Discovering the Breviary
The Canticle of Zechariah
We heard of the story of how the birth of John the Baptist came about. The angel appeared to Zechariah in the sanctuary of the Lord, and told him of the birth of his son; however, because of the old age of both he and his wife, he doubted, and was punished with being speechless until the birth of John. He was not able to speak until after he had written that the name of his son would be John.
Then, among his first words were what we now call the Canticle of Zechariah:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.
He has raised up a horn for our salvation
within the house of David his servant,
even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our fathers
and to be mindful of his holy covenant
and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies,
without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God
by which the daybreak from on high will visit us
to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,
to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1:68–79, NABRE)
Zechariah began his canticle praising God for visiting his people. On one hand, the visit of the angel as the messenger of God and the miracle of the birth of John the Baptist are both works of God and signs of God’s presence. On the other hand, we also remember that God’s presence is what gives us life. When he breathed on the first man, Adam came to life. When Jesus came to the world, he brought redemption for his people.
God raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David. And this servant is Jesus Christ born in the house of David, but greater than David for he is the Word made flesh. And what he brings is salvation. This salvation is further described by Zechariah as salvation from our enemies — in our case, from sin and the devil — so that we may worship the Lord. Yes, our salvation and our freedom are salvation and freedom to worship the Lord in our words and in our deeds — to do what is holy and righteous in his sight.
When Zechariah talked to his son John with the words, “you, child,” we also hear the voice of the Father calling us, “you, my children,” and telling us that all of us are called to share in Jesus’ divine ministry as prophets of the Most High. We are called to go and share the good news, and to bring the people entrusted to our care back to God.
We can say that this canticle is both a prayer of praise to God and an admonishment for each of us to live holy and upright lives. As we face a new morn, we are reminded of the tender mercy of God by which the dawn has shone upon us. And we are assured that God will continue to guide our feet into the path of peace.
This is the third installment of my series “Discovering the Breviary,” which is an essay related to the Morning Prayer of the Roman Breviary. The first article written is “A ‘New’ Way of Prayer,” and the second is “Starting the Day Right with Invitatory Psalms.”
