From Catholic Charities USA ... " Advent and Christmas Daily Reflections"

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

Today’s readings share a similar story of women unable to conceive. In biblical times, the inability to conceive a child would have been a source of shame for married women. But as we see in both stories, God intervenes to remove the shame that these women feel. On the surface, we might read this as a story of God answering a prayer by providing each woman with what she desires. But I would suggest there is something deeper happening here ...

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The mission of Catholic Charities is to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same. Catholic Charities is a network of charities with headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The organization serves millions of people a year, regardless of their religious, social, or economic backgrounds.