Storm of feelings on the day of birth - Luke 1:57-66
St. Luke, who in my opinion is the most sensitive Evangelist, by immortalizing various events, pays special attention to the importance of feelings in our relations with God and with our neighbors. He is a seasoned observer and psychologist.
Enough to mention the story of Jesus' visit to his native Nazareth, where his countrymen pass from admiration and delight to hostility and hatred. Then the Samaritan, who is deeply moved when he sees a beaten man by the road. After all, the shepherd is happy to find the sheep, or the father is moved when his lost son returns home. Each time human feelings are the beginning of action: one time bad, another time good action.
Describing the birth and circumcision of St. John the Baptist, which gathers neighbors and relatives in the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Luke lists three feelings in the invited guests: joy, astonishment and fear. He arranges them in a certain sequence: under the influence of unexpected events, their joy turns into astonishment and ends up with fear.
We learn from the Gospels that the neighbors and family, who came to the celebration of circumcision and naming the child of Elizabeth and Zechariah, wanted to decide all things their own way. Of course, following the best intentions. First, they share their joy with Elizabeth. They are glad that the barren woman gave birth to a son. Who would have expected such a surprise? They recognized the great good that Elizabeth experiences. And they also admit that the impossible has become possible thanks to God's intervention.
And as it happens in life, although the wife was freed from infertility, her husband was strangely affected by dumbness. Let us remember that relatives do not know the backstage of this unpleasant event. This remains a sweet secret of his parents, or more precisely Zechariah himself, who probably did not try to explain to his wife on the tablets for what the angel Gabriel punished him. He must have told Elizabeth the name of their announced descendant. The relatives concluded, however, that in order to honor and console the sick father, it would be appropriate to name the child "Zechariah" during the circumcision.
But the plan does not go the way they intended. First, Elizabeth says that the boy will have a different name. Therefore, concerned relatives turn to the father to make sure that Elizabeth's statement is not just a "woman's" whim. But both parents had already "agreed" on what name to give their son. Zechariah takes the wife's side. Guests can see that something more serious is going on here. And they are astonished because they collide with a novelty that goes beyond their expectations. However, they were more amazed by the agreement of the spouses and the reluctance to agree to their proposition than the name itself. "John" which means "God is gracious". The whole life of this prophet will be a sign of God's mercy towards the people, and therefore something much more important than honoring the father.
The Greek word for amazement/astonishment in this Gospel is also used by Aristotle when he writes in "Metaphysics" that the beginning of knowledge is astonishment (thaumazein – amazement/ astonishment). And it is thanks to the ability to astonish that our world moves forward. It opens us up to what is new and unexpected. It breaks out of patterns and obviousness. It is the driving force behind development.
As if that was not enough, Zechariah's speech returns. The first words that come out of his mouth are gratitude and blessing to God. Under the influence of this event, the surprise of the guests turns into fear, which here should rather be associated with what we call the fear of God, that is, a sense of God's presence, and not with a paralyzing fear. A man who is overwhelmed by "bad fear " closes himself, is often confined only to four walls, has no intention of doing anything, remains motionless. The anxiety experienced by neighbors and relatives of Zechariah is different. It is a certain mixture of fascination, misunderstanding, maybe a little excitement. And what is happening to them? They become extremely active. They spread out around the neighborhood and start telling people about the event. Similar people reactions St. Luke notes in later when Jesus performed miraculous healings. The relatives leave the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth with a question in their hearts and on their lips, they begin to think and examine. They came to experience a family celebration and fulfill a religious duty, and here God changes something in their lives.
These three feelings from the story of the birth of St. John the Baptist: joy, astonishment and fear are the fruit of man's contact with a reality that transcends him. Relatives and neighbors witnessed that some deeper matters were taking place in this family celebration. First, unexpected conception and birth. Then this strange insistence on the name. Finally, Zechariah is healed of the mute. Someone bigger had to interfere here really seriously, that is, God Himself.
I find very intriguing that the feelings of relatives and neighbors first respond to external events and then motivate them to commit and profess their faith. Why? After all, they are open to change. Moreover, contrary to appearances, faith rarely begins with a presentation of science and intellectual cognition. More often, being a witness to an event involuntarily evokes feelings in a person. And then there is a long process of understanding. Feelings are not just random impulses. St. Luke tries to show that external events are the trigger of feelings, and the purpose of the feelings is to persuade a person to go deeper, to seek and act. If these guests would have accepted everything with indifference or stoic detachment, they would probably have gone home and that would have been the end of it.
I do not know why in religious education we often try to reverse this order. For example, providing just knowledge in school catechesis will be of little use if the young person does not first feel emotionally moved, if somehow does not experience the living presence of God. Therefore, it is naive to expect that faith can be deepened by referring only to the intellectual dimension. The testimony is most moving, both in John the Baptist's time and today.
One more analogy. The birth of a child is a kind of revolution at home, evoking a whole range of feelings. Joy and excitement, care and tenderness, fears and hope. And then parents usually have many other surprises. It is impossible to predict on the day of birth who their child will be. This is a great unknown. Children often surprise because they just turn out to be different. They are not a copy of the parents. In a way, they are raising a father and a mother. Hidden in them is another portion of freedom and unpredictability that God sends to earth so that the world does not stand still. And just as in the process of faith we do not understand everything immediately, so parents are slowly learning about their children and that their children will take a slightly different path in life. It all starts with feelings.
until Tomorrow
fr. george