Today’s readings share many parallels; they both recount how God sent an angel to announce the good news of the conception of a child to women of advanced age.
Readings for today: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121924.cfm
By Jose Torres, Jr.
Today’s readings share many parallels; they both recount how God sent an angel to announce the good news of the conception of a child to women of advanced age. Both future children (Samson and John the Baptist) were consecrated to God from the womb and would grow up to deliver the people of Israel out of their current situation to an improved relationship with God.
Where they differ is how the news was received. When God speaks to us, we can respond in one of two ways. We can respond like Manoah’s wife, unquestioning and with complete trust. She embodied today’s responsorial response: “My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!” Or we can respond like Zachariah, untrusting and with doubt. Because he did not believe in the angel’s words, he was stricken mute, unable to share the good news with anyone. Either way, God’s promises to us “will be fulfilled at their proper time” (Lk. 1:20).
This Advent, let us be like Manoah’s wife, who trusted completely in God’s promise; the promise that He would send a savior to redeem the world by His birth!
Jose Torres Jr. has attended St. Anne for 5 years after relocating from New Jersey by way of St. Louis. He and his family attend the 10am Mass. He is a Sacristan and is in the process of discerning a call to the Deaconate.