December 19, 2025
Friday of the Third Week of
Advent
Lectionary: 195
Reading
1
There was a
certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah.
His wife was barren and had borne no children.
An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,
“Though you are barren and have had no children,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink
and to eat nothing unclean.
As for the son you will conceive and bear,
no razor shall touch his head,
for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the power of the Philistines.”
The woman went and told her husband,
“A man of God came to me;
he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.
I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he said to me,
‘You will be with child and will bear a son.
So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.
For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb,
until the day of his death.’”
The woman bore a son and named him Samson.
The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.
Responsorial
Psalm
R. (see 8) My
mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your
glory!
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your
glory!
I will treat of the mighty works of the LORD;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your
glory!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
O Root of Jesse's stem,
sign of God's love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
In the days of
Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.
Once when he was serving as priest
in his division’s turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”
Then Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
And the angel said to him in reply,
“I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.
Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121925.cfm
Commentary on Judges 13:2-7,24-25
In the Bible,
there are a number of incidences where elderly women who had never borne a
child, through the intervention of God are blessed with a child, usually a son.
Today’s First Reading recounts one of these—the birth of Samson.
What is special to
all these stories is that the child to be born is given a very special role by
God. It is as if to say that God had played a role with the mother in the birth
of this child. He was, in a way, God’s child. And that is what we also see in
today’s Gospel, which speaks about the circumstances in which the elderly
Elizabeth is blessed with a son, who will be John the Baptist.
Today’s reading is
from the Book of Judges. These ‘judges’ were really heroic figures from various
Israelite tribes who were engaged in the struggle of the Israelites to
establish their dominion over the land which they believed had been allotted to
them by God. Not surprisingly, the present occupants of the territories were
not too pleased and resisted strongly, with varying degrees of success and
failure on both sides.
Our reading is
concerned with one of these ‘judges’—Samson. Overall, he is presented as being
physically very strong, but in other respects very weak, particularly where
women were concerned. And it was a woman, the notorious Delilah, who would
bring about his downfall. Nor, in spite of some successes, did he ever manage
to free his country from the Philistine enemy. His exploits were more concerned
with himself than with his people.
The Philistines,
who will appear later in the story of David (remember, Goliath was a
Philistine), were a non-Semitic people, possibly from Crete. They settled on
the coastal plain of Palestine about the same time as the Hebrews were entering
the land from the east. Conflict between them was inevitable.
In a way, Samson
can be seen as a symbol of his people. The misdeeds of the Israelites are often
pictured by the prophets in the light of their foolish pursuit of foreign
women, some of ill-repute, and falling victim to them. During the Judges’
period, the people constantly prostituted themselves in worshipping Canaanite
gods.
Samson was from
the tribe of Dan. His story is told from birth to death. We are only concerned
today with his birth. His father’s name was Manoah and he came from Zorah, in
the territory of Dan (Dan was one of the twelve sons of Jacob). Manoah’s wife,
whose name is not given, is “barren”—in the society of her time, the greatest
curse a married woman could suffer.
She shares this
fate with some other prominent women in the Old Testament—Sarah, the mother of
Isaac; Rebecca, the mother of Jacob; Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel;
and, of course, in today’s Gospel, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.
But it is then
that “the angel of the Lord” appears to her. She hears the wonderful words:
…you shall
conceive and bear a son.
These same words
are repeated in the Gospel, and will be heard again during the Annunciation to
Mary.
Samson’s mother is
to prepare for his birth by not taking wine, or any food regarded as unclean.
As a future liberator of his people, this son will be especially dedicated to
the Lord. From his very conception he is to be regarded as a Nazirite. The
word nazir in Hebrew means ‘consecrated’. A Nazirite was
obliged to abstain from drinking wine or having his hair cut. In early times,
the Nazirite vow was for life, but in later times it could be temporary, and
its termination would be signified by the cutting of one’s hair. It is implied
that Samson’s uncut hair is the source of his great strength, which is lost
when it is cut by the treacherous Delilah.
When the child is
born, his mother names him Samson, a word which means ‘sun’ or ‘brightness’.
This could be an expression of joy over the birth of an unexpected child or
refer to a nearby town, Beth Shemesh, ‘house of the sun(-god)’.
The passage ends
with the words:
The boy grew,
and the Lord blessed him.
This final remark
refers to his future feats of strength. Compare this with the words about Jesus
after he had returned to Nazareth following his presentation in the Temple by
Mary and Joseph:
And Jesus
increased in wisdom and in years and in divine and human favor. (Luke 2:52)
Today, let us
reflect on our own calling by God. Perhaps there was nothing very special about
it. Yet, like John the Baptist, each of us has been called to be a forerunner
of Jesus, to prepare the way for Jesus to come into other people’s lives,
especially those who have not yet had the experience of knowing him.
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Commentary on Luke 1:5-25
There are close
parallels in Luke’s Infancy Narrative between the birth of John the Baptist and
that of Jesus. There are also significant differences. The First Reading, too,
provides a prototype for today’s Gospel story as it describes the birth of
Samson.
Today we read
about the annunciation to Zechariah about the birth of a son to his elderly
wife, who is already past child-bearing age. Clearly it was a birth which, in
normal circumstances, should not have happened. In a society where having
children, and especially boys, was a wife’s primary duty, to be unable to
produce children was a terrible shame—the ultimate failure. One had been chosen
as wife for this purpose and this purpose alone. Love and affection would have
had very little to do with it. And of course, it would have been presumed that
the wife and not the husband had failed. At that time, a woman who could not be
a mother was considered less than a person.
That is why widows
in the Scripture are listed as among the most pitiable of people. Such women
might still be quite young when they lost their husbands to war, an accident or
disease, but as widows, they were not eligible for remarriage and so would not
become mothers.
Right through the
Scriptures—in both the Old and New Testaments—the births of significant people
happen in circumstances which point strongly to some divine intervention. So,
there are in the Bible a number of incidences where elderly women who had never
borne a child are, through the intervention of God, blessed with a child,
usually a son. Here, too, Elizabeth’s barrenness is seen less as a curse than
as a preparation for something special.
As we see, today’s
First Reading recounts one of these incidents—the birth of Samson. What is
peculiar to all these stories is that the child to be born has a very special
role given to him by God. In today’s Gospel, too, there is a sign of God’s
intervention in the birth of John the Baptist. He is no ordinary child. He has
been chosen for a very special purpose, to be the forerunner of Jesus, the last
of the great prophets of the Hebrew Covenant.
The opening of
Luke’s Gospel is a kind of diptych, with parallel stories announcing the birth
of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. We are not dealing here with
literal history, although Luke posits the story in a genuinely historical
context:
In the days of
King Herod of Judea…
Luke writes in
imitation of Old Testament birth accounts (like the one in the First Reading),
mixing historical facts and legends. So we do not ask: Did all this happen
exactly as described? Rather, we ask: What does it mean? And primarily it is
part of the answer to another question: Who is Jesus Christ?
In today’s story
we have the classical situation of the elderly wife who is childless. Then one
day, the husband Zechariah, a member of the priestly caste, is spoken to by an
angel while serving in the Temple. The birth of a son is announced, along with
his destiny. He will not touch strong drink (like Samson before him) and he
will be filled with the Spirit of God even before his birth. He will be the
source for many to find their way back to God. Zechariah responds with some
scepticism and is punished with loss of his ability to speak because of his
unbelief. But following this experience, Elizabeth conceives a child. The stage
is then set for the next, and more important, Annunciation.
Today, let us
reflect seriously on our own calling by God. Like John, each of us has been
called to be a forerunner of Jesus, to prepare the way for Jesus to come into
other people’s lives, especially those who have not yet had the experience of
knowing him.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/a1219g/
Friday,
December 19, 2025
3rd Week of
Advent
Opening Prayer
Lord, mighty God, no angel announced our birth, but we know that You loved
us even before we were
born,
and that You call us to
prepare the fuller coming of Your Son among
people. Reveal Your strength in our weakness,
keep us hoping in Your
future,
that
we may overcome all obstacles to establish the kingdom of Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Gospel Reading – Luke 1: 5-25
In the days of King Herod of Judaea
there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the
priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of
Aaron. Both were upright in the sight of God and blamelessly carried out all
the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless, because
Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years.
Now it happened that it was his
turn to serve in the temple, and he was exercising his priestly office before
God when it fell to him by lot, as the priestly custom was, to enter the Lord's
sanctuary and burn incense there. And at the hour of incense all the people
were outside, praying. Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord,
standing on the right of the altar of incense. The sight disturbed Zechariah
and he was overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, do not be
afraid, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a
son and you shall name him John. He will be your joy and delight and many will
rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must
drink no wine, no strong drink; even from his mother's womb he will be filled
with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the Israelites to the Lord
their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to
reconcile fathers to their children and the disobedient to the good sense of
the upright, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.” Zechariah said to
the angel, “How can I know this? I am an old man and my wife is advanced in
years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands in God's presence, and I
have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Look! Since you
did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time, you
will be silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened.”
Meanwhile the people were waiting for
Zechariah and were surprised that he stayed in the sanctuary so long. When he
came out he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had seen a
vision in the sanctuary. But he could only make signs to them and remained
dumb. When his time of service came to an end he returned home.
Some time later his wife Elizabeth
conceived and for five months she kept to herself, saying, “The Lord has done
this for me, now that it has pleased Him to take away the humiliation I
suffered in public.”
Reflection
Today’s Gospel speaks to us about the visit of the angel
Gabriel to Zechariah (Lk
1: 5- 25). The tomorrow’s Gospel
will speak about the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary (Lk 1: 26-38). Luke
places both of these visits side by side with each other in such a way that as we
read both texts, we perceive the small and significant difference between one
visit and the other, between the Old and the New Testaments. Look for the
differences between the visits of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah and to Mary
through the following questions: Where does the angel appear? To whom does he
appear? What is his message and what does he announce? What is the response?
What is the reaction of the person after receiving the visit? Etc.
•
The first message of the angel of God to
Zechariah is: “Do not be afraid!” Up until now, God still causes fear to many
people and the message continues to be valid, “Do not be afraid!” Immediately
the angel adds: “Your prayer has been heard!” In our life, everything is the
fruit of prayer!
•
Zechariah represents the Old Testament. He
believes, but his faith is weak. After the visit, he remains mute, incapable to
communicate with people.
•
The announcement of the angel expresses the
importance of the mission of the child who will be born and who will be called
John: “he must drink no wine, no strong drink, even from his mother’s womb he
will be filled with the Holy Spirit.” John will be a person who is totally
consecrated to God and to his mission. “He will bring back many of the
Israelites to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will
go before him to reconcile fathers to their children and the disobedient to the
good sense of the upright, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.” John
will take the place of the expected return of the prophet Elijah who will have
to come to carry out the reconstruction of community life: to reconcile the
heart of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the
just.
•
In reality, the mission of John was very
important. According to the people, he was a prophet (Mk 11: 32). Many years
later, in Ephesus, Paul continued to find persons who had been baptized with
the Baptism of John (Acts 19: 3).
•
When Elizabeth, being old, conceived and
remained pregnant, she hid herself for five months. While Mary, instead of
hiding, gets out of her house and goes to serve her.
Personal Questions
•
What struck you the most about this visit of the
angel Gabriel to Zechariah?
•
To reconcile the heart of the parents toward
their sons, to reconstruct the fabric of human relationships and to build up
life in community. This was the mission of John. This was also the mission of
Jesus and continues to be the most important mission today. How do I contribute
to this mission?
Concluding Prayer
For You are my hope, Lord,
my trust, Yahweh, since boyhood. On You I have relied
since my birth, since my mother's womb You have been my portion. (Ps 71: 5-6)
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