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Saturday, 5 September 2015

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[C] Zacharias and Elizabeth

Site event
Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord (Lk 1:6). Zecharias, a priest in the Jerusalem temple, was greeted by the angel Gabriel who announced that Zecharias and Elizabeth would become parents of a son. Initially Zecharias did not believe Gabriel's announcement because of their old age. For his disbelieve, Zecharias became unable to speak. After their son was born, Elizabeth named her son John. Zecharias confirmed his wife's choice and his ability to speak was restored. In response, he sang the Benedictus, a magnificent summary of God's promises in the Old Testament and a prediction of John's work as forerunner to Jesus (Lk. 1:6879). Zecharias and Elizabeth are remembered as examples of faithfulness and piety.