24 December 2016
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Advent
Saint Bede, a Doctor of the Church, in his Homily on the Birth of St. John the Baptist, commented on the Canticle of Zechariah: “The Lord … has visited us like a doctor does his patients, because to cure the inveterate sickness of our pride, he has offered us the new example of his humility; he has redeemed his people, because he has liberated us, who had become servants of sin and slaves of the ancient enemy, at the price of his blood — Christ found us who were lying “in darkness and the shadow of death,” that is, oppressed by the long blindness of sin and ignorance. … He has brought us the true light of his knowledge and, banishing the darkness of error, he has shown us the sure way to the heavenly homeland. He has directed the steps of our works to make us walk in the way of truth, which he has shown us and thus allowed us to enter the home of eternal peace, which he has promised us.”
Tomorrow, we will celebrate the fulfilment of the Christmas promise, the birth of Jesus Christ. Tomorrow is also the the first day of the Christmas season. While we may exchange gifts with family and friends, this season can really be about us reflecting that God has visited us like a doctor does his patients, to cure our “sickness.” What are your “illnesses” that you need God to cure? If you do not feel that you have “sickness,” still let God “shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”