Luke 1:13-14
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth…
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We all know who St. John the Baptist is…
But do you know who his mother is? She is no other than St. Elizabeth. And she has undergone some ridicule herself. She bears no son until the advance age. In a patriarchal honor-and-shame culture, the ultimate blessing for a woman was to have a son, and the ultimate disgrace was not having one. In those days, people assumed that the woman was sterile and at fault.
And yet, Elizabeth is portrayed as the first prophetic figure of the new era, the first to announce the blessing and the blessedness of Mary.
In the story of Elizabeth and Mary, even women in a very patriarchal culture become vehicles of grace, conveyors of the truth, and bearers of the two most crucial figures who announce and bring in the new era of salvation.
Do you love? Do you obey?
Friends, we do not need an angel coming to us in a dream to challenge us to follow God. Instead, we have God’s greatest messenger, His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ to follow, to serve, to depend upon, and to love.
Let us pray +
Almighty Father, let me enjoy the miracle of waking, when it comes to me; and the miracle of being aware that I am alive—a breathing, walking, thinking proof of Your love and mercy. It is a miracle that You made us, Lord. It is a greater miracle that You tolerate us. We thank you, Lord, with a full heart, for everything. Give us the gift of appreciating You, and all You do. Amen +
My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
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