Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
(Judges 13:2-7.24-25a; Luke 1:5-25)
At thirty-five years old and married for years without
having a child, the couple was planning to take consolation in travel and other
perks of professional life. Then she
became pregnant with their first child. The following year she gave birth again,
this time to twins. The third year there
were another pregnancy and another set of twins. The couple, who were ready to have a life of
relative leisure, now had to screw up energies to care for five children. Zachariah in today’s gospel might not have
believed that such a development was possible.
It is asked why Zechariah is punished for doubting that he
and Elizabeth could have a child while Mary, apparently with a similar question
after Gabriel’s announcement, is not.
Part of the answer may lie in that although Zachariah and Elizabeth are
old, they may not be beyond child-bearing age.
The other part of the answer is that Mary asks only a prudent question
of how she might have a child without sinning given that she is a virgin.
There is much to be learned in this part of the Christmas
narrative. First, we should never
question the Lord’s power to make things happen, even if it is apparently impossible. Then we are wise to question situations where
it seems like we need to do something wrong.
Doing evil, even to achieve a supreme good, is never a moral option. Finally, and most importantly, we should
trust in God’s love for us. He wants to
bring our lives to fulfillment.
