December
19, 2015
Saturday
of the Third Week of Advent
Saint
of the Day: Blessed Urban V, pope (1310-1370)
Reading 1
2There
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.
3An
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.
4Now,
then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. 5As
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.”
6The
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.
7But
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."
24The
woman bore a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up and the LORD blessed
him; 25the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.
Responsorial
Psalm
R.
(see 8) My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
3Be
my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my
fortress. 4aO 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!
5For
you are my hope, O LORD; my trust, O God, from my youth. 6aOn
you I depend from birth; 6bfrom
my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R.
My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
16I
will treat of the mighty works of the LORD; O God, I will tell of your singular
justice. 17O 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!
Alleluia
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
O
Root of Jesse's stem, sign of God's love for all his people: come to save us
without delay!
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
5In
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.[1]
6Both
were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 7But they had no child, because Elizabeth
was barren and both were advanced in years.[2]
8Once
when he was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God, 9according to
the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the
sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
10Then,
when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the
incense offering, 11the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the
right of the altar of incense.
12Zechariah
was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. 13But 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.[3] 14And
you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15for 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,[4] 16and
he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17He 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.”[5]
18Then
Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced
in years.” 19And 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.[6] 20But
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.”[7]
21Meanwhile
the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in
the sanctuary. 22But 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.
23Then,
when his days of ministry were completed, he went home. 24After this time his
wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, 25“So
has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my
disgrace before others.”
Notes on Readings:
[1] Luke 1:5 - In the days of
Herod, King of Judea: Luke relates the story of salvation history to events in
contemporary world history. Here and in Luke 3:1-2 he connects his narrative with events in Palestinian history; in Luke 2:1-2 and Luke 3:1 he casts the Jesus
story in the light of events of Roman history. Herod the Great, the son of the
Idumean Antipater, was declared "King of Judea" by the Roman Senate
in 40 B.C., but became the undisputed ruler of Palestine only in 37 B.C. He
continued as king until his death in 4 B.C. Priestly division of Abijah: a
reference to the eighth of the twenty-four divisions of priests who, for a week
at a time, twice a year, served in the Jerusalem temple.
[2] Luke 1:7 - They had no
child: though childlessness was looked upon in contemporaneous Judaism as a
curse or punishment for sin, it is intended here to present Elizabeth in a
situation similar to that of some of the great mothers of important Old
Testament figures: Sarah (Genesis 15:3; 16:1; Rebekah (Genesis 25:21); Rachel (Genesis 29:31; 30:1; the mother of Samson and wife of Manoah (Judges 13:2-3); Hannah (1 Samuel 1:2).
[3] Luke 1:13 - Do not be afraid: a stereotyped Old Testament
phrase spoken to reassure the recipient of a heavenly vision (⇒ Genesis 15:1; Joshua 1:9; Daniel 10:12, 19 and elsewhere in Luke 1:30; 2:10). You shall name him John: the name means "Yahweh has shown favor,"
an indication of John's role in salvation history.
[4] Luke 1:15 - He will drink neither wine nor strong drink:
like Samson (Judges 13:4-5) and Samuel ( 1 Sam 1:11 LXX and 4QSama), John is to be consecrated by
Nazirite vow and set apart for the Lord's service.
[5] Luke 1:17 - He will go before him in the spirit and power
of Elijah: John is to be the messenger sent before Yahweh, as described in Malachi 3:1-2. He is cast, moreover, in the role of the
Old Testament fiery reformer, the prophet Elijah, who according to Malachi 3:23 (4
:5) is sent before "the great and terrible day of the Lord comes."
[6] Luke 1:19 - I am Gabriel: "the angel of the
Lord" is identified as Gabriel, the angel who in Daniel 9:20-25 announces the seventy weeks of years and
the coming of an anointed one, a prince. By alluding to Old Testament themes in
Luke 1:17, 19 such as the coming of the day of the Lord and the dawning of the messianic era,
Luke is presenting his interpretation of the significance of the births of John
and Jesus.
[7] Luke 1:20 - You will be speechless and unable to talk:
Zechariah's becoming mute is the sign given in response to his question in v
18. When Mary asks a similar question in Luke 1:34, unlike Zechariah who was punished for his doubt, she, in spite of her doubt,
is praised and reassured (Luke 1:35-37.
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.