Gospel: Luke
1:57-66, 80
When the
time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her
neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward
her, and they rejoiced with her. When they
came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him
Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called
John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has
this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be
called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were
amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke
blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters
were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things
took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the
hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and
he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
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Reflection:
Have you
been faithful to the Lord?
To
continuously propagate the name of a certain clan it is customary to name a
newly born baby after his father’s name. This was in the mind of the relatives
who proposed that the newly born baby of Elizabeth be named after his father
Zechariah.
But Zechariah had previously had an agreement
with the Angel Gabriel when he appeared to him in the sanctuary that the baby
will be named John (Luke 1:13). True to their word both Elizabeth and Zechariah
fulfilled their promise and did not reneged on their agreement with the Lord
through the angel Gabriel.
Their faithfulness to God’s covenant was
further rewarded when Zechariah was able to speak again. What is the implication
of this for us? This tells us that the good Lord has a reward for those who are
faithful to Him. Are we always faithful to the Lord?
We too are being reminded by this gospel to be
faithful to our own covenants with the Lord. You may be asking yourself: What
is my covenant with the Lord? there are many, I will just mention a few. If
you’re married your covenant with the Lord is to be faithful to your spouse
until the very end.
Our
Baptismal covenant with the Lord is faithfulness to the teachings of the
church. Have we been faithful to the teachings of the church and have we
already shared and lived its teachings?
God through the angel Gabriel has
rewarded the faithfulness of Elizabeth and Zechariah. There’s also a reward in
store for us all for so long as we will be faithful to God. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
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