of the angel, and so he was struck dumb so that he may dispose himself in silence and reflect on the divine words. After this incident, Elizabeth conceives a son, John the Baptist.
These two stories are not isolated. All throughout the Scriptures, there are similar stories that point directly to some divine intervention. Indeed, there is nothing impossible with God. This is what Zechariah failed to realize, and so he was punished with dumbness for his unbelief.
Secondly, the barren woman still conceives because the child to be born has a very special role according to God’s plan. The wife of Manoah gave birth to Samson, a divinely inspired leader, one of the last judges of Israel. In the Gospel, Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist, the Precursor of the Messiah.
Today, let us reflect on two points. First, how much do we believe that with God, there is nothing impossible? When we pray, how firmly we do we believe that, as a song says, “God will make a way even though there seems to be no way”?
Second, God always calls us for something special according to His plan. We are here in this world for a purpose. It may not be as spectacular as that of Samson and John the Baptist, but as St. Teresa of Kolkata said, “We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.”
The fifth centenary of the Christianization of the Philippines once more reminds of this fundamental and special calling: to be missionary disciples of Jesus. We have received the gift of faith. It is our turn to share this gift to others. We are “Gifted to Give.”
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