TUESDAY 3RD WEEK IN ADVENT (YEAR B) HOMILY
THEME: A Righteous Couple
BY: Deacon Bill Frere
Along The Jordan River
It feels a bit like déjà vu in today’s Gospel, a revisiting of Mary’s Annunciation as well as Joseph’s dream from yesterday. Zechariah, a Jewish priest, and his wife Elizabeth are both called ‘righteous’ like Joseph but they are an elderly couple and childless. Gabriel appears to him and tells him they will have a son (John the Baptist). Zechariah, like Mary, is troubled. But in this instance, he is also fearful – something neither Mary nor Joseph showed – fearful enough that Gabriel has to calm him with “do not be afraid.” There is even a feeling we are watching Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament as they are told they will have a son in their old age.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: HOMILY- TUESDAY 3RD WEEK IN ADVENT SEASON, YEAR B
For Zechariah, the initial response is one of fear and doubt – how can this be? But as Gabriel explains the ‘good news’, those emotions transform into hope and joy. How often in the midst of those many months of Covid did we all experience moments of fear or doubt. We worried about our family and friends, our job and our elderly relatives, our physical and mental health. But God reminds us, through the story of Zechariah. do not be afraid. God really does have a plan and we truly are not alone. So let’s offer up our fears and worries to the Lord in prayer. And let us pray that the Spirit will cover us with a sense of hope and joy as we draw closer to another birth – the birth of our Savior!
FOR SIMILAR HOMILY, CLICK HERE >>>