Why We Disbelieve

Gospel: Luke 1: 5-25

Zechariah was a priest who offered sacrifice every day in the Temple.  He prayed daily and read the Scriptures with great devotion.  He knew all the stories of God's work in times past and could retell them by heart.  And yet, when God announced to him that he would have a part to play in this great drama of salvation he did not believe the message.  Why?

We can be familiar with the scriptures, but in a way that separates us from the events themselves.  We see them as events of the past that cannot be repeated in our own times.  We can see God calling others in the past to these great deeds, but we cannot imagine God doing so with us in our own times.  We have placed God in a safe box where God cannot inconvenience us with a calling that does not suit our plans.  

It is easy to read this story and judge Zechariah, but upon reflection we come to realize we are not so different and far removed from him.  God is present and active in our world today as much as in the past.  Zechariah's story reminds us to remain open to God's call to love and serve others in the world, to do our part to which we are called in the drama of salvation history.