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Gift of Hope December 24, 2020 Day 9
- Fr. Deo Camon, LPT, PhD
- Dec 24, 2020
- 2 min read
The Church is called to faithfulness. Zechariah, who initially doubted the Lord, was brought to an immense joy when he saw the birth of his son, John the Baptist.
He praised the faithfulness of God and the hope that the new generation brings.
Our hope is in the Lord who fulfills his promise and in the people who are instruments of God’s Good News.
CONTEXT
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought so many changes in our lives.
Numerous Filipinos lost their jobs or are earning reduced wages, family and friends were separated from each other due to restrictions, the mental anguish of the thought of being infected with the virus, and the fear of losing love ones.
As people who believed in God, our only solace is the belief that nothing happens without God’s will.
We are all looking forward to that time when we will once more go back to life as we know it.
Not going back to that idealized life but to real life, which is being with people you loved, doing your work, and dreaming of things yet to come.
COVID-19 may have changed the way we do things but did it changed the way we think about the world and ourselves? Are we MORE compassionate and charitable?
CONTENT
The Canticle of Zechariah parallels the Canticle of Mary.
Zechariah’s song is about the dawn of a new era to be prepared by his son John.
John the Baptist brought hope to the people because he preached about repentance from their sins. He offered them forgiveness and a new start.
Zechariah reminds us that only God is trustworthy during the time of troubles.
But Zechariah also recognized the role that we need to play in making the promises of God real.
Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are how we allow this Kingdom of God to come on earth.
Whenever we repent for our sins and forgive those who sinned against us, the way of the Lord is prepared for his coming.
Hope springs forth to those who have experienced forgiveness and the second chance to start all over again.
CONNECTION: THE LAITY
There are many ideologies and philosophies that have made us think that they are giving us hope.
Some have unwittingly subscribed to secularism without even knowing it.
They are judging things according to what the world wants and NOT according to the Lord. Our hope is in God, not in man.
The dangers of secularism and radical ideologies have entered into our minds.
When we think and act, our reference is no longer the Christian teachings but the ideologies we heard in the social media and ideological think-tanks.
The Church after Vatican II has looked upon the laity not merely as recipients of evangelization, but they are also evangelizers in their proper sphere.
Renewal of the family and the polis is possible with the laity’s participation.
Through their efforts of imbuing the family, workplace, and community with their testimonies of Christian ideals, society can be nearer to what God wanted it to be.
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