Abe Nanan Yu’us
AOLG Online Retreat
Click on one of the following songs of your choice– whichever genre you’re more in the mood for to accompany you in your reflection
For this Advent Retreat, we will draw inspiration from St. Elizabeth.
She is no stranger to waiting. May her story give us new insights to the season.
Luke 1: 5-24, 36-48 RSVCE
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechari′ah, of the division of Abi′jah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechari′ah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechari′ah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth;
for he will be great before the Lord,
and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even from his mother’s womb.
And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God,
and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Eli′jah,
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
And Zechari′ah 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 answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zechari′ah, and they wondered at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and remained dumb. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, “Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”
And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
May His Word guide you in finding meaning in your experience of waiting. Honestly complete the following sentences.
I can’t wait for …
I have been waiting for …
I don’t mind waiting for …
Wait a minute, I …
When I have to wait, I …
Last time I had to wait in line, I …
Who is St. Elizabeth
In a place and time when childlessness is taken as a sign of God’s disapproval, a woman named Elizabeth, wife of Zechariah, lived. She was barren, and she was old. And her husband was a priest in the temple, whose holiness is expected. Elizabeth’s barrenness brought them scorn from their neighbors, for the community believed the couple had committed grave sins that offended God and caused Him to punish them this way. It would have been easy for Elizabeth to be angry at them, even at God. But she remained trusting in His will and ways.
God, in His infinite and loving wisdom, wasn’t disapproving of the couple. From the stage of the unfortunate barrenness of Elizabeth, He acted a miracle. The angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah in the temple that his wife will be pregnant, and that he is to name their child John (which means God is gracious). Shortly after he came home to Elizabeth, she indeed conceived. Praise God! Both joyful and apprehensive, Elizabeth retreated from the eyes of the public. The disapproving neighbors now are wondering what sorcery the couple engaged in to be very old yet very pregnant. Her faith and trust in God was strong and was even further strengthened. God had taken away her disgrace. Yet she felt the accusing eyes of their neighbors.
Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy was laden with joyful anticipation. The angel Gabriel said that their child will grow to do great wonders in the name of God. The present time however was enduring. Her sixty year old body is bearing a child. God provided the help that she needed, including sending a kinswoman to visit her and stay with her for three months. And on the day her helper came, she felt the Holy Spirit like she never did before, for the Woman that God sent was no less than Mary, the Mother of God herself! The Blessed Woman whose unconditional fiat brought the Savior of the world to us. She who bears God in Her holy womb, Herself in need of comfort and helping hands, made the difficult journey to give Her own hands to help and comfort Elizabeth. And so on a hill country in Judah, the wondrous meeting took place.
Elizabeth KNEW the Savior even when He was still in His Mother’s womb. As she held Mary with her eyes and heard Her voice, she greeted Her most lovingly: “Blessed are You among women! And blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb! And how does this happen to me? That the Mother of My Lord should come to me?!” Elizabeth knew as her child inside of her did. Mother and child praised God in that one singular moment. Her baby did what he could: he leapt inside her womb! And she did what she could. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she proclaimed her words of praise who this beautiful Woman who came to serve her truly is: She is Mary most holy. Mary, the Mother of God! Elizabeth was indeed blessed, for in her home lived the Mother of God. In her time of need, the Mother of God came.
Elizabeth’s years were mostly filled with uncertainties, scorns and many difficulties of varying degrees. Yet those are the moments when she chose to remain hopeful in God, for while she may not see what lies ahead, she knows that God holds her future.
May we hope as St Elizabeth did. May we put our trust in the hands of Our Loving Lord whose care never fails.
Click on one of the following songs of your choice– whichever genre you’re more in the mood for to accompany you in your reflection
In her waiting, St. Elizabeth fully trusted the Lord. God’s plans did not happen in her own timing and is not limited by the ways of the world. But God always has the best of plans. In her trusting, a new story began.
God's Timing
- When is it hardest for you to trust?
- What can we miss out on when we don’t trust God and His timing?
- What are the areas in your life right now that you need to grow in your trust in God?
Go over what you have written. Enter into prayer and lift them all up to God.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
(Luke 1:39-46)
Elizabeth recognized the presence of the Lord in Mary's womb. The Lord is always present. Do you take time to recognize His work in your life?
Click play and listen to the song. May we be reminded that we have a God who sees us , knows us, loves us and stays with us.
Play the song again. This time as you let the words of the song speak to you, let our phones be a vessel of God's grace at the moment. Look through text messages, pictures, videos and social media posts that may be evidences of how you are greatly love by God how He has been so good to you this year. Make a mental list of blessings and Jesus experiences.
Our waiting is an invitation to love. St. Elizabeth who has received a great blessing chose to bless others as well. It's our turn to pay it forward. In this time of waiting, look around, who could you bless today? List 3 people who you can bless today. Reach out to them thru email, text message or call. You may; Share a message of encouragement, show gratitude for their presence in your life or genuinely ask how they are doing.
In closing, attune your mind and heart to the whisper of the Holy Spirit. Let this moment be a heart-to-heart talk between you and God. Be conscious of your feelings, your sentiments. Express them freely to Him in the form of a letter, a song, a poem, or even in His own words from the Psalms. Write it down and read it lovingly to Him. Post them on Our Advent Wall by clicking the button below.
(Suggested texts from the Book of Psalms:
Psalm 23, Psalm 65,
Psalm 25:1,4-7, Psalm 86:1-12,
Psalm 27:7-12, Psalm 138:1-8,
Psalm 28:1-2 , Psalm 139:1-18,
Psalm 51:1-12, Psalm 143,
Psalm 57:1-12, Psalm 145,
Psalm 63:1-8
)
Sources:
Artworks:
- Icons
- Stockio.com
- Thenounproject.com
- Clipartlibrary.com
- flaticon.com
- Pictures
- Pixabay.com
- Catholicexchange.com
- Tes.com
- Thinkingfaith.com
- Prayers
- Catholicdoors.com
- Songs