Wednesday of the Third week of Advent
Commentary of the day
John Tauler : "Now you will be speechless"
Reading
Judges 13,2-7.24-25.
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 first stirred him in Mahaneh-dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Ps 71(70),3-4.5-6.16-17.
Be my rock and refuge, my secure stronghold; for you are my rock and fortress. My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of the violent. You are my hope, Lord; my trust, GOD, from my youth. On you I depend since birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength; my hope in you never wavers. I will speak of the mighty works of the Lord; O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice. God, you have taught me from my youth; to this day I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
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.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
John Tauler (c.1300-1361), Dominican at Strasbourg
Sermon for the Feast of Christmas
"Now you will be speechless"
At Christmas we celebrate a threefold birth… The first and most sublime birth is that of the only-begotten Son by the heavenly Father in the divine essence and in the distinction of Persons. The second birth is that which was fulfilled by a mother who guarded the perfect purity of her virginal chastity even in her childbearing. The third is that by which God, at all times and seasons, is truly and spiritually born, through grace and love, in worthy souls… For this third kind of birth we need only have within us a simple and pure seeking for God, no longer having any other desire for what is our own…, only wanting to be his, to make room for him to the highest degree, the greatest intimacy with him, so that he can accomplish his work and be born in us without hindrance on our part… That is why Saint Augustine says to us: “Empty yourself that you may be filled; come out if you would enter in,” and elsewhere: “O thou noble soul, precious creature, why search outside yourself for what is wholly within yourself in the truest and most manifest way possible? And since you participate in the divine nature, what do created things matter to you or what do you have to do with them?” If only man would thus prepare a place deep within himself, God would undoubtedly be constrained to fill him to the brim, otherwise heaven itself would break open to fill the void. God cannot leave things empty; that would be to contradict his own nature and justice. Therefore you must be silent. Then the Word of this birth can be spoken in you and you will be able to hear him. But be certain of this: if you try to speak then he must be silent. There is no better way of serving the Word than in being silent and listening. So if you come out of yourself completely, God will wholly enter in; to the degree you come out, to that degree will he enter, neither more nor less.
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