TODAY’S READINGS

The first reading is from Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a. An angel declares that a barren woman shall bear a special child, set aside by God for great things.

As for the son you will conceive and bear,
no razor shall touch his head,
for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the power of the Philistines. (v. 5)

“Samson’s vocation wad decided by God from even before he was conceived…God sends his angel to a woman who is barren and tells her she will have a son (v. 5), who will be consecrated to God as a Nazirite (cf. Num 6:1-21 and its note), and he will perform a specific mission — to save his people from the Philistine. In this account, vocation, dedication to God and mission are all closely linked.

“The main features of vocation are outlined her. The initiative comes from God who sees his people’s predicament and prepares, from birth onwards, a man who will save them from their enemies. In due course he announces his plans through a messenger: an angel presents himself to the wife of Manoah (v. 3) — she see him as a ‘man of God’ (v. 6) — and he tells her God’s plans. The couple’s readiness to go along with God’s will is plain to see (vv. 8 and 12). As happens in some supernatural communications, in special circumstances the Lord offers some remarkable sign to demonstrate that the message indeed comes from him and that what he says will happen (cf. 6:21; Lk 1:20, 36)…

“The way Manoah and his wife make themselves available for God’s plans to work, as also Mary’s great refinement and generosity in doing the divine will, are messages to the reader of God’s word in Scripture — to check his or her own readiness to go along with God’s plan.” (The Navarre Bible: Joshua-Kings, 161-163)

“‘Nazirite’: One who is set apart and consecrated to God in a special way. Nazirites vowed to abstain from drinking wine and eating grapes, from cutting their hair, and from making physical contact with death (Num 6:1-8). Normally the vow was taken voluntarily and its obligations were temporary. Samson is unusual for being a consecrated as a lifelong Nazirite before his birth (13:7), and yet he will show himself less than committed to living within its limits…Samson prefigures John the Baptist, whose mother is initially barren (Lk 1:7), whose birth is announced by an angel (Lk 1:13), and whose designation as a Nazirite is made before his birth (Lk 1:15). ‘begin to deliver’: Hints that Samson will score several victories against the Philistines, but they will remain a threat to Israel after his death.” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Judges and Ruth, 36)

From the Gospel (Lk 1:5-25), check out a previous post on a question I had about the naming for John the Baptist. Also, find here an entry from the same year with a short reflection on the passage expounded upon at the top.

Samson is certainly a type of John, although seriously flawed (types rarely match-up well with their antitypes). Yet, in the end both die heroic deaths for causes worth dying for.

God bless.

The Angel with Manoah and His Wife by Pieter Lastman (1617)