Today's Reflections
2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Ps 89
Lk 1:67-79Ps 89
67Zechariah, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: 68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,/ for he has visited and brought redemption to his people./ 69He has raised up a horn for our salvation/ within the house of David his servant,/ 70even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:/ 71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,/ 72to show mercy to our fathers/ and to be mindful of his holy covenant/ 73and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,/ and to grant us that, 74rescued from the hand of enemies,/ without fear we might worship him 75in holiness and righteousness/ before him all our days./ 76And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,/ for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,/ 77to give his people knowledge of salvation/ through the forgiveness of their sins,/ 78because of the tender mercy of our God/ by which the daybreak from on high will visit us/ 79to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,/ to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Reflection:
Blessed be the Lord.
The Gospel speaks of gifts during this season of gift giving. Zechariah
has been blessed with a most wonderful gift: a son. And he sings a song
of praise and thanksgiving for this amazing gift.
There are three things Zechariah
declares about this gift.
First, he does not give credit to himself for
this gift. He does not say, “I deserve this since I have worked in the
temple for many years.” The credit is God’s: “Blessed be the Lord, the
God of Israel!”
Second, he does not claim his son as
his alone. Zechariah does not say, “You, my child, will be a priest
like me.” Instead, the son is offered to the Lord, to be a prophet of
the Most High.
Third, he sees and recognizes the
social responsibility that goes with the gift. The son is to deliver
his people. There is a social dimension to what we have received and
what we do. John is indeed a “gift from God,” as his name means.
It is said that our soul is the only possession we can call truly our own. Yet, even our souls, I believe, belong to God.
For a change, give away seedlings of trees this Christmas
and ask the recipients to plant them and care for them.
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