Fourth Gift

'Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son'

Gospel                                      Luke 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.”

Embracing Peace Amidst Trials

by Fidji Rivera

Truly dumbfounded, this was how Zechariah responded to such big and super positive news. That’s pretty much you and I when we hear and witness something that’s too good to be true. 

Too spectacular. Too fantastical. Too crazy to even think about. 

How have we become like this? 

For one, in this world of uncertainties, we have managed to respond to heartbreaks and failures by being uber realistic. After all, with so many expectations come a ton of disappointments, so why bother? Can we blame ourselves? Can we blame Zechariah? Definitely not. Our brilliant humanness will adjust accordingly to the traumas that we have survived. 

This Gospel reminds me of this picture I stumbled upon (credits to jimbenton.com) –

Our entire population may be categorized according to these 3 groups: the optimistic who is always positive, but at risk for escape, denial, or dissociating; the pessimistic who may seem to be perpetually angry and hopeless; and the realistic who boasts to have their feet on the ground but tend to truth-bomb everyone all the time.   

Today, we have branded ultra-optimists as delulus (deluded; delusional), and pessimists as nega-trons (Transformers, anyone?). The current woke generation even popularized the phrase toxic positivity each time a boomer (with an apparent lack of communication skill) will root for them with “Kaya mo ‘yan!”, instead of validating them when they’re anxious.

Are we really doomed to become allergic to sunshine-y dreams, with visions viewed from rose tinted glasses, as well as happy endings? 

Now let’s shift our eyes to Angel Gabriel who was probably expecting hallelujahs but blasted by Zechariah’s skepticism. Here he is delivering a list of glad tidings from heaven to a lucky grandpa. If only Gabriel can clap back with “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger!” Instead, Zechariah was literally put on mute so he could not complain about his readiness or even willingness to be a dad, or tell his wife about the weird Gabriel, or even consult with his brethren until baby cousin John was born. 

You may ask, what do we actually get from this very relatable human scenario? 

The reminder that God is truly gracious, as the name John/Yohannan signifies. 

That we serve a God who is divinely kind, who surprises us with little joys that make us giddy and childlike.

That He truly, genuinely wants to make things new and refresh our souls the way He blessed Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Today we are also reminded to always hold on to the hope that’s anchored on God, and to not place it on shallow and hollow people and things. We need that heavenly hope that will carry us through our pilgrimage on earth and will ignite that childlike trust in God’s miracles.

Cliché as it is, habang may buhay, may pag-asa… Kay Hesus.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, 

You truly are gracious and faithful to Your promises to us. We thank You for always pulling us back to Your arms. We are sorry for the many times that we allow our hopelessness to eat our souls away. We have succumbed to this apathetic adulting that we forget about the inner child within us. We implore Your merciful hands so that we can heal from the wounds that only You can see. Open our eyes to the angels and miracles that You send us daily. Remind us of our childlike faith that You have since gifted us. May we always put our hope in You. And may the thought of the child Jesus rejuvenate our weary hearts today and forever. Amen. 

Gift for Jesus

Trust in the Lord’s timing.

   

Titser Fidji Rivera M.Ed is a mother of 4, a neurodiversity-affirming special educator, an inclusion consultant, and a socio-emotional learning (SEL) coach for children and adolescents.  While she may seem to tirelessly put on different hats, she currently finds rest by reading St. Augustine’s Confessions on repeat.