Lk 1:5-25
5In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah… 8Once when he was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God... 11the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.12Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. 13But
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.
14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of [the] Lord. ... 19And
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. …
21Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. 22But
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. 23Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home. 24After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, 25“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.”
Reflection:
To announce to you this good news. Zechariah
hears the “rumor” from the angel about her old wife bearing a son. The
people in the temple start a “rumor” that he has seen a vision. And
Elizabeth thanks God for saving her from the “rumor” of her disgrace
for being barren.
A friend once came to me because our
friendship was almost destroyed by false rumors. “Let us agree, my
friend,” he asked me, “that we will not believe anything unless it came
from us.”
Zechariah can hardly believe at first
until the angel assures him, “I stand before God and was sent to speak
to you.” If it is bad news or too good to be true, it is just a rumor.
The angel announces not a rumor but the good news to Zechariah.
Only the truth will set us free. Rumors will make us crazy.
Gift your parish priest with a simple shirt and a good word for him and about him.
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