Sunday, December 27, 2015

Wednesday of Late Advent, Cycle C - December 23, 2015

Wednesday of Late Advent
December 23, 2015       8:30am


In the background to today’s gospel, the angel Gabriel tells Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son.
Zechariah questions and does not at first believe.
Because of this, Gabriel says that Zechariah will be mute, unable to speak until the child is born.
One commentator says that rendering Zechariah temporarily mute was not a punishment, but rather an opportunity for him to reflect.
He needed to reflect on his faith and his relationship with God.
He needed to come to place more trust in God and God’s word.

Then, in today’s passage, Elizabeth gives birth and the issue of naming the child arises.
Elizabeth says that the child’s name will be John.
This is the name that Gabriel had told Zechariah to give the child, but there is no indication that Zechariah ever communicated this to Elizabeth.
So Elizabeth’s naming the child John is another indication of the hand of God at work.
In some way, God also communicated this name to Elizabeth.
Then, Zechariah confirms this name and immediately, he is able to speak.
The idea is that in the months of being mute, he has reflected and grown in faith.
His confirming the name John is in effect an act of faith.
And now with faith, he is able to speak.

Perhaps the insight for us is that without faith, what we have to say is quite limited.
We are all in effect mute if we lack faith and trust in God.
With faith and trust in God, we have much to say and much to offer one another for the journey of human life.


That is my reflection on this morning’s beautiful gospel story.