Commentary on the Gospel of
Prepared from the womb!
- Angelic announcement
- Human credulity
- Self-detachment, so that God’s will be done
When the Lord chooses someone specially, He prepares the person from conception! The story of Samson is a prototype of the advent of the Messiah. The angel appears! His mother is predisposed – creating a psychological readiness amid her physical preparations. And of course, spiritually she is boosted, because, her whole person is informed! In other word, she is awakened to consciously await the arrival of her uniquely chosen child. She represents each one of us, as we await the arrival of our saviour, Jesus Christ. She knows what not-to-do [no strong wine!], just as we know what not-to-do [commit sin!]. The goal of this angelic, inspired self-discipline being not to thwart the process of accomplishing the will of God.
In the gospel reading from Luke 1:5-25, the birth of John the Baptist is announced by the archangel Gabriel. This time a man gets it wrong, but got corrected! Zachariah concentrated on his biological experiences of the human person. But grace traverses beyond human endowments. And His Word is unalloyed, and ought to be received in faith openheartedly. Our learnt philosophies and theologies, beliefs and practices, customs and worldviews are regularly confronted by the Word of God. How much open am I, are you, to God’s messages, to the acceptance and practice of the Christian values without arguments?
