A Homily on Luke 1:5–25 : When God Interrupts Our Prayer (19-12-25)

A reflection on Luke 1:5–25, showing how God interrupts our routine prayers to shape faith and prepare His promises. (19-12-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

A man had the habit of opening his small prayer book every morning at the same time. He knew the prayers by heart. His lips moved easily, and his mind remained calm. One day, while praying, his eyes fell on a single line he had read many times before. Suddenly, the words felt heavy. They no longer passed easily from his lips. He closed the book, unsettled. Throughout the day, those words returned again and again, asking him to forgive someone he had avoided for years. His routine prayer had been interrupted. What began as a familiar habit became a call for change. That day he understood that God sometimes enters prayer not to comfort us, but to redirect our life.

In today’s Gospel from Luke 1:5–25, we see the same truth. Zechariah, a faithful priest, is performing his usual duties in the temple. His life is steady and routine. Prayer has been a familiar rhythm for years. Yet God interrupts this ordinary day with a message of hope: the promise of a child, John the Baptist, who will prepare the way for the Lord. Zechariah is unsettled by the angel’s words. He struggles to believe that this can happen at his age. His routine prayer is interrupted, and God removes his speech until he learns to trust fully. Through this interruption, God reshapes Zechariah’s heart, preparing him to receive and proclaim His plan.

The first reading from the Book of Judges gives us another example. The parents of Samson live with quiet longing and acceptance, carrying the pain of childlessness. God interrupts their ordinary life with a promise. Nothing on the surface suggests hope, yet God’s plan is moving. Like Zechariah, they are called to trust beyond what they can see or understand. God’s interruptions are not random. They are invitations to step into a future we cannot yet imagine.

In our own families, prayer can become routine. We pray for daily needs, for protection, for comfort. These are good and necessary, yet God sometimes interrupts our familiar rhythms. The interruption can be uncomfortable: a word that challenges us, a responsibility we did not expect, or a person we are called to forgive. These interruptions are not meant to punish or frighten us; they are meant to guide, transform, and open us to God’s greater work in our lives.

Elizabeth shows us how to receive God’s interruption with humility. She accepts the promise without questioning the timing or method of God’s plan. Zechariah, at first resistant, learns through silence to trust and surrender. Many of us, like Zechariah, need time to adjust, but the interruption always carries the gift of deeper faith.

Saint Augustine reminds us that God answers our prayers in ways that stretch our hearts. Advent is the season to expect interruptions, to welcome them, and to let them change us. Like the man in the story, and like Zechariah and Elizabeth, we are invited to see that prayer is not only about comfort, but about transformation and readiness for God’s plan.

On this 19th day of Advent, let us open our hearts to God’s interruptions. Let us receive them with faith, allowing Him to redirect our lives, deepen our trust, and strengthen our families.

Lord Jesus, help me to surrender completely to your will .

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