Homily for December 23, 2019

The process of naming a child has been known to cause rifts in some families. Different people have different inclinations for naming their children but, in the end, the name of the child is the choice of the parents.

The relatives and neighbors of Zechariah and Elizabeth expected them to follow custom and to name their son Zechariah, after his father. But Zechariah and Elizabeth believed this was not the name God wanted for their child.

At this moment in history, convention and custom were put aside because God was doing something new. This child would be different from other children. Relatives and neighbors wondered, “What will this child turn out to be? 

John the Baptist’s privileged role was to prepare people for the coming of One greater than himself, One who would be called Emmanuel, God-is-with-us. The grace of God was working in a new way, making a new covenant with His people and with all of humanity. It is this wonderful gift that we celebrate at Christmas and it should never cease to fill us with joy and gratitude. +