Posted by The WORD in other words (2023) by Fr Narciso Cellan SVD – University of San Carlos, Cebu City
December 19 – Advent Season
A story is told of a young man who went to the peak of a mountain in search of something meaningful. Along the way, he met an old man sitting under a tree. As he approached the old man, he disclosed the intention of his journey and what he was seeking. The old man, in reply, commented: “That which you seek you shall find, but that which you find shall change you and make you understand that what you seek is already in you.”
Zechariah was advanced in years, hence no longer youthful. Despite his age though, he was still searching for something meaningful, something called fatherhood. He waited a long time for that moment, but when it came, he was assailed with doubts when the angel told him that his prayer had been answered because his wife Elizabeth would finally bear a son to be named John.
Unable to make sense of what he heard from the angel, he became mute until his son was born. In the end, Zechariah was changed by what he prayed for, and understood that God’s grace was already in him, just waiting for him to recognize it.
It is easy to decry Zechariah’s struggles and condemn him for doubting God’s message. As an older person, he should have known better, should have been more discerning and wiser. Alas, he was not. But he was not a hopeless case, for although he doubted, he remained hopeful. And so, God eventually found a way to change his heart and strengthen his faith.
Doubts are not the sole domain of the weak. Even the strongest and firm believers among us can have moments of weakness and uncertainties. In our prayers we can seek assurance and search for something truly meaningful.
But there will be times when our perceptions of things are not clear and seemingly pointless and meaningless. Although such experience can initially render us speechless, it can also become a watershed moment for us that will lead us to a more enlightened faith and make us realize that God is indeed a gracious God.
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