“Blessed be the Lord … for he has come to his people.”
Luke 1:68
Tomorrow we celebrate the fulfilment of the Christmas promise: Emmanuel, our God with us. In the first readings all though this Advent season, we have read of God’s promises to lift us from the darkness; to save us from our enemies and most importantly, to be a constant, caring presence in our lives: to be with us, always. Today’s first reading from 2 Samuel is a clear reminder of God’s continual faithfulness to us: “I have been with you wherever you went.”
In the gospel from Luke today, we see Zechariah’s patience and faith in God. Because he doubted the angel who brought news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Zechariah has been unable to speak. For nine long months, Zechariah has been a silent witness to Elizabeth’s joy and the new life that has become evident within her.
Today we see the end of that story as their son is born. When Zechariah affirms that the boy will be named John, his mouth is opened and he can speak. Isaiah’s first words after his very long silence, are joyfully praising God. We read yesterday that “his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.” In his long days of silence, Zechariah opened his heart to God in a new and deeper way, and accepted an invitation to trust God more.
Tomorrow begins the first day of the Christmas season. While we may exchange gifts with family and friends, this season can really be about us listening to the God who loves us so deeply. What gift does the God of “tender compassion” wants to shower us with? As we take a few moments each day to listen in the weeks ahead, perhaps we will sense as the “dawn from on high breaks upon us … to guide our feet on the way of peace.”
Maureen McCann Waldron
The most important part of my life is my family – Jim my husband of 47 years and our two children. Our daughter Katy, a banker here in Omaha, and her husband John, have three wonderful children: Charlotte, Daniel and Elizabeth Grace. Our son Jack and his wife, Ellie, have added to our joy with their sons, Peter and Joseph.
I think family life is an incredible way to find God, even in (or maybe I should say, especially in) the most frustrating or mundane moments.
I am a native of the East Coast after graduating in 1971 from Archbishop John Carroll High School in suburban Philadelphia. I graduated from Creighton University in 1975 with a degree in Journalism and spent most of the next 20 years in corporate public relations in Omaha. I returned to Creighton in the 1990s and completed a master’s degree in Christian Spirituality in 1998.
As our children were growing up, my favorite times were always family dinners at home when the four of us would talk about our days. But now that our kids are gone from home, my husband and I have rediscovered how nice it is to have a quiet dinner together. I also have a special place in my heart for family vacations when the kids were little and four of us were away from home together. It’s a joy to be with my growing family.
Writing a Daily Reflection is always a graced moment, because only with God’s help could I ever write one. I know my own life is hectic, disjointed and imperfect and I know most of us have lives like that. I usually write from that point of view and I always seem to find some sentence, some word in the readings that speaks right to me, in all of my imperfection. I hope that whatever I write is in some way supportive of others.
It’s an incredibly humbling experience to hear from someone who was touched by something I wrote. Whether the note is from someone across campus or across the world, it makes me realize how connected we are all in our longing to grow closer to God.
