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Today, 4th of December, we celebrate
Saint John Damascene
First Reading: Jdg 3:2-7, 24-25
There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne
no children. An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and
said to her, “Though you are barren and have had no children,
yet you will conceive and bear a son. Now, then, be careful to
take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. As for
the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his
head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the power
of the Philistines.”
The woman went and told her husband, “A man of God
came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible
indeed. I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell
me his name. But he said to me, ‘You will be with child and
will bear a son. So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat
nothing unclean. For the boy shall be consecrated to God from
the womb, until the day of his death.’”
The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The boy
grew up and the LORD blessed him; the Spirit of the LORD stirred
him.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 71:3-4,5-6,16-17
R./ My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
and I will sing your glory!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R./ My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
and I will sing your glory!
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R./ My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
and I will sing your glory!
I will treat of the mighty works of the LORD;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R./ My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
and I will sing your glory!
Gospel Reading: Lk 1:5-25
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.”
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.
Introduction
People chosen by God for a special mission in his plan of salvation are constantly presented in the Bible as chosen and loved before birth, with their birth announced in a special way; they are moved by the Spirit of God; their mission demands sacrifices. Witness the call of Samson in his folkloric saga, or that of John the Baptist. The silence of Zechariah comes probably from the joy of an overwhelming message, too great to be put into words.
Underlying these vocation stories is that people are weak, that salvation is gratuitously given by God, that barrenness (the barren women) gives way to fertility, that sacrifices are demanded. And so, people are to be moved by the Spirit of God. All this holds true also for us as we are called to prepare the way of the Lord.
Opening Prayer
Lord, mighty God,
no angel announced our birth,
but we know that you loved us
even before we were born,
and that you call us to prepare
the fuller coming of your Son among people.
Reveal your strength in our weakness,
keep us hoping in your future,
that we may overcome all obstacles
to establish the kingdom
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
General Intercessions
- For married couples who expect a child, that they may welcome the child as a present from God, we pray:
- For parents, that they inspire their children to put their talents at the service of people, we pray:
- For prophets of our day, that the Holy Spirit may move them to awaken us with God's word from our lack of concern for the good of the community, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
you had prepared your chosen people
to welcome your Son as the Savior
and yet his coming took them by surprise
and they did not recognize him.
Wake us up with the cry
of present-day prophets
to recognize and welcome him
not only in these signs of bread and wine
but also in the poor and the misfits
who hunger and thirst for food,
for justice and peace
and, perhaps without knowing it,
for the dignity of your children.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, God of hope,
we are your people today
and yet we often hide
the presence of Jesus, your Son,
by our compromise and conformity.
Let your Son pour for us
the young wine of hope,
to rupture with our settled ways
and to make us new people
who reveal in our littleness and fragility
the presence in our midst
of someone much greater than we are,
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Christmas is near. Let our prayers become more insistent that we may become more committed to bring the love and justice of Christ into our cold and harsh world. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
