Homily for December 19, 2024
Luke 1: 5-25
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence,
N.R.
Zechariah & Elizabeth (James Tissot)
“Both
were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blamelessly” (Luke 1: 6).
Zechariah
and Elizabeth are a holy couple. They’re
commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on Sept. 23.
But
to some extent they’re also an unhappy couple:
they haven’t been blessed with children.
They consider themselves “disgraced” or objects of “reproach” in human
eyes (1:25[1]). That bespeaks, unfortunately, how ready
people are to make harsh, even cruel, judgments about other people—perhaps more
prevalent now, thanks to social media (should it be called “anti-social
media”?), in our supposedly enlightened age.
Holiness
doesn’t exclude us from the sorrows of life, as the saints teach us over and
over. There’s a well known story from
the life of Teresa of Avila that tells how she lost her footing while traveling
a flooded road, and was saved by God’s intervention. “Oh, my Lord!” she exclaimed, with her usual
loving familiarity, “when will you stop throwing obstacles in our path?” “Don’t
complain, daughter,” the Lord answered. “That’s how I always treat my friends.”
She retorted, “Ah, Lord, that’s why you have so few of them!”[2]
Yes,
God’s friends are like the rest of humanity, subject to pain, sorrow, and
trials. Those obstacles, to use Teresa’s
word, test our perseverance in his friendship.
Zechariah and Elizabeth persevered, and finally received a reward even
in this life. We too could count a lot
of blessings in spite of our pains, sorrows, and tribulations. Acknowledging our blessings can only deepen
our friendship with our Savior.
[1] Various translations.
[2] Adapted from fatherhorton,
St. Teresa of Avila: “If this is how You treat your friends…,” Oct.
3, 2016.
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