Gospel – Luke 1:57-66
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.”
And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea.
All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
The Gospel of the Lord
The Mass intention is for Stephanie Doherty RIP
Reflection:
Today 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 Saviour 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 name ‘John’ in Hebrew means ‘The Lord is gracious.’ He showed his kindness to Elizabeth and Zechariah, fulfilling their desire to have a child
All their neighbours were filled with awe, and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. “What will this child turn out to be?” they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
- What has struck you most in the way in which Luke describes the facts of life?
- How do I read the facts of my life? Like a photo or like an X-Ray?
