God's Time is Eternal

There seems to be times when God is delayed in responding to our requests. Some would even say He had abandoned them because they have suffered long enough, been patient long enough, and been enduring long enough that God seemed to have turned a blind eye on their suffering.

To see God this way is inevitable because of our human inclination to look away from our misery and look for something or someone either to blame or someone to help us.

It is so human to look for help, but it is also very human to look for someone to blame for our miseries which may not always be ourselves but could be an exterior, external person or event or thing.

In the case of the aged barren couple in our Gospel for this day’s Simang Gabi/ Aguinaldo Mass, they opted to ask for help and opted to wait for it. They did not blame, they did not let their barrenness obscure their faith. Instead, it became an opening for them to pour his goodness not only to them but to the world.

Their barrenness was God’s way of demonstrating his goodness, and the fulfillment of his plan in Christ through the proclamation of John the Baptist. This Gosple is one of my favorite passages from the infancy narratives of Jesus because it contains a lot of meaning, and a lot of message focusing on the fulfillment of the plan of God in a grand and systematic scheme.

GOD’S TIME IS ETERNAL The couple in our readings opted to put their misery on the perspective of faith, another waiting in hope, and living their old age in love and service. The faith and hope they had led them to the understanding of God’s time.

God’s time is eternal. His time is an unimpeded, relentless, perfect continuum passing of eternal now. His time is eternal now.

He has no yesterday, no tomorrow but only now. He lives in the now. And so with this, we have the idea that God sees our human reality from a perfect continuum. He sees our misery at one point, but he also know that this misery is not forever. He sees our miseries today but he also put consolations and blessings for us all along. W

e just have to with in faith. We just have to trust that He makes all things beautiful in His time. Ze

chariah and Elizabeth trusted in God, and they did not had any other way. They had to wait or they must have even forgone the concept of bearing a son.

But God has plans though it seemed late and uncalled for. If we are listening to the readings of the past days, we could have the impression that God unsystematic. He had no sense of planning.

Imagine old aged couple, who must have gave up any hope of bearing a child suddenly bearing a child. Imagine Joseph planning to divorce Mary because she was found to have a child prior to their marriage then suddenly here come the Angel to direct Joseph’s decisions.

Imagine Moses, led the Israelites from Egypt to the promise land and they were chased by the Pharoh and his army wanting to kill them, then suddenly God intervened in the pilar of fire.

Imagine Herod wanting to kill baby Jesus, but then God was directing the Magi and Joseph and Mary to the last minute to flee and change their route. God has always made these events intense because God has always demonstrated his mastery and control of the eternal now through them. He seemed unsystematic but He has a grand and beautiful plan all along, and that is to fulfill his promise. Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, and also in our first reading Manoah, the father of Samson, they were God’s instrument of showing his mastery and control of the eternal now, and they held on their their faith and hope, and love for God. He granted them a child at their old age.

2. THE CURTAIN AT THE HOLY OF HOLIES In our Gospel, the Sanctuary of the Lord was mentioned. For the Jews, the Sanctuary where they burn incense was a large segment of the temple covered with massive curtains. “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. Exodus 40:1.

While Zechariah was inside the sanctuary to offer and burn incense, a work which only a high priest could only fulfill, he saw the divine of an angel telling him about what God wants to fulfill through him and his wife Elizabeth.

The curtains meant to separate the Holy of Holies, which contains the ark of the covenant, from the people. And the curtain which divides the holy of holies and the people is to signify God has hidden himself from the people.

He has put a separation of himself from the people because of the sin of Adam and all who sinned. But his Curtin too was temporary.

During the death of Jesus, this curtain was torn into two. Matthew states: And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.Matthew 27:51.

The birth of Jesus was made known to man inside the curtain, and the death of Jesus has torn this curtain, making the hidden side of God seen and proclaimed forever more. The morning of the curtain signaled the new beginning and eternal friendship between God and humanity in Christ.

READINGS

First Reading� Jgs 13:2-7.24-25��There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. An angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son. Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb. It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the power of the Philistines.”��The woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed. I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. But he said to me, ‘You will be with child and will bear a son. So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of his death.’ ”��The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up and the Lord blessed him. The spirit of the Lord stirred him. Gospel� Lk 1:5-25��In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.��Once when he was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God, according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.��But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be fi lled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”��Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfi lled at their proper time.”��Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was gesturing to them but remained mute. Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.��After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, “So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.”