DGeMs- Daily Gospel eMessage
Dear Friend in the Lord,
“Shame” – Faith: In Jewish culture, to be barren without child is a social “shame”. Through God’s Plan of Salvation, Elizabeth was doubly blessed: she conceived in spite of her old age, and she also bore a son. When we experience “failure, shame, rejection,” trust that God will answer our pleas. He is full of Mercy and Love.
Fr Philip Heng, S.J.
Luke 1:57-65
The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had lavished on her his faithful love, they shared her joy.
Now it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said, ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name,’ and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called.
The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God.
All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea.