Feast of Saints Zachariah and Elizabeth
Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Zachariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. We read in the gospels of the longing they both had for a child, the sorrow they had in not having a child, and the immense grace God bestowed on them by at long last giving them the desires of their heart. The archangel Gabriel tells Mary, "...for nothing is impossible with God." We read of the disbelief of St. Zachariah upon learning he is to be a father, and the immense joy experienced by St. Elizabeth and John the Baptist when Mary came to visit St. Elizabeth and help her during her pregnancy.
In these two saints, we may see parts of our lives played out. We may have immense sorrow for an unfulfilled desire. We may have disbelief in the good that God has said He will bestow on us. We may have friends coming to help us in our hour of need. We rejoice in the Divine Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. May these two saints inspire us to live a life worthy of the Gospel, to see the good God has done for them, and know and believe that He is also doing good in our lives.
Saints Zachariah and Elizabeth, pray for us.