Readings: Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 139; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66, 80
Fidelity Elizabeth and Zechariah are put to the test when the time comes to name their child. It was customary to give firstborn boys names that would link them to their families, their fathers, and their fathers’ fathers. But this elderly couple chooses a name foreign to their family. They do so because that is what God asked them to do through the message of an angel.
Fidelity to God’s will, in this case, means causing a stir. It means confronting social conventions. But they do the right thing and, as a result, Zechariah miraculously recovers his speech, and the whole region is thrown into admiration of God. Whenever God makes his will known to us, through the voice of conscience, Church teaching, or even strong interior motions of the Holy Spirit, He does so for a reason. There is a purpose to it that we might not even get to know or comprehend its ramifications.
Our obedience to God will definitively get us closer to him but also cause a domino effect of grace and blessings to those around us even if we do not get to see them by ourselves or in our lifetime. Obedience to God and his Church is always the best path to follow, even if it means going against the current, against the prevailing whims of this world.
Heralds from God Jesus did not need John the Baptist to accomplish his mission on earth but He chose to send him ahead as a forerunner anyway. Why? Jesus never forces his way into our lives. He is too gentle, polite, and respectful of our freedom to chose and generally refuses to conquer hearts by compulsion. He tends to act gently, gradually. He prepares us for the special graces he has in store for us.
Since he is always thinking of us, he guides us little by little: it is not unusual that he uses other people to do so. Can you recognize the John the Baptists in your life? Dear brothers and sisters, let’s give thanks to God for all the heralds he has sent our way and ask for the graces we need to remain faithful to him and his Church.