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Readings: Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a / Luke
1:5-25
Reflection
Two stories separated by centuries,
connected by one beautiful theme: God loves to surprise barren situations with
impossible life. In the Book of Judges, Manoah's wife can't have children. Then
an angel appears with incredible news: "You will conceive and bear a son.
He will be consecrated to God from the womb, and he will begin to deliver
Israel." She runs to tell her husband, "A man of God came to me, he
had the appearance of an angel, terrible indeed!" She doesn't even know
the angel's name, but she believes every word. And sure enough, Samson is born,
strong, Spirit-filled, destined for greatness. Fast forward to Luke's Gospel:
Zechariah and Elizabeth, both righteous and faithful, both elderly, both
without children. Zechariah is serving in the temple when Gabriel himself
appears: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard.
Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John." This son will
be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, will turn many hearts back to
God, will prepare the way for the Lord. But Zechariah asks, "How shall I
know this? I am an old man." Gabriel's response is swift: "I am
Gabriel, who stand before God. You will be speechless until these things take
place, because you did not believe my words." Two barren couples. Two
impossible promises. Two very different responses.
Here's what's wonderful about these
stories: God doesn't give up on either couple because of their response.
Manoah's wife believes immediately and receives her miracle. Zechariah doubts
and receives his miracle anyway, plus nine months of silence to think about it!
God's faithfulness isn't dependent on our perfect faith. He keeps His promises
whether we believe instantly or need some convincing. Both Samson and John were
Nazarites, consecrated from birth, filled with God's Spirit, called to prepare
deliverance for God's people. Samson began physical deliverance from the
Philistines. John prepared spiritual deliverance through Jesus. Both were
impossible births that became powerful lives. Today's O Antiphon is "O
Radix Jesse” O Root of Jesse. Jesse's family line looked dead, finished, but
God brought forth David. David's line looked dead too, but God brought forth
Jesus. The root that everyone thought was finished suddenly springs to life.
That's what God does best. He takes situations that look hopeless, barren
wombs, broken families, dead dreams, and brings forth life that changes the
world.
What makes these readings so
encouraging for us today, just six days before Christmas, is this: we're
waiting for the ultimate impossible birth. A virgin conceiving. God becoming
human. The infinite becoming an infant. If God can open Elizabeth's barren womb
and bring forth John the Baptist, He can certainly bring life to whatever feels
dead in your life right now. Elizabeth herself says it beautifully when she
finally conceives: "So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen
fit to take away my disgrace." God's timing. God's way. God's perfect plan
unfolding even when we can't see it. Zechariah's nine months of silence taught
him something his years of priestly service hadn't: sometimes we need to stop
talking and start watching for God to work. When he finally speaks at John's
circumcision, he doesn't question anymore. He prophesies. He praises. He
proclaims God's faithfulness. The waiting wasn't wasted. The silence bore
fruit. And soon, very soon, John will be born, the voice crying in the
wilderness, preparing the way for Jesus. O Root of Jesse, new life is coming.
Christmas is almost here. The impossible is about to happen. Again.
Franciscan
Reflection
Francis understood barrenness in his
own way. He tried to be a knight: failed. Tried to be a merchant like his
father: failed. His early attempts at following God's call seemed to go
nowhere. But Francis learned what Zechariah learned in his silence: God's
"failures" are often God's preparation for something far better than
we imagined. When Francis finally embraced poverty and simplicity, when he
stopped trying to make sense of God's plan and just obeyed, life exploded from
what looked like death. The Franciscan movement grew from one man rebuilding a
broken chapel to thousands of brothers and sisters transforming the Church. God
specializes in bringing forth abundant life from barren places. Where in your
life does something feel dead that God might be preparing to resurrect? Don't
be surprised if the barren places in your story become the most fruitful.
For
Your Reflection
Take your time. Pay attention to the
ones that make you stir.
About Barrenness:
- What situation in your life feels barren,
impossible, beyond hope?
- Both women were past the age of childbearing. What
dream have you given up on that God might want to resurrect?
- If God can bring life from truly dead situations,
what does that mean for your "impossible" circumstances?
About Two Different Responses:
- Manoah's wife believed immediately. Zechariah
needed convincing. Which response is more like yours?
- God blessed both families despite their different
reactions. What does this tell you about God's patience with your doubt?
- When has God kept His promise to you even when
your faith was weak?
About Silence and Waiting:
- Zechariah couldn't speak for nine months. What
might God be teaching you through a season of silence or waiting?
- Elizabeth went into seclusion for five months
after conceiving. Sometimes God works privately before revealing publicly.
Are you patient with hidden seasons?
- What would it look like to watch for God's work
instead of demanding immediate answers?
About O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse):
- Roots grow underground in darkness before anything
visible appears. What might God be growing in you that no one can see yet?
- Jesse's line seemed finished until God brought
forth David, then Jesus. What "finished" thing in your family or
life could God be preparing to renew?
- We're six days from Christmas, the ultimate
"impossible birth." How does this encourage you about your own
impossible situations?
Praying
the Sorrowful Mysteries
As you pray the rosary today, see how
God brings life from death:
The Agony in the Garden - The loneliest, most barren moment. Yet it leads to
salvation.
The Scourging - Brutality and pain. Yet His wounds bring our healing.
The Crown of Thorns - Mocked as a false king. Yet He's crowned King forever.
Carrying the Cross - The walk to death. Yet it's the path to life for all
humanity.
The Crucifixion - "It is finished." Complete death. Total
barrenness. And then, Sunday morning, the empty tomb, resurrection life.
The Sorrowful Mysteries teach us what
these barren women learned: God's way to life often goes through what looks
like death. His way to fruitfulness goes through what feels like barrenness.
But His promises are always faithful.
A
Quiet Challenge
This week, stop calling your
impossible situation impossible. God specializes in the impossible.
Pick one "barren" area of
your life, a broken relationship, a lost dream, a situation that feels hopeless,
and every day this week pray: "O Root of Jesse, bring forth new life here.
I believe You can. Help my unbelief."
Then watch. Like Zechariah watching
Elizabeth's belly grow. Like Manoah's wife watching for the fulfillment of the
angel's word. God's promises unfold in His timing, not ours. But they always
unfold.
Christmas is six days away. The
impossible birth of God becoming human is almost here. If that can happen, what
else might God have in store?
Closing
Pray this with humble hope:
"O Root of Jesse, O Lord of life, You who brought forth David from Jesse's
line and Jesus from David's throne, we bow before Your power to bring life from
barrenness. We remember Elizabeth and Zechariah, how You heard their prayer and
opened her womb in their old age. We remember Manoah's wife, how she believed
Your angel's word and received the son You promised. Lord, we bring before You
our own barren places, the relationships that seem beyond repair, the hopes
that have withered, the faith that has grown cold. Speak Your word of life over
them. You who formed John the Baptist in Elizabeth's womb and filled him with
the Holy Spirit from the beginning, form Christ in us. You who silenced
Zechariah until Your promise was fulfilled, teach us to wait in sacred silence
for Your perfect timing. You who are the Root from which all life springs,
bring forth new growth from what appears dead in our lives. Six days remain
until we celebrate Your birth in Bethlehem, the greatest impossible birth in
all history. As we wait for Christmas, we increase our faith. Strengthen our
hope. Perfect our love. May we watch with expectation as Elizabeth watched. May
we believe with simplicity as Manoah's wife believed. May we trust with
humility as Zechariah learned to trust. For You are faithful, O Lord. Your promises
never fail. Your word always bears fruit. Come, O Root of Jesse. Come and renew
us. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
Then ask:
- What barren situation am I ready to surrender to
God's impossible promise?
- Am I more like Manoah's wife who believed
immediately, or Zechariah who needed convincing?
- What is God teaching me through a season of
silence or waiting?
Six days until Christmas. John the
Baptist is about to be born in this Gospel story. Jesus is about to be born in
Bethlehem. The impossible is about to happen.
O Root of Jesse, dead things bloom
when You speak. Watch for it. Believe it. Receive it.
Friday of the Third Week of Advent
December 19, 2025
A Franciscan Reflection
©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
