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.” (Lk 1:5-25)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121925.cfm
To be speechless—what a fitting punishment for a priest! Today we begin the continuous reading of the Infancy Narrative in the gospel of Luke with its two Annunciations and its two Nativities. O Root of Jesse, sign of God's love for us, come do not delay! https://youtu.be/OAIro_A1CYw?si=zk2xanedhUgDvvp2
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Friday, Advent, O Root of Jesse, December 19
