Zechariah was a holy man, but the news that he was to become a father confused him. He was too old; so was his wife, Elizabeth. Despite his piety and faith, he did not acknowledge God was the master of the impossible.
Can I identify with him? Advent is the season of hope, the time when I am best able to answer that question. It is the time when I see what appears to be God’s hard handling of a person, that he loves that person and, all evidence to the contrary, the person’s anxieties are for the good. But only prayer can give me that insight.
Seemingly, unlike her husband, Elizabeth waited with patience for the birth of their son, John the Baptist. Was it because she was so ready to welcome Mary into her life?
“Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with you.”
Resolved: I shall pray to Mary that she obtain for me grace like that she received in order that I, and those from whom I pray, might believe more firmly in God’s providence.