Category: Daily Reflections

“Hark! my lover — here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills.” —Song of Songs 2:8 At the very beginning of her pregnancy, Mary visited Elizabeth. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: ‘Blest are you among women and blest is the Fruit of your womb. But who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’ ” (Lk 1:41-43) Both Elizabeth and John responded to Jesus’ presence and Mary’s visitation with praise in the Holy...

“Rejoice, O highly favored daughter! The Lord is with you.” —Luke 1:28 Rejoice unto the Lord for the time is fulfilled, the time long awaited by King David when his throne would be established forever (2 Sm 7:16); the time awaited by St. Paul when God’s mystery, kept hidden for hundreds of years, would be revealed (Rm 16:25); the time awaited by God’s people and fulfilled in Mary when she conceived by the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:35). What joyous expectations have been fulfilled in the birth of Jesus! So often we seek joy, peace and comfort in unusual places —...

“Do not be frightened, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.” —Luke 1:13 St. Luke’s gospel text gives us several clues to Zechariah’s background. Zechariah and Elizabeth were advancing in age. Elizabeth was past the age of bearing children (Lk 1:18, 36). Apparently, some years before, Zechariah had prayed for children; hence, the angel says: “Your prayer has been heard” (Lk 1:13). Zechariah’s startled and skeptical reaction indicates that he probably had forgotten about this prayer and perhaps hadn’t prayed for a child in quite a few years. Sometimes we Christians assume that prayer has a kind of spiritual statute of...

“Joseph…did as the angel of the Lord had directed him.” —Matthew 1:24 St. Joseph was a foster-father. He was not the biological father of Jesus, but he raised Jesus from birth with all the love and faithfulness as would a biological father. It can also be said that St. Joseph was a foster-husband. Mary’s spouse was the Holy Spirit. She conceived Jesus by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:18). The Church teaches that Mary was a perpetual virgin, devoted to her Spouse, the Holy Spirit (Catechism, 723). St. Joseph thus did not have a conjugal relationship with Mary,...

“Then why did you not put faith in it?” —Matthew 21:25 Many of the chief priests and elders did not believe in John’s baptism. Thus, they were not prepared to accept Jesus. So they crucified Him. Many people are so ignorant of history or disobedient to God that they do not take Advent seriously. Thus, they are not prepared to meet Christ at Christmastime. So they miss out on Christmas. When Christmas is a far cry from what the Lord wants it to be, many do not realize that “the trouble is in their set,” that is, they do not...