Gospel
In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.Once when he was serving as priest
in his division’s turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”Then Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
And the angel said to him in reply,
“I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
Lk 1:5-25
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others.”
Reflection
Today we hear the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and of John the Baptist’s conception. In this reading there are echoes of the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would bear a child. An angel of God appears to Zechariah as he was praying in the sanctuary of God. The angel tells Zechariah that Elizabeth will conceive and bear a son.
Zechariah is very troubled by the angel’s message. For many years Elizabeth and Zechariah had longed for a child and they had never received that gift. Yet standing before him was an angel telling Zechariah that Elizabeth in her old age would conceive. The angel also prophesied that this child would be filled with the Holy Spirit and their son would be a prophet, one who would prepare the way for the “One” who would come.
Naturally, Zechariah was very skeptical. He doubted the angel’s message. Zechariah then asked the angel how this was to come about since both he and Elizabeth were long past child-bearing years. In response, the angel announced that since Zechariah did not believe the angel’s message, Zechariah would be unable to speak until all these happenings came to pass! If we received a message like this from an angel, how would we react? Most likely, we also would respond with great disbelief. And we might wonder if we were going crazy. Yet at times, God does act in strange and fantastic ways. Maybe when we are doubtful we should re-read this Gospel passage. If (when) this happens to us, let us pray to Zechariah and Elizabeth. They will “come to our aid.” They will help us trust and believe that God is calling us!
Action
Think of someone you know who may be a “doubting Thomas” or a “doubting Thomasina” and spend some time in prayer for their intentions to remove the obstacles that keep them from believing.
Fr. Jim Jakubowski
Co-Vicar of Clergy ANCC
Co-Pastor Sacred Heart of Jesus Kearny, NJ
Advent Retreat 