Monday, June 23 : Saint Maximus of Turin

It was prayer, not sexual desire, that brought about John’s conception. Elizabeth’s womb was already past the age of childbearing, her body had lost all hope of conceiving, yet, in spite of this state of hopelessness, the prayer of Zachariah permitted her aged body to bear fruit once more. It was grace, not nature, that conceived John. He could not but be a saint, this child whose birth resulted less from an embrace than from prayer. However, we shouldn’t be surprised that John was worthy of so glorious a birth. The birth of Christ’s forerunner, of him who made straight his way, had to show some resemblance to that of the Lord our Savior. Thus, if our Lord was born of a virgin, John was conceived by an old and barren woman (…) And we do not wonder any the less at Elizabeth for conceiving in her old age than at Mary for giving birth in virginity. To my mind there is something symbolic in this: John represented the Old Testament; he was born of the blood, already cold, of an aged woman. Whereas Our Lord, who announced the Good News of the Kingdom of heaven, is offspring of vigorous youth. Mary, aware of her virginity, wonders at the child curled up in her womb; Elizabeth, aware of her age, blushes at her womb swollen by pregnancy; as the evangelist says: “She went into seclusion for five months.” We are to admire, too, the fact that the same archangel, Gabriel, announced both births: he brought consolation to Zachariah, who remained incredulous; he came to Mary, whom he found believing (Lk 1:26f.). The first lost his voice for having doubted; the second, because she believed, at once conceived the Word, the Savior.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team