Reading 1
Is 49:1-6
Hear me, O coastlands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
Responsorial PsalmR. (14)
I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. I praise you for I am wonderfully made.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
Reading II
Acts 13:22-26
In those days, Paul said:
“God raised up David as king;
of him God testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’
“My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.”
Gospel
Lk 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.
Meditation: Luke 1:57-66,80
The Birth of John the Baptist
He will be called John. (Luke 1:60)
Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted so much to have a child, especially as they watched their neighbors’ families grow. But as deep as their desire was, God’s desire was even deeper— his desire that their faith grow so strong that it could be an example to believers throughout the centuries.
Day by day, as Elizabeth and Zechariah prayed for a child, they were challenged to continue to hope in God. Every day, they asked, “Is God trustworthy? Does he love us? Will he provide for us?” Then, finally, Gabriel appeared and assured them that their prayers were answered. But God still hadn’t gotten the desire of his heart. Zechariah initially scoffed at the angel’s news. He couldn’t believe that God had finally come through. He still needed more training in faith so that his light could shine brightly.
Struck mute by the angel, Zechariah entered an unexpected, even unorthodox time of blessing from the Lord. God used these months of silence to teach Zechariah so that he could in turn teach his son—and all of us—what it means to rely on God. When John was born, Zechariah’s response bore witness to the fruit of this time of grace. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed God’s faithfulness and prophesied great blessings over his son.
How important this time was for Zechariah—and for the whole of salvation history! John was destined to spend years alone in the desert, listening to God and awaiting the time when he should appear and announce the Messiah’s coming. Then, when he was imprisoned by Herod and awaiting his fate, John again needed to be sustained by all that God had promised. Surely he leaned on the witness of his parents’ own patience and trust as he faced these challenges.
We all have unfulfilled desires and hopes. As beloved children of God, we should never give up. We can place our full confidence in the One who hears every prayer in our hearts. As we wait on the Lord, we can ask him to mold our characters, just as he did for Zechariah. In the end, we will find that his plan is far better than our own!
“Father, how wonderful are your ways! You know everything about me. You never stop surrounding me with your love. Lord, I trust in you.”
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