Logic vrs Gods words

Immediately his mouth was opened. (Luke 1:64)

Like most births, the birth of John the Baptist is more about the parents than the child. It’s a story about God’s grace and human faith overoming doubt. Zechariah and the Virgin Mary reacted similarly when the angel Gabriel announced what was going to happen. They both asked, “How can this be?” But they asked with different attitudes.

Mary’s was a sincere question. She wanted to understand the mind of God. Zechariah’s question was more of a challenge arising from doubt. It’s as if he told the angel, “It just isn’t going to happen; my wife is too old.”

But that’s not the end of the story. Zechariah’s doubts began to fade when Elizabeth became pregnant. They subsided even more when he heard that the baby leapt in his mother’s womb at the sound of Mary’s greeting. Zechariah saw these things, and he was changed. 

When the baby was born, Zechariah named him John, the name the angel gave him. Then, filled with the Holy Spirit, Zechariah broke out in song and blessed God. Then turning to his newborn son, he said, “You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:76-77).

If that’s not a transformation from doubt to faith, then what is?

We are all like Zechariah. We all tend to favor limited human logic over trust in God’s promises and his power. Most of us do not expect to see miracles. Deep inside we say, “It just isn’t going to happen.” But Jesus wants us to believe in miracles and to be open to their possibilities. What Jesus told Thomas, he wants to tell all of us: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29). 

So expect miracles. Start small, and see how your faith grows. The next time you go to Mass, for instance, ask God to give you a deeper sense of peace and confidence in him. That’s a miracle, isn’t it? Slowly but surely, you’ll find miracles happening all around you!

from wau.org

Divine Logic

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. (Matthew 1:24)

When Joseph heard the news about Mary’s surprise pregnancy, he was probably upset. To all appearances, Mary had broken her vow to him, violating his trust in an extremely careless way. The reasonable conclusion for a “righteous man” like Joseph was to divorce Mary quietly so as not to cause any more trouble for her (Matthew 1:19). 

But through an angel, God helped Joseph come to a conclusion that was based on something greater than human logic alone. Joseph began thinking according to the logic of divine love and not just human reasoning. God’s grace filled his heart and helped him see a bigger picture.

Today’s Gospel reading shows us how grace builds on our nature. It takes our good qualities and fills them with God’s goodness. It was grace that moved Mary to say yes to the angel’s invitation to become the Mother of God. It was grace that moved Joseph to embrace his vocation as the guardian of Israel’s Messiah. It’s the same grace that empowers us to accept God’s calling and wisdom for our lives.

Our human reason is a precious gift from God, but it was never meant to function independent of God. Our heavenly Father wants to teach us how to use his logic, the logic of divine love, as the foundation for all our thoughts, decisions, and actions. But for this to happen, we have to become sensitive to his grace.

from wau.org