home stretch

Judges 13:2-7,24-25; Ps 71 My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory; Luke 1:5-25


Here we are, our waiting is almost over. We find ourselves on the Home stretch.

The finish line looms on the horizon and the horizon is just few days away, where we shall gather with family, friends, strangers, and all of us shall have our gaze fixed upon the manger and once again we shall know, even for just brief and fleeting moment, what it is like to be child again, caught up in the wonder of it all.

For a brief moment, there amongst the crowd, we shall come in contact with the beauty awakened by faith.

And, we shall realize that perhaps the crowd isn't a crowd but rather perhaps as our gaze meet the gaze of the child, we realize that we are the same, we are all family, we belong together.

We shall sing together, we shall stand together, we shall kneel together, we shall prayer together all because of something so small and so precious and so humble lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes.

What an ingenious way of penetrating the human heart and tearing down our defenses.

We shall stand together, defenseless at the God who becomes defenseless love for us.

We are on the Home stretch. As we move forward this week, may we move slowly; may our steps be deliberate and may our minds ponder deeply that which is waiting for our arrival.


In today's gospel, we encounter the conception of John the Baptist to a Elizabeth, who was righteous in the eyes of God, obedient and blameless and barren and advanced in years.

The angel comes and informs Zechariah that to them a child shall come, who will be great in the sight of the Lord, be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, and he shall turn the children of Israel to the Lord to "prepare a people fit for the Lord."


Are we "fit" for the Lord.

Here are a few words from St. Padre Pio: "You ought to ask our Lord for just one thing: to love him. All the rest should be thanksgiving."

HEre is the attitude that will truly help us see the gift of defenseless love that is waiting in the manger for all to see.