Lucas 1, 57-66

Pakisabi inyong mga katabi, magandang gabi, gud evening, konbanwa!

Today is the 9th day of our simbang gabi…
Who among you here were able to complete the simbang gabi novena?
Pakisabi sa mga nagtaas ng kamay, sugoi desu ne!

Adlib.
What, then, will this child be?
{Duon sa pinanggalingang kong parokya sa pilipinas,
kapag ako ay nagbibinyag, natutuwa minsan natatawa ako kapag naririnig ko ang ibat ibang pinagmumulan ng mga pangalan…..
galing sa bible, sikat na artista, ung iba sports player, ung iba anime…. atbp.}

For sure, our parents would dream only the best for us..
Kaya nga ang mga magulang ay talagang pinag-iisipang mabuti kung ano ang ipangangalan niya sa kanyang anak.
Have you ever think about what our parents were thinking when we were born as a child?
What, then, will this child be?

Let us reflect on the story…..

Context.
(birth of a boy)The Gospel unfolds during the eighth day since childbirth. The eighth day was the day designated for circumcision
and the naming of the boy (a girl’s naming happens within 30 days). During the time of Jesus, the naming of a boy was an important
occasion where friends and families meet. The birth of a boy was an occasion of great joy. At the time of birth, friends and musicians
gathered at the house of the parents. If the child was a boy, the people sang with jubilation: they believed that a boy causes
universal joy!
(meaning of names) For the Jews and even in ancient times, a person’s name is important. It is because this carries all his life
and determines his own identity, his character/ and the task and program this person should perform in life.
{e.g. Noah: rest, comfort / Moses; deliver / Peter; stone / Paul; humble, small}

Body. (scandal)Kung susundin natin ang tradisyon ng mga Judio ay dapat na ibinigay sa kanya ang pangalang Zacarias tulad ng
kanyang ama. Kaya nga laking pagkagulat ng mga taong naroon ng marinig na JUAN ang ipapangalan sa kanya sapagkat wala sa
kanilang kamag-anak na may gayong pangalan.
When Zechariah named his son, John, he meant several things.
First, John means a gift of God or God is gracious…. an acknowledgement of the truth surrounding John’s birth.
Second, it is a way of showing gratitude to God. (tinanggal ang kahihiyan sa pagiging walang anak ng mag-asawang Zacarias at
Elizabeth..)
Finally, it is obedience to God: it is the name which God asked Zechariah to name his child.
Despite the people’s expectation to name the child after his father or ancestors, Zechariah defied convention if it was God’s will.
Zechariah then proved his trust in God’s word, and finally regained his voice.
Because of this, people began to wonder what the child will turn out to be.

Challenges:
1. We acknowledge the truth that children are God’s gift to us.
For parents, a child is reason enough for everything. On the other hand, a child is his parents’ supreme responsibility.
We therefore reflect on how we have contributed or not contributed to a child’s realization of their growth and possibilities.
We are all children of God. and each one of us are gift to each other..

2. Gratitude to God.
The year is about the end, and you will all agree with me that, indeed, we have received a lot of blessings for this year.
(Actually, as always, every year.)
Ok naman to ask something more this coming year, pero, be thankful even more..
Our family. Friends. Work. Health. Food. Condition of life. Comfort. Travel…. ALWAYS BE THANKFUL…

3. Obedience to God.
What is the program and task John has received from God?
1. to announce to all people that God is indeed gracious;
2. to announce that God is about to save us from our sins and death…. through His Son, Jesus.
John, thus, is gift to Zechariah and Elizabeth, a gift to the Family…. A Gift to others!

This coming Christmas, we focus our gaze on the nativity…

 And we pray to God, that this coming new year, and the rest of our life, may we also became a true gift to our family and a true
gift to others…
May you all have a meaningful Christmas and a blessed-filled New Year..
Amen…