"Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied"

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:67-79

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Today’s Gospel reading is about the proclamation of Zechariah, this is the third installment of the trilogy of Zechariah. John the Baptist is born and Zechariah can know speak as was promised by the angel. And what does he do; he proclaims that John must prepare the way for the Lord. In the first installment the angel informs Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will bear a child. She doubts the angel and because doubt, he loses his ability to speak. In the second installment, John is born and the crowds want to name him after Zechariah. Learning from his first mistake, he names his son John as the angel told him. Because of his obedience, he get his voice back. In the third installment, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and goes out to proclaim the good news that his son will make clear the way for our Lord. How often does our own life mimic Zechariah’s. When we turn our back on Christ’s calling or fall from our faith, do we not find sadness in our lives and when we finally say “yes” to Christ, our lives are filled with joy. Obedience to God may not make us monetarily rich, but it will make us spiritually rich and help prepare our seat in the kingdom of heaven.

More importantly, on this day before Christmas, we are called to prepare His way and to let everyone know of Christ’s salvation and tender mercy. We are called to carry the torch to light the way for those who sit in darkness. We are called to guide them to the way of peace. At this time of year, we should focus our prayers for peace on earth and good will to all. We should focus on filling the church in hopes that those souls will become permanently connected with Christ and the Eucharist. We should prayer that hatred in the world is abolished and that peace shall reign forever. We should pray that all the new born children will become beacons of freedom for all and that those expectant mothers will deliver the joy and happiness that each child naturally represents. Tomorrow is Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, the day we celebrate the birth of our salvation and the day we celebrate the love, hope, and joy provided to all of humanity from God. Tomorrow we should proclaim that Christ is King.

A Simple Prayer:

Lord, I shout your name on high that all will hear it and come to you table.

You ask me to prepare the ways and give light for those in darkness, but my spirit is weak.

Strengthen me to plow the road and carry the torch which will lead others to your manger.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon