“He asked for a tablet and wrote, ‘John is his name,’ and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.”
Zechariah writes the name of his son on a tablet, the same name that Elizabeth chose for him. In doing this, his tongue is freed and “he spoke blessing God.” Breaking from Jewish tradition, Zechariah and Elizabeth both choose a name that frees and opens them to new life in the Spirit. John is the living representation of that new life, the forerunner, of that new life that is about to come into the world.
God, help me understand how you work in the world and apart from it to bring about your will. The first reading from Isaiah proclaims, “I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength!” God is not bound by human custom or tradition but works within it and outside of it, allowing for all to give glory to him.
May God, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, animate me and give me life. Without it, I am, as W. B. Yeats writes in “Sailing to Byzantium,” “a paltry thing, / a tattered coat upon a stick.” Not for my own sake, do this for me, God, but as a way to give you glory. Teach me to hear and do your will.
Today let me be supple and receptive to the Holy Spirit so that my tongue is free to speak God’s name and praise him. When John saw Jesus coming toward him, he recognized his divine identity and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Today let me recognize Jesus coming toward me.