Have you ever been confounded by something that God has done in your life?

Reading: When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Luke 1:57.

Good morning, happy Thursday, and many blessings.

With today Gospel (Luke 1:57-66, 80), we interrupt the teaching on the Kingdom of God in order to celebrate the birthday of John the Baptist. His parents are models of faith and trust in God. It had been revealed to them that they should call the child John, and they do so, even in the face of criticism and misunderstanding on the part of their relatives and neighbors.

I examine my own willingness, or perhaps lack of it, to stand up and be counted when it comes to my Christian faith. I ask for help with this.

The name ‘John’ in Hebrew means ‘The Lord is gracious.’ He showed his kindness to Elizabeth and Zechariah, fulfilling their desire to have a child. Think of the ways he has been kind to me.

The people who witness this event ‘treasured it in their hearts.’ We try to treasure all these events in our hearts to deepen our awareness of God’s gift of salvation.

Zechariah had been struck dumb owing to his resistance to God’s work in bringing his son into the world: his wife Elizabeth had accepted the late-in-life burden/joy!

Now Zechariah has learned what God is doing in bringing these two children into the world: the one to announce the Savior and the other to save his people.

Luke’s Gospel loves to note how the news spread all around the countryside: it’s a feature of his experience of being a Christian.

The story of the birth of John parallels in many ways that of the birth of Jesus. They both evoke feelings of wonder and amazement. The stories are told to throw light on the question: Who is this child and how does he fit into God's plan for his people?

Place yourself imaginatively into this scene where Elizabeth's relatives and neighbors gather to celebrate the naming of the new-born. Look at the persons and observe their actions, listen to what they say, and ponder the meaning of it all. I imagine I am one of Elizabeth’s relatives who comes to celebrate John’s birth. I too wonder ‘What will this child become?’ Then I ask myself: ‘What am I becoming?’

Elizabeth and Zechariah held fast to the message that God had given them and were thus irresistible. This was the household in which John the Baptist grew up. He and Jesus must have heard this story and learned from it. Picture the scene, imagine what they savored.

Blessings,

Fr. Luis+