December 19th

December 19, 2022
Monday of the 4 th Week of Advent
Readings: JGS 13:2-7, 24-25A & LK 1:5-25
Nolan Crawley: Junior
The first reading talks about how God gives Manoah and his wife a child despite
his old age. After that, God gives them specific instructions to not drink any wine
or eat anything unclean. This tells us the message that in this Advent season, we
should also be like Manoah’s wife and prepare for the coming of Christ at
Christmas. This could be by keeping our souls clean in this last week of Advent
before Christmas.  Another lesson we can learn from these passages is that through
God, anything is possible when it is in accord with His Plan. In both the first
reading and the Gospel passages, women were barren, and women could not have
children. But through God, they conceived and had sons. This passage tells us that
through God, anything is possible. What we can learn from the readings is that we
must trust in God’s Divine plan and not doubt his power and resolve to do great
things. This is true in today’s context; we give up too often when certain
circumstances get tough. We doubt that God can bring us a solution to a situation
that seems insurmountable. So, for this Advent season, we should prepare
ourselves for Christmas and reflect on ourselves as we listen for God’s word and
what He is trying to tell us with his plan.