When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
"No. He will be called John."
But they answered her,
"There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name,"
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
"What, then, will this child be?
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him."
REFLECTION
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Something new was happening at the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. At last they are blessed with a baby. He was named John, meaning "God is gracious". And immediately Zechariah was healed of his dumbness.
At first glance Zechariah's inability to speak and hear is a punishment for his doubt and disbelief. But then again, God is the God of Mercy, so I am reminded that it is in silence that we grow closer to God. Perhaps his days of ministry are done, spending his time at his home in the hills of Ain Karim. Perhaps Mary was present for the birth of John the Baptist.
What I do know is that during the pregnancy til the time of the naming of the child Zechariah was deaf and dumb. By his obedience to the angel's words, by naming the baby John, his mouth is opened and he speaks blessing God in the words of the Benedictus.
In the book, The Power of Silence by Cardinal Sarah, we learn that God speaks to us in silence. He works in silence. In silence God enters into the innermost depths of our being. Our souls hear God through this silence. He waits for His children in their own hearts. It is not enough to be quiet, to remove all noise and chaos from our lives but it is necessary to become silence.
For nine months, Zechariah allowed God to be present in his heart, to shape his thoughts, his emotions, his knowledge of God. We must allow our souls to be guided not where we want to go but where our Lord points out.
Canticle of Zechariah
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hand of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our Father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days or our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Comments