Word to the Wise
Friday, December 19, 2008 - Friday in the Third Week of Advent
[Judges 13:2-7, 24-25A and Luke 1:5-25]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.
These words from today's gospel scripture were spoken to Zechariah by the angel announcing to him that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son. They had given up hope because of advanced age. In the first scripture, a similar announcement is made to Hannah in regard to her own barreness. Scripture scholars tell us that the stories of the annunciation of both John the Baptist's and Jesus' conceptions are modeled on the story of Hannah who would give birth to Samson! In all three cases, the conception was improbable, to say the least, by human reckoning. Zechariah's skepticism results in his being made mute till the time to name his son! As the angel put it to Mary, "Nothing can be impossible to God!" For modern day skeptics, all of this smacks of fairy tales. Scrooge's comment, "Bah, humbug!" comes to mind. Such an attitude presents us with some stark choices if we were not people of faith. Is Jesus to be placed on the same level as Santa Claus - a useful fantasy that expresses some kind of universal altruistic attitude? For the person of faith, there is first of all the statement of the angel, quoted aove. Second there is the realization that good storytelling has universal features but that does not mean that a story is untrue simply because it shares in some features of stories that are fantasy. I have just concluded a parish mission in San Antonio with an Advent Vespers service which featured a procession in which parishioners brought all the figurines for the "crib" to the "stable." The faith of the parishioners in passing in front of that scene (minus the Christ-child for the moment) was powerful. No words were being said, but the story was being told. This is no fable. This is God's love coming into human flesh! AMEN