by L'équipe de publication | Dec 22, 2024 | Agenda Biblique
SAINT Armand
O Emmanuel !
Violet
Originaire de Bavière et entra dans l’Ordre des chanoines réguliers de Saint-Augustin. Il réforma de nombreuses communautés de son Ordre puis fut nommé évêque de Brixen.
Antienne d’ouverture : Cf. Is 9, 6
Un enfant va naître; on l’appellera Dieu Fort: en lui seront bénis tous les peuple de la terre.
Prière d’ouverture
Dieu éternel et tout-puissant, nous allons bientôt célébrer la naissance de ton Fils ; il a voulu prendre chair de la Vierge Marie, il s’est lié pour toujours à notre humanité : fais qu’il montre ta miséricorde aux pauvres serviteurs que nous sommes. Lui qui règne.
1ère lecture : Ml 3, 1-4.23-24
Ainsi parle le Seigneur Dieu : Voici que j’envoie mon messager pour qu’il prépare le chemin devant moi ; et soudain viendra dans son Temple le Seigneur que vous cherchez. Le messager de l’Alliance que vous désirez, le voici qui vient,– dit le Seigneur de l’univers. Qui pourra soutenir le jour de sa venue? Qui pourra rester debout lorsqu’il se montrera ? Car il est pareil au feu du fondeur, pareil à la lessive des blanchisseurs. Il s’installera pour fondre et purifier : il purifiera les fils de Lévi, il les affinera comme l’or et l’argent ; ainsi pourront-ils, aux yeux du Seigneur, présenter l’offrande en toute justice. Alors, l’offrande de Juda et de Jérusalem sera bien accueillie du Seigneur, comme il en fut aux jours anciens, dans les années d’autrefois. Voici que je vais vous envoyer Élie le prophète, avant que vienne le jour du Seigneur, jour grand et redoutable. Il ramènera le cœur des pères vers leurs fils, et le cœur des fils vers leurs pères, pour que je ne vienne pas frapper d’anathème le pays !
Psaume : 24 (25), 4-5ab, 8-9, 10.14
R/ Redressez-vous et relevez la tête, car votre rédemption approche. (Lc 21, 28)
Seigneur, enseigne-moi tes voies, fais-moi connaître ta route. Dirige-moi par ta vérité, enseigne-moi, car tu es le Dieu qui me sauve.
Il est droit, il est bon, le Seigneur, lui qui montre aux pécheurs le chemin. Sa justice dirige les humbles, il enseigne aux humbles son chemin.
Les voies du Seigneur sont amour et vérité pour qui veille à son alliance et à ses lois. Le secret du Seigneur est pour ceux qui le craignent ; à ceux-là, il fait connaître son alliance.
Acclamation
Alléluia, Alléluia. Viens, Espérance des nations, Sauveur de tous les peuples ! Viens sauver ce qui était perdu. Alléluia.
Évangile : Lc 1, 57-66
Quand fut accompli le temps où Élisabeth devait enfanter, elle mit au monde un fils. Ses voisins et sa famille apprirent que le Seigneur lui avait montré la grandeur de sa miséricorde, et ils se réjouissaient avec elle. Le huitième jour, ils vinrent pour la circoncision de l’enfant. Ils voulaient l’appeler Zacharie, du nom de son père. Mais sa mère prit la parole et déclara : « Non, il s’appellera Jean. » On lui dit : « Personne dans ta famille ne porte ce nom-là ! » On demandait par signes au père comment il voulait l’appeler. Il se fit donner une tablette sur laquelle il écrivit : « Jean est son nom. » Et tout le monde en fut étonné. À l’instant même, sa bouche s’ouvrit, sa langue se délia : il parlait et il bénissait Dieu. La crainte saisit alors tous les gens du voisinage et, dans toute la région montagneuse de Judée, on racontait tous ces événements. Tous ceux qui les apprenaient les conservaient dans leur cœur et disaient : « Que sera donc cet enfant? » En effet, la main du Seigneur était avec lui.
Prière sur les offrandes
Que cette offrande, Seigneur, où ton Eglise te présente la parfaite adoration de ton Fils, nous rétablisse dans ton amitié, pour que nous fêtions d’un cœur pur la naissance de notre Rédempteur. Lui qui
Antienne de communion : Ap 3, 20
« Voici que je me tiens à la porte et je frappe. Si quelqu’un entend ma voix et ouvre la porte, j’entrerai chez lui ; je prendrai mon repas avec lui, et lui avec moi. »
Prière après la communion
Accorde la Paix, Seigneur, à ceux que tu as nourris d’un aliment spirituel, pour que jamais ne faiblisse leur vigilance à guetter la venue de ton Fils. Lui qui
Méditation
Chez le prophète Isaïe, l’image de la lumière est utilisée comme symbole de salut et d’espérance. Le peuple qui marchait dans les ténèbres a vu une grande lumière; sur les habitants du sombre pays, une lumière a resplendi. Le prophète Malachie utilise une autre image du soleil levant pour exprimer la Rédemption dont nous bénéficions comme d’une bénédiction de Dieu : Pour vous qui craignez mon Nom, le soleil de justice brillera, avec le salut dans ses rayons (Malachie 3.20). L’évangéliste Luc nous donne, dans le Cantique de Zacharie, la même métaphore de Jésus comme Lumière du monde : …, pour illuminer ceux qui se tiennent dans les ténèbres et l’ombre de la mort, … Dans le Sermon sur la Montagne, Jésus nous rappelle que nous sommes la lumière du monde. Mais nous savons que nous ne pouvons être la vraie lumière pour les autres que si notre propre éclairage est celui que nous recevons de Jésus Christ. Adressons cette prière instante à Jésus pour qu’il fasse resplendir sur nous ses rayons bienfaisants, en sorte que nous brillions nous-mêmes, pour les autres, de sa lumière.
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 22, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint John of Kęty, Priest
(1390 – 1473)
O Emmanuel !
Purple
He was born in kety in the diocese of Kraków in 1390. He became a priest and for many years taught at the University of Kraków; later he became parish priest of Olkusz. He taught and researched in both physics and theology and excelled in holiness and in charity towards his neighbour, in which he was an example to his colleagues and pupils. He died in 1473.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Is 9: 5; Ps 71: 17
A child shall be born for us, and he will be called God, the Almighty; every tribe of the earth shall be blest in him.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, as we see how the Nativity of your Son according to the flesh draws near, we pray that to us, your unworthy servants, mercy may flow from your Word, who chose to become flesh of the Virgin Mary and establish among us his dwelling, Jesus Christ our Lord. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Malachi 3:1-4,23-24
The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old. Know that I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before my day comes, that great and terrible day. He shall turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the hearts of children towards their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24(25):4-5,8-9,10,14
R/ Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.
Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour.
The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray, He guides the humble in the right path, He teaches his way to the poor.
His ways are faithfulness and love for those who keep his covenant and law. The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him; to them he reveals his covenant.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! King of the peoples and cornerstone of the Church, come and save man, whom you made from the dust of the earth. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 1:57-66
The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy. Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
Prayer over the Offerings
May this oblation, by which divine worship in its fullness has been inaugurated for us, be our perfect reconciliation with you, O Lord, that we may celebrate with minds made pure the Nativity of our Redeemer. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Communion Antiphon: Rv 3: 20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice and opens the door to me, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.
Prayer after Communion
Grant your peace, O Lord, to those you have nourished with these heavenly gifts, that we may be ready, with lighted lamps, to meet your dearly beloved Son at his coming. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
Sometimes misfortune comes in twos and threes. In such moments, help seems far-fetched. This must have been the experience of the family of Zachariah as they contemplate their barrenness and old age. At other times, however, there is a mixture of fortune and misfortune. This is typified by the combination of the happenings in this same family. The pregnancy of Elizabeth coincided with the inability of Zachariah to speak. These events readily speak to a good number of us. At times, when we feel we can relax and enjoy the good things of life, something comes from the blues to disrupt this joy. Luckily, the concluding verses of today’s reading give us hope that even in these times, the hand of God is still leading us. The naming of John opened the mouth of Zachariah. He can go ahead with his services of God in the Temple. What a double blessing!
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 19, 2024 | Agenda Biblique
Saint Jacob
O Clavis David !
Violet
C’est le Patriarche du peuple juif. Le livre de la Genèse a consigné l’histoire pleine de la ruse de la bénédiction d’Isaac reçut par lui à la place de son frère Esaü.
Antienne d’ouverture
Un rameau sortira de la souche de Jessé, la gloire du Seigneur remplira la terre, et tout homme verra le salut de notre Dieu.
Prière d’ouverture
Tu as voulu, Seigneur, qu’à l’annonce de l’ange la Vierge accueille ton Verbe éternel, qu’elle soit remplie de la lumière de l’Esprit Saint et devienne le temple du Très-Haut ; aide-nous à devenir assez humbles pour faire comme elle ta volonté. Par Jésus Christ.
1ère lecture : Isaïe 7, 10-14
En ces jours-là, le Seigneur parla ainsi au roi Acaz : « Demande pour toi un signe de la part du Seigneur ton Dieu, au fond du séjour des morts ou sur les sommets, là- haut.» Acaz répondit : « Non, je n’en demanderai pas, je ne mettrai pas le Seigneur à l’épreuve. » Isaïe dit alors : « Écoutez, maison de David ! Il ne vous suffit donc pas de fatiguer les hommes: il faut encore que vous fatiguiez mon Dieu! C’est pourquoi le Seigneur lui- même vous donnera un signe: Voici que la vierge est enceinte, elle enfantera un fils, qu’elle appellera Emmanuel (c’est- à- dire: Dieu- avec- nous). »
Psaume : 23 (24), 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
R/ Qu’il vienne, le Seigneur : c’est lui, le roi de gloire!
Au Seigneur, le monde et sa richesse, la terre et tous ses habitants ! C’est lui qui l’a fondée sur les mers et la garde inébranlable sur les flots.
Qui peut gravir la montagne du Seigneur et se tenir dans le lieu saint ? L’homme au cœur pur, aux mains innocentes, qui ne livre pas son âme aux idoles.
Il obtient, du Seigneur, la bénédiction, et de Dieu son Sauveur, la justice. Voici le peuple de ceux qui le cherchent ! Voici Jacob qui recherche ta face !
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia Viens, Clé de David! Toi qui ouvres les portes du Royaume, arrache à leur prison les captifs des ténèbres. Alléluia.
Évangile : Luc 1, 26-38
Au sixième mois d’Élisabeth, l’ange Gabriel fut envoyé par Dieu dans une ville de Galilée, appelée Nazareth, à une jeune fille vierge, accordée en mariage à un homme de la maison de David, appelé Joseph ; et le nom de la jeune fille était Marie. L’ange entra chez elle et dit : « Je te salue, Comblée- de- grâce, le Seigneur est avec toi. » À cette parole, elle fut toute bouleversée, et elle se demandait ce que pouvait signifier cette salutation. L’ange lui dit alors : « Sois sans crainte, Marie, car tu as trouvé grâce auprès de Dieu. Voici que tu vas concevoir et enfanter un fils ; tu lui donneras le nom de Jésus. Il sera grand, il sera appelé Fils du Très-Haut ; le Seigneur Dieu lui donnera le trône de David son père ; il régnera pour toujours sur la maison de Jacob, et son règne n’aura pas de fin.» Marie dit à l’ange: « Comment cela va-t -il se faire, puisque je ne connais pas d’homme ? » L’ange lui répondit: et la puissance du Très- Haut te prendra sous son ombre ; c’est pourquoi celui qui va naître sera saint, il sera appelé Fils de Dieu. Or voici que, dans sa vieillesse, Élisabeth, ta parente, a conçu, elle aussi, un fils et en est à son sixième mois, alors qu’on l’appelait la femme stérile. Car rien n’est impossible à Dieu. » Marie dit alors : « Voici la servante du Seigneur ; que tout m’advienne selon ta parole. »
Alors l’ange la quitta.
Prière sur les offrandes
Accepte, Seigneur, nous t’en prions, le seul sacrifice que nous puissions t’offrir. Et par notre communion à ce sacrement, donne-nous les biens que la foi propose à notre attente, par Jésus, le Christ, notre Seigneur.
Antienne de la communion
L’Ange dit à Marie: «Voici que tu va concevoir et enfanter un fils, et tu lui donneras le nom de Jésus.»
Prière après la communion
Garde, seigneur, en ta divine protection ceux que tu nourris de l’eucharistie : qu’ils trouvent dans tes sacrements les sources de la paix véritable. Par Jésus
Méditation Le Christ est notre voie d’accès à Dieu : par lui, nous pouvons en toute confiance nous approcher de Dieu qui est notre Créateur et notre Père. De la famille de David est né le Messie, l’Oint, le Christ. C’est vers lui que nous nous tournons dans la détresse. Nous attendons la lumière du salut et la délivrance des chaînes du péché. Il n’y a qu’une personne qui puisse faire cela pour nous, cette personne est Jésus. L’évangéliste Matthieu nous rappelle le message que reçut Joseph : (Marie) enfantera un fils et tu l’appelleras du nom de Jésus, car c’est lui qui saurera son peuple de ses péchés (Matthieu 1.21). Dans un monde qui a si désespérément besoin d’un Sauveur, nous appelons à l’aide, dans l’espérance. Nous demandons au Seigneur d’ouvrir la porte de nos cœurs à son message de salut, et de les fermer à tout ce qui pourrait nous entraîner sur la pente du péché. Ô divin Messie, viens régner dans nos cœurs !
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 19, 2024 | Evangelium
Blessed Scubilion (1797 – 1867)
O Clavis David !
Purple
Born in France in 1797, He joined the Brothers of Christian Instruction and was given the name Scubilion. In 1833 he was sent to the Isle of Réunion, where he remained until his death in 1867. In Réunion he was named “the catechist of the slaves” on account of his ministry among them.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Is 11: 1; 40: 5; Lk 3: 6
A branch shall sprout from the root of Jesse, and the glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth, and all flesh will see the salvation of God.
Collect
O God, eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word the immaculate Virgin received through the message of an Angel and so became the dwelling-place of divinity, filled with the light of the Holy Spirit, grant, we pray, that by her example we may in humility hold fast to your will. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Isaiah 7:10-14
The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Then Isaiah said: ‘Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men without trying the patience of my God, too? The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
23(24):1-6
R/ Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all its peoples. It is he who set it on the seas; on the waters he made it firm.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord and reward from the God who saves him. Such are the men who seek him, seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver, come and save us, Lord our God.
Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, O Lord, we pray, upon the one sacrifice of your Son, that, by participating in this mystery, we may possess at last the gifts we have awaited and for which our faith bids us hope. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Lk 1: 31
The Angel said to Mary: Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
Prayer after Communion
Grant divine protection, O Lord, to those you renew with this heavenly gift, that to those who delight in your mysteries you may give the joy of true peace. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Though the yuletide events described in the Bible seem to defy modern common sense, they may not be far-fetched from present-day experiences. God continues to seek and find his people from one end of the earth to the other. It was the turn of Zachariah yesterday, and today it is the turn of Mary. In this encounter, the question that bothered Mary was how she could conceive without knowing any man. The question that bothers many modern young girls is the possibility of knowing as many men as possible without conceiving. The life of Mary enabled her to be overshadowed by the power of the most high. Can this overshadowing imply the impossibility of another man entering into this holy sanctuary (cf. Ex. 40:35)?
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 18, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Nemesius
O Radix Iesse !
Purple
Martyr of Egypt. He was burned alive in Alexandria, Egypt, during the persecutions under Emperor Trajanus Decius. Nemesius was arrested and scourged and then burned to death. Like Christ, he was executed between two criminals.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Heb 10: 37
He who is to come will come and will not delay, and now there will be no fear within our land, for he is our Saviour.
Collect
O God, who through the child-bearing of the holy Virgin graciously revealed the radiance of your glory to the world, grant, we pray, that we may venerate with integrity of faith
the mystery of so wondrous an Incarnation and always celebrate it with due reverence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Judges 13:2-7,24-25
There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife was barren, she had borne no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to this woman and said to her, ‘You are barren and have had no child. But from now on take great care. Take no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor is to touch his head, for the boy shall be God’s nazirite from his mother’s womb. It is he who will begin to rescue Israel from the power of the Philistines.’ Then the woman went and told her husband, ‘A man of God has just come to me; his presence was like the presence of the angel of God, he was so majestic. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not reveal his name to me. But he said to me, “You will conceive and bear a son. From now on, take no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be God’s nazirite from his mother’s womb to his dying day.”’ The woman gave birth to a son and called him Samson. The child grew, and the Lord blessed him; and the spirit of the Lord began to move him.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 70(71):3-6,16-17
R/My lips are filled with your praise, with your glory all the day long.
Be a rock where I can take refuge, a mighty stronghold to save me; for you are my rock, my stronghold. Free me from the hand of the wicked.
It is you, O Lord, who are my hope, my trust, O Lord, since my youth. On you I have leaned from my birth, from my mother’s womb you have been my help.
I will declare the Lord’s mighty deeds proclaiming your justice, yours alone. O God, you have taught me from my youth and I proclaim your wonders still.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! Root of Jesse, set up as a sign to the peoples, come to save us, and delay no more. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 1:5-25
In the days of King Herod of Judaea there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron. Both were worthy in the sight of God, and scrupulously observed all the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both getting on in years. Now it was the turn of Zechariah’s section to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God when it fell to him by lot, as the ritual custom was, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense there. And at the hour of incense the whole congregation was outside, praying. Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense. The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you must name him John. He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink. Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the disobedient back to the wisdom that the virtuous have, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.’ Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel who stand in God’s presence, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Listen! Since you have not believed my words, which will come true at their appointed time, you will be silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened.’ Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he stayed in the sanctuary so long. When he came out he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had received a vision in the sanctuary. But he could only make signs to them, and remained dumb. When his time of service came to an end he returned home. Some time later his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept to herself. ‘The Lord has done this for me’ she said ‘now that it has pleased him to take away the humiliation I suffered among men.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Look with favour, we pray, O Lord, on the offerings we lay upon your altars, that what we bring despite our weakness may be sanctified by your power. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Lk 1: 78-79
The Dawn from on high will visit us, guiding our feet in the way of peace.
Prayer after Communion
As we give thanks, almighty God, for these gifts you have bestowed, graciously arouse in us, we pray, the desire for those yet to come, that we may welcome the Nativity of our Saviour and honour it with minds made pure. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Zachariah and Elizabeth were from priestly stock. It should also be recalled that Mary is the cousin of Elizabeth. Not only did Zachariah and Elizabeth have blessed progenitors, but they were also both righteous and blameless before God. In this sort of environment, John the Baptist would later be planted. By way of contrast, while the angel appeared to Mary before the birth of Jesus, the angel here appeared to Zachariah and not to Elizabeth. Mary was found to be with a child before she came to live with Joseph, while Elizabeth is well advanced in years but has no child. What could have made Elizabeth childless? Does she have to break some ancient bonds and uproot some family trees? Her background was not the issue. Healing of family roots would not have done any good. Significantly, she was able to wait till the appointed time.
