Luke 1:57-66

Luke 1:57-66

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.”

Opening Prayer: Almighty and ever-living God, as the Nativity of your Son according to the flesh draws near, I pray that your merciful love flow to me from your Word, who chose to become flesh of the Virgin Mary and establish his dwelling among us.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Rejoicing in God’s Mercy: The Gospel about John’s birth reveals three fundamental attitudes we should have as Christians. The first is exemplified by Elizabeth, who, with her neighbors and relatives, rejoiced in God’s mercy. Elizabeth longed for a child, and her prayer was finally heard. She suffered sterility, but did not give up hope or abandon her trust in the Lord. When she conceived, she turned her thoughts to God in gratitude. She saw the response to her prayer as a display of God’s mercy (eleos). Mercy is not something we are owed. It is freely given. Elizabeth and her relatives and neighbors were likely thinking about the gift of a child. But what they did not know was the future of that child, and how he would prepare the people for the coming of their merciful Lord in the flesh. In our daily prayer, we need to imitate Elizabeth and rejoice in all the merciful actions of God towards us. We need to trust that our heavenly Father will respond in ways that far surpass what we desire.

2. Blessing God: Another fundamental attitude of Christian living is found in Zechariah. He has been punished with silence for nine months. He was a righteous man, but doubted the Lord’s message through the angel. When he confirmed that the child should be named John, this can be seen as an act of faithful obedience to the Lord. Zechariah did just as the angel Gabriel had commanded (Luke 1:13). The name, “John,” means “YHWH is gracious.” This act of faithful obedience, in contrast to his earlier doubt, loosed his tongue, and he broke out in a song of praise. “He spoke blessing God” (Luke 1:64). Zechariah was not angry with God after nine months of silence, but rather wanted to praise God for the great things he had done and will do. Often God permits us to suffer only to lead us to a greater love, trust, and holiness. Zechariah was not a bad person, but he had room to grow. In our lives, we need to imitate Zechariah and, as Psalm 34:1 says, bless the Lord at all times.

3. Taking Things to Heart: Luke speaks about a fear that came upon the neighbors of Zechariah and Elizabeth. This is not a servile fear, but the filial fear that is the beginning of wisdom. It is a fear of the Lord that humbly recognizes who God is and who we are. The prideful of heart do not take steps toward wisdom. Arrogance and pride blind us because they give us a false picture of God, the world, and ourselves. The third fundamental attitude is seen in those who heard the things that God had done for Elizabeth and Zechariah and took them to heart. Humility and spiritual poverty allow a soul to contemplate in prayer God’s merciful and just actions in the world. A humble soul is patient and does not presume to have all the answers. 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, King of all nations and keystone of the Church, come and save us, whom you formed from the dust of the earth and in whom you breathed your life-giving Spirit.

Living the Word of God: Which of the three Christian attitudes do I need to work on the most? Rejoicing in God’s mercy? Breaking out in praise, thanksgiving, and blessing? Pondering in heartfelt prayer what God has done in the world and in my life?