Gospel Lk 1:5-25
In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.
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| Painting of Zecharias and the Angel by Alexander Ivanov - Image source |
Once when he was serving as priest
in his division’s turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
Annunciation to Zechariah, Ethiopian Bible (1700 AD)
Author Unkown; British Library
Author Unkown; British Library
But 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.
Annunciation to Zechariah
1798 fragment of Russian icon
Annunciation to Zechariah
1798 fragment of Russian icon
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”
Then Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
And 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.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But 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.
Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others.”
The Canticle of Zechariah is a hymn of praise and forms part of the Church’s daily morning prayer.
Zechariah the priest with scroll showing words
of the Benedictus (18th century);
Unknown Russian Author; Iconostasis of Kizhi Monastery
by Andrea Mantagna - Source.
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| Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Baby Source |
Zechariah the priest with scroll showing words
of the Benedictus (18th century);
Unknown Russian Author; Iconostasis of Kizhi Monastery
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| Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Elizabeth and John The Baptist |
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- Reflection here from Marina McCoy- "Zechariah and Holy Silence."
- A Week of Silence (My Nod to Zechariah) (bryandupuis.com)
- December 4th: Zechariah and Elizabeth (victoriagriffiths7.wordpress.com)
- The Genealogy (Family Tree) of Jesus and Mary - my post from earlier this week.
- With God Nothing is Impossible (thebeggardanced.com)
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