The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Cornelio Alpuerto SVD – University of San Carlos, Cebu City
December 19 – Advent
Zechariah, the main character of the gospel today, was a priest, not because he was ordained a priest but by simply being a direct descendant of Aaron. Every direct descendant of Aaron, if male, was automatically a priest. Also for this reason there were too many more priests than were actually needed.
Zechariah was just one of 20,000 priests. He belonged to the division of Abia. For their big number, the priests were divided into 24 sections. Only at the Passover, at Pentecost and at the Feast of Tabernacles did all the priests serve. For the rest of the year, each section served two periods of one week each.
As to who of the many priests within the section would do the priestly duties of offering the sacrifice and burning incense for the people was decided by drawing lots. And this time, the lot fell on Zechariah. A great privilege, indeed—and one that rarely came, if at all, to any of the priests!
Zechariah must have looked forward to this day with the eagerness of a child. This day was destined to be the greatest of his life, in fact.
It was not only because he wanted to enjoy a rare privilege that Zechariah longed for this day, but mainly because he was aching to tell Yahweh to do something about the great sadness of his life. What this great sadness was, Yahweh knew all along, as also Elizabeth knew it all along. The sadness, the veritable tragedy of his life was that he was childless.
So please, please, God of my life, do something about my sadness! This must have been his prayer, and it was heartfelt. And pain-filled. Yahweh’s response was immediate, loving, generous, “…Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.” Gabriel, God’s messenger, said to Zechariah while he was there at service in the sanctuary. Glad tidings almost too good to be true!And truly liberating!
But why did he lose his ability to speak? Perhaps, as penance because he doubted and asked for a proof. Whereas in the case of Mary at the Annunciation of the Savior, all Mary asked for was information on how it was going to happen since she was a virgin and intended to remain a virgin.
Subsequently, Elizabeth’s infertility was healed and she gave birth to a Son whom Jesus himself was to hail as the greatest among those born of women.
Zechariah himself wrote out on a tablet at his son’s circumcision, “His name is John” thereby regaining his ability to speak, and thereby winning a second liberation!
