Elizabeth and Zechariah, Parents

Our knowledge of Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, comes to us from the first chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel. Elizabeth and Zechariah, righteous people according to Luke, had prayed to God that they might be blessed with a child. Since Elizabeth was well past childbearing age, they might have given up hope that their prayers would ever be answered. But God blessed her with a child and when Elizabeth was in her sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Mary to announce the impending birth of Jesus. Elizabeth was the first person to recognize Mary as the mother of God, “And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” [Lk 1:43] Mary remained with Elizabeth until Elizabeth’s child was born.

God knows all of our needs and answers all of our prayers, though not always at the time or in the manner of our choosing. Elizabeth and Zechariah continued to pray for a child even after they felt it impossible to become parents and God chose to bless them with the baby who was to become St. John the Baptist.