Gospel and Saint of the day: 19 December 2019

Book of Judges 13,2-7.24-25a.
In those days, there was a man from Zorea from a Danite family called Manoach; his wife was sterile and had never given birth.
The angel of the Lord appeared to this woman and said to her: "Behold, you are barren and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
Now beware of drinking wine or heady drink and eating anything unclean.
For behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, upon whose head a razor shall not pass, for the child shall be a Nazirite consecrated to God from the womb; he will begin to free Israel from the hands of the Philistines. "
The woman went to say to her husband: “A man of God came to me; it looked like an angel of God, a terrible look. I didn't ask him where he came from and he didn't reveal his name to me,
but he said to me: Behold you will conceive and bear a son; now do not drink wine or intoxicating drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the child will be a Nazirite of God from the womb to the day of his death ».
Then the woman gave birth to a son whom he called Samson. The boy grew up and the Lord blessed him.
The spirit of the Lord was in him.

Salmi 71(70),3-4a.5-6ab.16-17.
Be for me a cliff of defense,
inaccessible bulwark,
because you are my refuge and my fortress.
My God, save me from the hands of the wicked.

You are, Lord, my hope,
my trust from my youth.
I leaned on you from the womb,
from my mother's womb you are my support.

I will say the wonders of the Lord,
I will remember that you alone are right.
You taught me, O God, from my youth
and still today I proclaim your wonders.

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke 1,5-25.
At the time of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the class of Abia, and he had in his wife a descendant of Aaron called Elizabeth.
They were righteous before God, they kept all the laws and prescriptions of the Lord irreproachable.
But they had no children, because Elizabeth was sterile and both were ahead of the years.
While Zechariah officiated before the Lord on his class shift,
according to the custom of the priestly service, it was his fate to enter the temple to offer the incense.
The whole assembly of the people prayed outside in the hour of incense.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
When he saw him, Zacharias was troubled and was taken with fear.
But the angel said to him: «Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been answered and your wife Elizabeth will give you a son, whom you will call John.
You will have joy and exultation and many will rejoice in his birth,
for he will be great before the Lord; he will not drink wine or intoxicating drinks, he will be full of the Holy Spirit from the breast of his mother
and he will bring many children of Israel back to the Lord their God.
He will walk before him with the spirit and strength of Elijah, to bring the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the rebels to the wisdom of the righteous and prepare a well-disposed people for the Lord ».
Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I know this? I am old and my wife has advanced over the years ».
The angel replied: "I am Gabriel who stands before God and I have been sent to bring you this happy announcement.
And behold, you will be silent and you will not be able to speak until the day when these things will happen, because you have not believed my words, which will be fulfilled in their time ».
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and he marveled at his lingering in the temple.
When he went out and could not speak to them, they understood that he had a vision in the temple. He nodded to them and remained silent.
After the days of his service, he returned home.
After those days Elizabeth, his wife, conceived and kept hidden for five months and said:
«Here is what the Lord has done for me, in the days in which he has deigned to take away my shame among men».

19 December

BLESSED GUGLIELMO DI FENOGLIO

1065 – 1120

Born in 1065 in Garresio-Borgoratto, diocese of Mondovì, the blessed Guglielmo di Fenoglio, after a period of hermitage in Torre-Mondovì, moved to Casotto - always in the area - where solitaires lived in the style of San Bruno, founder of the Carthusians. Thus he was among the first religious of the Certosa di Casotto. He died there as a lay brother (he is the patron saint of the Carthusian monks), around 1120. The tomb was immediately a destination for pilgrims. Pius IX confirmed the cult in 1860. Among the approximately 100 known representations of the blessed (22 only in the Certosa di Pavia), one refers to the legendary "miracle of the mule". William is portrayed there with a paw of the animal in his hand. With it he would defend himself from some bad guys and then reattach it to the body of the equine. (Avvenire)

PRAYER

O God, greatness of the humble, who calls us to serve you to reign with you, make us walk on the path of evangelical simplicity in imitation of Blessed William, to arrive at the kingdom promised to the little ones. For our Lord.