19 December 2019
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
There was a man named Manoah whose wife was barren and had borne no children (cf. Judges 13). An angel appeared to Manoah’s wife and promised her a child and gave instructions for the child. When Manoah heard about it, he was skeptical of his wife’s claims, so he prayed to God that the angel would return and speak with him personally. The angel appeared to his wife again, and this time she summoned him, and, following his wife’s call, Manoah heard the angel’s message for himself. Realizing that his wife had been truthful, Manoah sacrificed a young goat and a grain offering to God. While the sacrifice was being performed, the angel disappeared through the flames of the altar. Months later, the woman gave birth to a son, whom she named “Samson.”
Those who practice Ignatian spirituality might take note of the pattern here, because this pattern repeats itself over and over again in the spiritual life.
A – Sterility
B – Conversation with the divine messenger
C – Sacrifice
D – Disappearance of the divine messenger
E – Fruitfulness