what is the real disgrace?
“So has the Lord done for me at a time when He has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.” —Luke 1:25, RNAB
In the Jewish culture at the time of the New Testament, to be childless was considered a “disgrace” (Lk 1:25, RNAB). What a difference from this present age! In the modern secular culture, it is often considered a blessing to be childless.
A culture which condones killing closes itself to life and welcomes death. Accordingly, as He walked to His death, Jesus prophesied: “The days are coming when they will say, ‘Happy are the sterile, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed’ ” (Lk 23:29). Jesus foresaw that a society which solved its problems by killing, such as the culture that sent Him to His crucifixion, would in essence curse itself by considering death a blessing and a solution.
God’s Word teaches that every child is a blessing from God (Ps 127:3). “From the womb,” Samson was “consecrated to God” (Jgs 13:7). Even inside the womb, St. John the Baptizer was filled with the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:15). He leapt for joy inside his mother’s womb at the presence of the pregnant Blessed Virgin Mary (Lk 1:41, 44).
The true disgrace is that life and faith are suppressed by a culture of death. That babies are prevented from being conceived by rampant contraception and aborted by chemical and surgical abortion is a disgrace to Almighty God. This battle for life is the ultimate spiritual battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. “I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life” (Dt 30:19).
Prayer: Father, give me the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16).
Promise: “Many will rejoice at his birth.” —Lk 1:14
Praise: “O Flower of Jesse’s stem, You have been raised up as a Sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in Your presence; the nations bow down in worship before You. Come, let nothing keep You from coming to our aid.”
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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