It is
easy to fall into criticism of Zechariah.
Shortly after his lapse and punishment, we meet the Virgin Mary whose
response to the angel is quite different and opens her womb by faith to the
Word made Flesh. It is to be noted that
Zechariah asked, “How will I know this, for I am an old man?” whereas the Virgin Mary asked, “How will this
be, since I do not know man?” An old man having a child with his elderly
wife at least had Biblical precedents, especially in the case of Abraham and
Sarah. A virgin conceiving was beyond beyond, but Mary believed it was
possible, inquiring only as to the “how” of it all.
But
what came of Zechariah’s stumbling response?
Well, for one, the home of him and his wife became like a silent monastery,
since he couldn’t talk, and she hid herself for five months, and presumably
engaged in an awful lot of prayer. John’s
growth within his mother’s womb was a spiritual experience for all of them for
that. Zechariah had time to compose that
beautiful hymn sung every morning throughout the world, a testimony to his
renewed faith, and his encapsulation of the Hebrew people’s yearning for a
Messiah. Zack’s suffering bore fruit that lasts even through today and into
eternity.
We all
should strive to respond to God as the Blessed Mother did: believing that what
He says is true and will happen, even if we are no surer of the manner as she
was, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you.” More often than not, I’m
afraid, we respond like Zechariah: hesitant, questioning, offering all sorts of
excuses of why it is impossible. At some
point, I suppose, there is the danger of God withdrawing His promises, if we
were to remain without faith and confidence.
Usually we maintain a level of it to leave us open to His wonderful
gifts. Many times we suffer because of
our hesitancy; things do not work out as we hoped, however weakly. It is tempting to look back and be harsh with
ourselves for not trusting more, believing more deeply, giving a response of
greater love to Love Himself.
Yet,
remember Zechariah: a good man, troubled with personal weakness, feeling the
sense of being abandoned by God since he had no children (quite the social
stigma of those days), perhaps castigating himself for not doing better when
tested. Then, He was graced with the opportunity to turn even his own weakness
into something beautiful for God, and we will be singing his song of praise
until the end of time. Not a bad ending,
I dare say.
