Day 33 · The Nativity Fast
In the Spirit and Power of Elijah
“He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”Luke 1:16-17
Reflection
The angel Gabriel appeared to the priest Zechariah in the Temple and promised that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son. That son, John, would turn many back to God, “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,” words taken from the end of Malachi (Malachi 4:6). Zechariah doubted, and was left unable to speak until John was born. Sometimes God's work in us begins with a silence we did not choose. It is not wasted; it is preparation.
A prayer
Lord, you were faithful to Zechariah and Elizabeth even when they had given up hope. When you call me to silence, help me to listen. Turn my heart, and the hearts of my family, toward one another and toward you. Amen.
Carry this with you
Is there a relationship in your family that needs turning back toward love?