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saints Zachariah and Elizabeth

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November 5
SAINTS ZACHARIAH AND ELIZABETH
May God grant that parents imitate Zechariah and Elizabeth,
leading like them a holy life; being righteous before the Lord,
and strictly observing all of God’s
commandments and precepts.
Nothing is impossible for God (words of the angel to Zechariah).
The fame of these two saints is due to the fact that they were the parents of Saint John the Baptist.
The name Zechariah means: «God remembered me.»
Elizabeth means: «Consecrated to God.»
The beautiful story of these two holy spouses is told by Saint Luke in the first chapter of his Gospel.
«There was in the days of King Herod a priest named Zechariah, married to Elizabeth, a woman descended from the brother of Moses, Aaron the High Priest.»
The Gospel speaks of these two spouses with tremendous praise. It says: «Both of them led holy lives, were righteous before God, and strictly observed all the commandments and precepts of the Lord.» I wish something similar could be said of each of our homes. It would be wonderful.
Saint Luke says: «Zechariah and Elizabeth had no children, because she was barren. Moreover, they were both well advanced in years.»
One day, when it was Zechariah’s turn to go up to the altar (behind the veil) to offer incense, the whole crowd was praying outside.
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and Zechariah, when he saw him, was filled with fear, and a great terror seized him. The angel said to him, «Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will give birth to a son, and you will name him John. He will be a joy and a source of gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. He will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will not drink strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit and will turn many to God. He will have the spirit of the prophet Elijah, to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.»
Zechariah said to the angel, «How can I know that what you are telling me is true? For I am very old, and Elizabeth, my wife, is barren.» The angel said to him, «I am Gabriel, one of those who stand before God, and I have been sent to tell you this good news. But because you did not believe what I have spoken to you, you will be mute and unable to speak until the day these things happen, which will all be fulfilled in their time.»
The people were waiting for Zechariah to come out and were surprised why he took so long to appear. When he appeared, he could not speak to them, and they realized he had had a vision. He spoke to them in signs and was mute.
«Then Elizabeth conceived a son and hid for five months (not telling the neighbors that she was going to have a boy).» And she said: «God wanted to take away my humiliation and has remembered me.»
The angel Gabriel told Mary Most Holy on the day of the Annunciation that Elizabeth was going to have a son. She rushed to Elizabeth’s house and stayed there for three months, accompanying her and helping her in every way, until the birth of the child John, whose birth was truly an event (as narrated on June 24).
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