Dear friends:

When our Blessed Virgin Mary heard the message of God from Archangel Gabriel, she hurried off to the hill country as the gospel of today’s liturgy of the word tells us.  This was not because she believed the message of God but because she was eager to fulfill a duty of piety and charity.  She realized that Elizabeth needed her help

As soon as Mary met and greeted her cousin Elizabeth, the child leaped in her womb and “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1,41).  Here Elizabeth was first to hear the voice.  But John was the first to experience grace.  She recognized the arrival of Mary; John recognized the arrival of the Lord.  The woman recognized the woman’s arrival; the child, that of the child.  

The gospel says, Zachariah and Elizabeth were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.  That is why God had blessed Elizabeth and she conceived a child in her old age, who was called barren.  This was to show that God can do everything that pleases Him. 

St. Paul writing to the Ephesians says, “All of us are blessed:” Blessed he the Lord and the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love.” (Ep1,3-4).  We have to be blameless before God in order to be called blessed.

Like Zachariah and Elizabeth we need Faith, we must believe, we must pray and persevere in prayer.  God did hear their prayer and blessed them with John the Baptist, who became the forerunner of Christ.  God also will hear our prayer and grant our request one day.

As we look forward to celebrate the birth of Our Savior, let us prepare spiritually so that the Spirit of Christmas continues to linger on in our day to day life.

May God bless you all,

Fr. Chris