Open mouth

In today’s Gospel (Luke 1:57-66), two very special things happen for an old man named Zechariah: first, he sees the birth of the son he had despaired of having, and then – after resolving a conflict about the boy’s name - another miracle happens:

Immediately
his mouth was opened,
his tongue freed,
and he spoke
blessing God.

This, I believe, was not only a special grace for Zechariah, but also a grace for which we should pray.

We are often tongue-tied in our prayer and even more tongue-tied in telling others about the marvelous gift of faith we have in Christ and his Church.

We should pray for the special grace that Zechariah received, that the Lord may open our mouths, free our tongues, and let us speak clearly and powerfully with the truth and the praise of God.

That would be a glorious Christmas present indeed.