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.
The Word
Today’s Gospel is about the birth and the giving of the name to the child born to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age. The neighbors and relatives intend to name the child after his father Zechariah. As his father’s "Junior," he will fit into the old order, and continue the family’s priestly tradition. But through "signs," the child gets the name intended for him: John or Yohanan. It means "God is gracious." This new name is a prelude to his new vocation: He will be a prophet in the desert, not a priest in the temple.
The birth and the naming of John mark a turning point in salvation history. People see the hand of the Lord at work in the child. Now, they wonder what this child will be when he grows up. Luke presents John’s birth as a prelude to the birth of the Savior. When the Savior will begin his public ministry, there will be another prelude – a voice of one crying in the desert. It is the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth this time fulfilling his destiny. Salvation, the greatest of God’s "graciousness," is at hand.
SOURCE: "365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; Email: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
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