For surely the hand of the Lord was with him

24 JUNE (Lk 1,57-66.80)

Any event that falls under our eyes must always be seen with the eyes of God, understood with Holy Spirit wisdom and understanding, loved with the same love of the Lord Jesus. It is necessary to constantly give our lives a Trinitarian dimension. If this dimension is not given, history might be never saved by us, nor might we ever redeem ourselves, because we are unable to bring our history into the heavenly truth. There is no history, there is no life that must not to be seen by God in God.

Zechariah did not believe in the word of the angel of the Lord that came to bring him a good news while he was in the temple of the Lord to carry out his holy service. He remains mute. He could tell no one what the Lord had done for him. Today, spiritual silence accompanies almost all the disciples of Jesus. These, having lost faith in the Word of their Master, are doomed to an eternal silence. They are mute. They are not able to talk. When they speak, they say inaccurate, imperfect, not true, even monstrous things on Him.

Today, Christian silence is the evil of the world. Zechariah resumed the use of the word after all the angel’s words were fulfilled without even one having fallen on deaf ears. Now he can praise, bless and exalt the Lord. He can raise his hymn of thanksgiving, true prophecy in which history is read with the eyes of God, in the most powerful light and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. What happened with Zechariah must happen with every disciple of the Lord. This is the true evangelization: telling what the Lord has done for us, what every day he does for us. If we separate the evangelization from the work that the Lord is doing for us today, ours will never be a true evangelization. It will simply be spiritual silence.

Those who are relatives and friends of Zechariah, see history, contemplate it with eyes of most pure faith and feel the mysterious presence of God in this child. They ask themselves. They wonder. They interrogate themselves. This is the true way of evangelization. Putting every man before the works that God is doing for the salvation of his children today. When one is confronted with supernatural events, the heart is always questioned, challenged and in agitation. It asks and demands a response. It demand and needs someone to enlighten him. Zechariah enlightens. He opens history to a dimension of true salvation. He sees in the child the mighty hand of God. He proclaims that the Lord put himself into action again. He comes to save his people with power. His baby is God’s instrument.

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 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 neighbours, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Real evangelization is made of a word that illuminates and makes understandable the great work of salvation that God is doing today in favour of his children. If the work is missing, the word is in vain. If the word is missing, the work is mute. Work and word must be one. For this reason eyes of God, Holy Spirit wisdom, Christ’s heart to see, understand and speak, are needed. Today a lot of evangelization is not done just because the man is separated from God, Holy Spirit and Lord Jesus.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us singers of the works of God.