Friday of the Third Week of Advent

Today's Mass Readings


Children have a funny place in our culture. On the one hand, there is a belief among some that adding children to our burgeoning population is evil, because more people equals more environmental devastation. To others they are noisy and annoying; when they grow to be teenagers they will be dangerous; then they will be lazy young adults who use the world’s resources but give nothing back. On the other hand, some people seem to want “perfect” children. They buy toys that come with guarantees to make their children into little geniuses, miniature Mozarts, Beethovens, and Einsteins, and who try to get their children into the best, most expensive schools and programs. For these parents, perhaps, the perfection of the children (or lack thereof) indicates the “goodness” or “badness” of the parent. And so, they worry.

Today’s scripture readings suggest a different way of thinking about children, a way of hope but also a way that does not aim to make children perfect beings.

The readings from Luke(1:5-25) and Judges (13:2-7, 24-25a) both speak of women who are long past their childbearing years and who yet, by a miracle of God, are able to conceive children. In those cultures, in those times and places, not to have children was seen as a very bad sign. And, like us, they loved and longed to have babies and children to love and cuddle, partly because they are cute.

But these particular children in the scriptures are not simply long-awaited babies for the mothers (and fathers) to hold and cuddle – these are children who will become prophets for the people of Israel. The Bible is full of these stories of women giving birth to important people (Sarah-Isaac; Hannah-Samuel, to name a few). Each time one of these births happens, the miracle is implicit and wonderful: God gives this woman this child, and through her, gives the entire world this child. These kinds of births show that God is near and active in the world, always seeking to redeem His people.

But the scriptures underscore again and again that it is God’s time and God’s way. God’s way unfortunately doesn’t always look fabulous or perfect. For these are also children who, in adulthood, will go through many struggles – John the Baptist will be executed at the hands of King Herod; Samson is arrested by the Philistines (an enemy of Israel) and ends up dying in an attempt to defeat them.

Today’s reading ought especially to remind us of THE child we celebrate at Christmas, who most patently does not have a perfect life. Unlike Isaac, Samson, or John the Baptist, he is born not to a barren woman but to a very young virgin, and so does not initially seem to be a sign like John the Baptist is. In fact, his mother is threatened with accusations of adultery. He lives almost penniless for most of his life and roams around the country with a ragtag bunch of followers. He dies on a cross. Yet this is the one that we proclaim is the “Root of Jesse’s Stem”, the one who is our King, the one who rules eternally.

So, even when it comes to children, who are indeed signs of hope in our world, God is always reminding us that God’s way is an entirely different way than the world’s way. Let us pray today for all children, and offer particular prayers for those who are unable to have children.

- Jana M. Bennett