SATURDAY DECEMBER 23, 2023
SATURDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT YEAR B
Malachi 3:1-4,4:4-5
Luke 1:57-66
THE JOY OF LIVING THE MYSTERIES OF GOD
Zechariah’s life and experience teaches us that our lives hangs upon the direction God gives it. That nothing and nobody can actually stand on the way of God or thwart the plans of salvation God had for humanity. For the unbelief of Zechariah made him deaf and dumb for the periods of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
Today, as we approach the birth of Jesus Christ, the readings of today draw our attention to the fact that God fulfilled his plan of salvation and eventually Zechariah keyed into this plan by accepting and naming the child John according to the message of the angel to him. Therefore, Zechariah conformed and accepted the message at last and asked for a writing material and wrote in his handwriting that his name is John.
The remarkable thing about this story is that Zechariah received his speech back, he could now tell the story better because he now understands the mystery clearer. His miraculous healing was as a result of his return to faith and his keying into the mystery of our redemption in Christ Jesus.
We could be thinking and deluding ourselves that we are working for God and striving each day in his house yet our hearts may be working with our human inclinations and plans and never for God’s honour and glory and above all, never for his mysterious ways and styles. That was the plight of Zechariah. He was the high priest of that time and never understood the mysteries of God to this extent. He never expected or accepted that all things are possible with God yet he claims to be the High priest of God Most High.
God only beat him into conforming to the mysteries of salvation by making him deaf and dumb. And when he realized his mistakes Zechariah rewrote his life designs and keyed into the mysteries as worked out and planned by God. His proclamation, “ his name is John” speaks it all.
By this Zechariah gained back his health, became one of the great priests again and renewed joy was established in him. He allowed the divine will and mandate to be fulfilled and he worked into joy and happiness again. John was feared then and his mission was given mandate by his father, Zechariah.
The child John changed the whole faith of his Father Zechariah by elevating it, by it confirming to God’s supremacy over human beings, by fostering the coming of the Saviour of the world. John started the preparation of hearts from the home, with the Father Zechariah being the first to be touched.
Zechariah inspires us to key into the mysteries of our salvation by accepting the message of John his son, to prepare our hearts, to forgo the sinful ways of our lives, to turn to new leaves that will bear abundant fruits of salvation for us.
The mysteries of God are deep and all we need is faith and total commitment to it. Let us begin to look at the experience of Zechariah and never allow the difficulties of life, the mysteries of life and the problems in living distort our faith in the mystery of our salvation in Christ Jesus. Let the message of John, the message of repentance be heard, accepted and heeded to in our lives today so that Christ’s coming will find us ready and willing to work and live in him.
God our Father, your revealed to Zechariah the mysteries of our salvation and instead of being the proponent of the message he turned in disbelief and wanted to thwart it. But you taught us through him that nobody may be able to thwart your mysteries. Help us to ever accept, live and work within the mysteries of our salvation in Christ. May we accept the message of repentance as we prepare for the coming of your Son. Through the same Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
