Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1, 57-66; 80
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?”
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.
A prophet is born
1. Time to be a mother. It’s never too late to find your vocation. You don’t need to know what it is when you’re 10 years old or 20, 30 or 50. But you need to find your purpose, your passion and what gives meaning to your life, what makes life worthwhile. I once had a priest suggest to me that I walk through a cemetery. Yes, just as you read or hear, he made me walk through a cemetery. In that moment of solitude, I realized how fragile life is, I understood that I will be gone sooner or later. When you die, there are no distinctions in the grave. No matter what you’ve built in life, we all go there. Our soul goes to eternity. We won’t be taking anything with us. There are times when some people say to me “I work hard to leave something to my children”. I tell them that their children will also face problems and possibly sell things that they’ve received from them. The only thing we can do in life is to leave a legacy. Closeness to death, due to my vocation, makes me value life and live one day at a time, with purpose and knowing that it’s worthwhile. Life is not about running around, life is not about paying bills, life is not about taking kids to school. The key, the essence of life is “the legacy we’re leaving”. What are you alive for? What did God have in mind for you? Think about what problem God wants you to face. Look again at your purpose which is worth more than any mistake. It’s never too late.
2. There is no one. This is similar to “it has always been done this way”. Learn to face change and embrace what’s new in your life. Don’t be afraid of the new and the different. You are you and you are writing your life fulfilling God’s will. Today you are called to grow but be adventurous and creative, otherwise monotony will take away the meaning of your life.
3. Alexander the Great. Legend has it that Alexander the Great called his generals and requested his three last wishes:
A) That the best physicians carry his coffin.
B) That all his riches be scattered on the road while his coffin was being carried.
C) That one of his hands be left in the wind for all to see.
His generals were surprised and asked him to explain himself because they did not understand his last wishes. Alexander the Great said “I want the doctors to carry my coffin to prove that even the best doctors are powerless to heal in the face of death. I want the road strewn with my wealth so that everyone may see that all riches gained on earth will remain on earth. And I wish my hand to move freely in the wind so that people will understand that we are born empty-handed, and we will leave empty-handed, after the most precious thing (our time) is gone forever.”
Strengthen your life in God, to be able to do a lot of good to a lot of people today!
Never forget that something good is on the way.
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
