Judges 13:2-7, 24-25 / Luke 1:5-25
As we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ, we also rejoice with those parents of new born babies.
To celebrate Christmas with a new born baby in the home certainly adds on to the joy of the Christmas season.
Today's readings also talked about the births of two babies who later would be carrying out the great deeds of God - Samson and John the Baptist.
Yet it also recalls the fact that before their conception was announced, their parents had to live with the burden of being barren.
During that time, for a married couple to be barren was an embarrassment as it would certainly mean that the family line would be terminated.
It would also be grounds for the couple to divorce and to put an end to the embarrassment and to gossips.
Yet, the two couples, Manoah and his wife, and Zechariah and Elizabeth, stayed on with each other and bore the burden together and were faithful to each other.
Faithfulness in the face of embarrassment and burdens are challenging for married couples and even between friends.
Yet we must remember that God is always faithful and He will lift us from our burdens and will not abandon us in our misfortune and embarrassment.
When we abandon ourselves to God, we can be sure that God will not abandon us.