Wednesday, December 19, 2018

God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.


We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. – St. Mother Teresa: (1910 – 1997: Founded the Missionaries of Charity)

Gospel Text: (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.

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."

How wonderful and easy would it would be if God sent messengers directly to us?  Though that is not happening today, God is not silent and is still speaking to us. But it can be hard to hear him with all the noise and distractions in our world.  How can God’s word be heard with smartphones tempting us to be connected 24x7, hundreds of television channels seeking our attention and other commitments in our busy lives.  In today’s gospel Zechariah heard the angel’s message in the quiet of the sanctuary, and I find it important to find similar quiet spaces whether in my home, in nature or a church to really be open to hearing God’s message and to reflect on His word.


2 comments:

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  2. Beatiful reflection, fratello.
    Have a blessed merry Christmas!

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