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Gospel: Luke 1:67-69
Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, has just given birth to their son, John the Baptist. John’s birth breaks the near year-long period of silence that Zechariah endured after doubting the archangel Gabriel’s proclamation that Elizabeth would bear a son.
As his lips are opened, he breaks out in song, praising God. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! He has come to his people and set them free.,” he sings. “And you, my child will go before the Lord to prepare his way.”
Zechariah is overwhelmed, not only by the joy of having a son, but also by the knowledge that his boy, John the Baptist, will prepare the way for the Lord.
What Zechariah – or anyone in Israel – didn’t know was what, exactly, God would be like when he came.
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The Greeks imagined God to be a passionless Being, beyond joy and sorrow, unmoved by the pleas of humanity.
The Jews understood God to be litigious and demanding, yearning to bring his judgment upon the earth. Perhaps no one paints a clearer picture of this than John the Baptist, who preached of the coming “wrath.”
However, Jesus didn’t fit into either of these two molds. Rather, he revealed a God of unspeakable humility, who becomes a baby at Christmas and dies like a thief on Good Friday.
A God who is wildly in love with his people, who turns water into wine at a wedding, who isn’t afraid to associate with sinners, who forgives readily, whose heart breaks at the sight of a widow burying her son.
A God who promises grace to all who ask, who seeks to shoulder our burdens, who instructs his people, leads by example, and feeds the poor, not only with bread, but with his very Self.
This is our God.
Yet how many of us still struggle to accept him as he is? Joyful, humble, meek, and mild.
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This Christmas, may we not only gaze upon the Christ-child in wonder, but also ask for the grace to become like him, who loves us and gives himself for us.
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Image credits: (1) Reform Magazine (2) Zechariah Holding John the Baptist, Catholic Daily Reflections (3) iStock