Don't Give Up
Dec. 21: Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
On Tuesday,1 we heard how Zechariah didn’t believe his wife Elizabeth could get pregnant, and so the angel Gabriel struck him mute. Confronted with a similarly impossible pregnancy in yesterday’s Gospel, Mary expressed confusion, not doubt.
They said the similar things,2 but the stress was different.
Zechariah’s doubts are punished (temporarily), but Mary’s faith is rewarded. That’s why Elizabeth says in today’s Gospel, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
We’re called upon to have the same kind of faith and hope in God’s promises today.
Reading 1
Zep 3:14-18a
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.
Zephaniah is largely a prophesy of the devastation and death that divine judgment will bring. Described as the Day of the Lord, the day of judgment is pictured as a time of darkness, of anguish and distress, of destruction and plunder of cities, and of threat to all life.
And yet, here we are, at the end of the book, with a positive message. God never promises that things will be easy. What He does promise is, everything will be alright in the end.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
This is a song about celebration, and of waiting. We’re not just meant to thank God for what He’s done, but praise Him for what He will do. His plan stands forever, and forever hasn’t happened yet.
So, while we rejoice, our souls still wait for the final coming of the Lord.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Only four more days!
Gospel
Lk 1:39-45
Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
Elizabeth and her baby are excited to see Mary, and the baby in her womb. It’s a big group of people, even if only two are visible.
A pregnancy is full of hope for all that the baby can be and do. They’re all potential at that point. Worry, too, but Elizabeth puts that aside for now and chooses to focus on the joy they and their children will share.
Which I missed, sorry!