God Keeps His Promises

𝐃𝐄𝐂. 𝟏𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝟒𝐓𝐇 𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠 𝟏𝟑:𝟐-𝟕, 𝟐𝟒-𝟐𝟓

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟕𝟏:𝟑-𝟔, 𝟏𝟔-𝟏𝟕 “𝐌𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲!”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟏:𝟓-𝟐𝟓

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝.” (𝐯.𝟏𝟓) 

         In the First Reading we read about Manoah whose wife was barren but gave birth to a son who was named Samson and, in the Gospel passage we are struck with the case of Elizabeth, who was also barren but whom God favored as she bore a son who grew up to be the forerunner of the Messiah.

         These two exactly similar biblical scenarios should once and for all establish the fact that God fulfills all his promises no matter how long the wait and will rain down favors on those who will remain in Him. To remain in him is to listen to his Word. To listen to him is to abide by his Word which means we need to be loyal and faithful to him if we want to be favored by him from whom all Graces flow.

         What God did to Manoah’s wife and to Elizabeth also proves that “𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐝” (𝐋𝐤 𝟏:𝟑𝟕). These two biblical events were to show the people that faithfulness has its corresponding rewards and that God can make possible what is impossible with men if we will only remain faithful to him.

           Let me also encourage everyone to read Judges 13 in its entirety to grasp the beautiful exchange between Manoah and his wife and the angel whom the Lord sent to instruct Manoah on how to raise up the child who was to be born but this was not after Manoah prayed for guidance from the Lord.

         In the same way, Zechariah the husband of Elizabeth also prayed at the inner court of the Temple, and it was there that God gave him the assurance that Elizabeth will bear a child. It was important for Zechariah to have a child because every Jew in those days is expected to bear a child and childlessness could be a ground for divorce.

         These two situations also show us that God talked to Manoah and Zechariah when they prayed and this should give us a concrete idea that prayer is an avenue through which God can talk to us and vice versa.

         The similarity with these two situations doesn’t end with the birth of Samson and John the Baptist. Even in the way they were to be raised was similar as God instructed Manoah and Zechariah that their children “𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤.” (𝐉𝐮𝐝 𝟏𝟑:𝟒; 𝐋𝐤 𝟏:𝟏𝟓)        

         Besides the miracle of two barren women bearing a child on the basis of God’s promise, these two readings should also lead us to reflect of our own barrenness regardless of our gender. To fully understand that we could also be barren, we need to go and find the meaning of what being barren is.

        In essence, being barren is the inability to produce life. A person who is barren is unproductive, infertile, infecund and or, ineffectual and fruitless. As these two readings spoke of the barrenness of the wife of Manoah and Elizabeth, but whom God favored by making them fertile, we are being urged to also look into our own lives and see if we too are barren, unproductive and or ineffectual.

        The exact opposite of barren is the ability to produce life and as Christian disciples, our calling is for us to give birth to life from within ourselves and to transfuse to others this life has been born in us. Principally, this is what the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ means for he comes to share his life with us. He comes to give birth to life and he who will come will remove our barrenness and turn us into a fertile ground so others may see the image of Christ in us.

         Indeed, not all of us have this gift of giving birth to life. Our lives may be barren and we may not even know it. It is possible that we may have become unproductive and ineffectual when we have become bigger than God, dwelling in our beliefs and self-righteousness. But such can be reversed if we can gather the courage, like Zechariah and Manoah, to come to God in prayer.

        And in coming to God, we need to be still and quiet before him so we can listen to his voice as he speaks to us and reveals his Word to us. In this 4th Week of the Advent Season as we approach with joyful expectation the coming of Our Savior, we need to intensify our prayer lives and surrender to Our Lord the areas of our lives that have become barren.

        The key is for us to stand before God, admit our being barren and when we can gather the courage and the boldness to abandon our human will to his divine providence we will discover that our barrenness will be transformed into a productive and fruitful life for it is only by his Grace that we can be set apart as did Samson and John the Baptist.

        The calamity that struck Cebu, Negros Occidental and other parts of the Visayas  give us an opportunity to give birth to life by coming to the aid of the victims of the devastation wrought by the typhoon. That such tragedy comes when the Season of Advent is just around the corner also provides us with a time to reflect on our relationship with God.

         And we can all rise from our barrenness and be a vessel that would give birth to life by contributing whatever we can give for the hapless victims of this tragedy. Let the image and likeness of God that lies hidden in us be seen that others may believe that there is a God like no other. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘋𝘦𝘤. 19, 2025)