Thursday 24 December 2020 - Come, Rising Sun, splendour of justice and eternal light! Enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1, 67-79
"Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke these prophetic words". We have received the Holy Spirit through baptism, and by confirmation we have received the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and we often invoke the Holy Spirit in our prayers. The Spirit of God is therefore in us, but we do not listen to him, we turn a deaf ear to him that we are going astray. When we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit, we can act like Zechariah: praise God. The breath of the Spirit shows us the right path, leads us to the truth and makes us live true love. So let us allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit, let us not turn away from him and let us not turn away from his guidance.
As soon as Zechariah's tongue was loosened, the praise of God flowed from his mouth. This shows his devotion to the Lord. God directed his life so that he could have a child even in old age. His thanksgiving to God here is not a private acknowledgement, but an acknowledgement open to others, addressed to God above all, in which he emphasises that it is the God of Israel, and not his exclusiveness, who visits his people, the house of David, that God has fulfilled his promise to Abraham. God is faithful to his word; that is why we trust Him. When we pray, however, we are often eager to pray only for ourselves: for myself, or only for those close to me. This is not enough; we must open ourselves to others, even to our enemies and to those who persecute us, and pray that they will repent. The Messiah is coming, not only for us, but for everyone, believers and non-believers alike. He comes for everyone and wants only one to be lost, but it is we who often get lost, not receiving the salvation He offers.
Only then does Zechariah turn to his son, prophesying about him: "You shall be called a prophet of the Most High; you shall walk before the Lord, and prepare his ways, that you may give his people to know salvation through the remission of their sins". We are also like John the Baptist: we become prophets through baptism. We must guide humanity towards Jesus, urging it to conversion. Amen.
