The angel Gabriel said to Zechariah, "Do not be
afraid, because your prayer has been heard. Your
wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall
name him John. And you will have joy and gladness,
any many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be
great in the sight of the Lord. . .He will be filled
with the Holy spirit even from his mother's womb.
~Luke 1:5-25~*Zechariah was one of approximately 18,000 Jewish priest in Palestine at the time of Jesus. They were divided into 24 groups of 750 each. Twice a year each group came to the Temple in Jerusalem to serve for a week. Their roles during this week of service were chose by lot. Some of them, in a given week, weren't chosen to do anything.
*Each morning, four lots were cast to decide who would carry out the four tasks at the altar. Then in the afternoon, a fifth lot was cast to determine who would enter the Holy Place to offer the evening incense. This extraordinary privilege usually came only once in a lifetime.
*In Luke's account, when the afternoon lot was cast, Zechariah was chosen to enter the Holy Place and offer the evening incense. It was there that the angel appeared to him to announce the birth of John.~~~~~~~*The angel tells Zechariah that his prayer has been heard. In the story leading up to this point, Luke hadn't told us what Zechariah was praying for. Now we know. He had been praying for Israel, of course, as a Jewish priest would do. But he and Elizabeth, unrealistic though it may e seemed because of their advanced years, had also been praying for a child.
*Three times in Luke we hear angels say, "do not be afraid"--to Zechariah here, to Mary at the Annunciation, and to the shepherds in the field. In Luke's Gospel, Jesus will also say those same words five time during his public life.
**Anything in particular you'd really like to pray for?
**Anything going on in your life that has you scared?
**Listen.
**God is saying to you: "Do not be afraid."
How long is Advent?Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before December 25. It always has four Sundays, but the total number of days can vary. For example:
*If Christmas falls on Monday, then Advent last three weeks and a day.
*If Christmas falls on a Sunday, Advent lasts four full weeks*******Regardless of when Advent begins, every year the same Scripture reading are used for weekdays from December 17-24. The Gospels on those days describe the events leading up to the birth of Christ:
**December 17: The genealogy of Jesus (Matthew)
**December 18: The annunciation to Joseph (Matthew)
**December 19: The annunciation to Zechariah (Luke)
**December 20: The annunciation of Mary (Luke)
**December 21: Mary's visit to Elizabeth (Luke)
**December 22: Mary's "Magnificat" (Luke
**December 23: The birth of John the Baptist (Luke)
**December 24: The "Benedictus" of Zechariah (Luke)
LITANY OF NON-VIOLENCE
Provident God, aware of my own brokenness,
I ask the gift of courage to identify how and where
I am in need of conversion in order to live in
solidarity with all Earth's people.
*
Deliver me from the violence of superiority and disdain..
Grant me the desire, and the humility, to listen
with special care to those whose experiences
and attitudes are different from my own.
*
Deliver me from the violence of greed and privilege.
Grant me the desire, and the will, to live
simply so other may have their just share of the Earth's resources.
*
Deliver me from the silence that gives consent
to abuse, war, and evil.
Grant me the desire, and courage, to risk speaking
and acting for the common good.
*
Deliver me from the violence of irreverence,
exploitation and control.
Grant me the desire, and the strength, to act
responsibly within the cycle of creation..
*
God of love, mercy and justice,
Acknowledging my complicity in those attitudes,
actions and words which perpetuate violence,
I beg the grace of a non-violent heart.
*
Amen
*
Sisters of Providence
St. Mary-of-the-Woods,
Terre Haute, Indiana
