Wednesday, December 19, 2007
(Luke 1:5-25)
It is said that for Jews the first commandment is not: “Thou shalt have no strange gods before me,” or even: “Love God with all your heart…” No, their first commandment comes from the initial words God speaks to humans. In Genesis 1:22, God tells them, “Be fruitful and multiply.” We can thus appreciate the disappointment of Zechariah and Elizabeth – two people recognized as God-fearing -- in never having given birth. Probably, there were some less edifying reasons for their feeling “disgrace.” People might have snickered at them as somehow inadequate in sexual relations. Perhaps, also, they might have wanted a child just to bear their name, to take up their profession, and to take them to see their doctors.
We can speculate a bit on how the couple felt when they saw John grow up. He evidently did not take up his father’s priesthood. But more peculiar, surely, was his moving to the desert to live on a diet of locusts and honey. Is this just another example of a kid failing to live up to his parents’ expectations? But all this goes way beyond Luke’s purpose in narrating the story of the holy couple.
Luke punctuates the fact that Zechariah seeks a sign from the angel who bore the news of his son’s unlikely conception. The evangelist reminds us here of the people in the gospel seeking a sign from Jesus. They were not sure that they could trust him even after he demonstrates his divine authority time and again. What God calls forth from Zechariah -- and from us as well -- is trust. He gives his word to Zechariah that Elizabeth is going to bear him a child. “Enough; believe it, Zechariah, and give praise to God,” a wise person would admonish the priest. Jesus speaks similarly to us. “Prepare for my return.” He tells us in the early days of Advent. And so we are to practice his virtues without grumbling. We are to care for the needy, to pray for those who would persecute us, and to thank God continuously for everything we have.
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