The Gospel according to Luke (1:5-25)
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,
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:
In today’s Gospel, we have the “other” annunciation – that of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah of the coming of John the Baptist. We, of course, all know THE Annunciation, the one given by Gabriel to Mary, which is recounted in the rest of the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel. But, it’s safe to say that the second Annunciation would not have happened without this first one!
A couple of thoughts on this story for us to ponder today. First, it’s interesting to note that the angel’s first words to Zechariah are the same as the first words spoken to both Mary and Joseph – “don’t be afraid”. It gives us a sense of just how terrifying it must have been for these three to be in the presence of the messenger of God. I think that wasn’t because the angel was terrifying to look at – more that the recipients of these messages felt unworthy to be gifted with being in the presence of one who literally stands before the throne of God. We all feel that way, and for me, it’s especially prevalent when going to confession. To think that the God who created me not only loves me, but forgives me! I never feel like I’m worthy of it, but am SO thankful that God gives that wonderful gift to me, nonetheless.
The other thought I wanted to share concerns Zechariah’s skepticism of the words of the angel. When we read his response in today’s Gospel in Luke 1:18 and Mary’s nearly identical response in Luke 1:34, the thing that popped into my brain was: “why was Gabriel so hard on Zechariah?” He expressed what seemed to me a very reasonable question, similar to what Mary did. Why didn’t Gabriel explain it like he did with Mary?
One possible reason concerns their respective roles. Mary was a young girl, probably not educated in the Jewish Law, since that was reserved primarily for males. Zechariah, on the other hand, was a man, had received that religious instruction, and not only that, served in God’s temple as a member of the Levites. He “knew” a lot about the Law, and about the promises of God through the ages. In spite of that, he still doubted. On a human level, would any of us have responded differently? Perhaps not. But, it is a precursor to the words of Jesus later, who said that those entrusted with more have more expected of them.
The bottom line for us is that our own response to God’s moving in our lives should *not* be doubt, but faith. That can only happen in the power of the Holy Spirit living inside each of us. May we seek God in these last days of Advent that He give us His Spirit, so we don’t respond with doubt, but with the joy of one who knows we are being gifted with the most amazing thing imaginable!
Action for the Day:
Pause today and ponder any times that you have felt the Lord’s actions in your life, but that you doubted. Ask Him to give you a deeper faith and sense of His presence, that you may respond with joy, and then go and share the news of how God has touched you!
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