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December 23, 2022Earlier in the Advent season, we heard of two Annunciations, one to Zechariah and one to Our Lady. Both Annunciations were delivering miraculous news, however, they were met with very different responses. Our Lady answered the angel's message with the greatest act of faith saying, “Be it done unto me according to thy word.” Zechariah challenged the angel's message with doubt. As a result of Zechariah’s lack of faith, his tongue was bound silent. Despite his faithlessness in God’s promise, God remained faithful to His word and miraculously gave Zechariah and Elizabeth a child in their old age.
How did Zechariah respond after his involuntary 9-month silent retreat? Did he become bitter towards the Lord? On the contrary, Zechariah humbly submitted to God’s will by naming their child John - the forerunner to Christ. St. Ambrose says, “from that moment was his tongue loosed, for that which unbelief had bound, faith set free. Let us then also believe in order that our tongue which has been bound by the chains of unbelief, may be loosed by the voice of reason.”
After his tongue was loosed, Zechariah subsequently prophesied and praised God with the Benedictus, which the universal Church prays every day during Lauds. Zechariah learned his lesson during his extended period of silence, namely, that God is faithful to His promises. In a world full of noise, it can be easy to forget the presence of the Triune God within us. As we prepare for Christmas, may we seek extra time in silence, reflecting on the areas in our lives where we tend towards faithlessness and ask God for the grace to imitate Zechariah’s silent obedience.