38. Moreover, the holy John will also go before the face of the Lord, who was born as a forerunner and died as a forerunner. And perhaps this mystery is celebrated in our life today. For a certain power of John goes before our souls when we prepare to believe in Christ, so that the ways of our souls may appear to our faith, and from the twisted path of this life, he may make straight pathways for our journey, so that we may not stumble in the winding of error; by which every valley of virtue in our soul may be filled with fruits, and all the height of worldly merits may prostrate itself to the Lord in greater humility, knowing that nothing can be lofty that is fragile.
(Vers. 18, 19, 20.)
(Verse 18, 19, 20.) And Zacharias said to the angel, \"How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.\" And the angel answered him, \"I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.\
39. The incredulity of the priest is condemned by silence, and the faith of the prophets is proven by an oracle. Cry out, he says. And I said: What shall I cry out? All flesh is grass (Isaiah XL, 6). You see the command of the one who orders, the obedience of the one who obeys, the affection of the one who questions, the response of the one who obeys. For he believed, who asked what he should cry out: and because he believed, he prophesied. But Zacharias, who did not believe, could not speak: but
(Vers. 22.)
(Verse 22.) He was nodding to them and remained mute.
40. It is not the mystery of only one, nor the silence of only one. The priest is silent, the prophet is silent. Unless I am mistaken, in one person the voice of the whole people has become mute: because in one person the entire people spoke to the Lord through Moses. The cessation of sacred things, and the silence of the prophets, the silence of the prophet, and the silence of the priest. 'I will take away', it says, 'the mighty power, the prophet, and the counselor' (Isaiah 3:1-2). And truly, he took away the prophets, from whom he took away the word that used to speak in the prophets. And truly, he took away virtue from those from whom the power of God departed. He took away their counselor, who was declared to be the Angel of great counsel. He took away the voice; for the voice of the Word is not the voice itself. For unless that Word operates in us, there is no sound of the voice. John is the voice; for the voice is that of one crying in the wilderness (Luke 3:4): Christ is the Word, this Word operates; and therefore, where it ceased to operate, immediately mute, lacking the spirit, as if a certain language of the soul, it was silenced. For the Word of God has passed over to us, and within us, it does not remain silent. Finally, a Jew cannot say what a Christian can say: because you seek a proof of the one who speaks in me, Christ (II Cor. XIII, 3).
And he himself was nodding to them. So Zacharias remained mute and was nodding to them. What is a nod, if not a certain non-verbal bodily gesture, attempting to indicate, yet not expressing, the will? A certain silent speech of the dying, with the voice suppressed by the last death? Does it not seem to you that the Jewish people are like this, so irrational that they cannot give an account of their actions? When they are at the final moment of their vital hope, they have lost the voice they had, which the unsteady movement of the body wishes to explain, not the word? Therefore, the mute people are without reason, without speech. For why does it seem to you that someone is more mute who does not know the sound than one who does not know the mystery? And indeed, there is a voice of works and a cry of faith, as it is written: The blood of your brother cries out to me (Gen. IV, 10). And he who cries out, cries out in his heart all day long. So, he who has lost the cry of the heart, has also lost the tongue. For he who does not hold the distinction of faith, how can he hold the words? And indeed, before, Moses had said that he could not speak (Exod. IV, 10): but afterward, when he spoke, he received the word and brought forth the clarity of good works. Therefore, just as Moses was a symbol of the people and a symbol of the Law, so too did Zacharias remain silent.
42. Therefore, it must be considered how each thing comes together. The Word in the womb. The Law in silence, called John, and Zacharias speaks. The Word is revealed, the Law is completed, but the completion of the Law is the explanation of the Word: And therefore, whoever speaks the Word, speaks; even if they had not spoken before. Zacharias is ordered to be silent by the angel, the voice of the Jews is suppressed by the angel. For this is not a human, but a divine command; that one should not speak to God, who does not believe in Christ. And therefore we believe, so that we may speak. Let the Jew believe so that he may be able to speak. Let us speak in the spirit of mysteries, let us understand the reason for the ancient sacrifices, the enigmas of the prophets. He is silent who does not understand the Law, he is silent who does not understand the Divine sequence of the Scriptures. For our voice is our faith, and therefore I prefer to speak five words in the Church with my mind, in order to instruct others, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue... For tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers (I Cor, XIV, 19 and 22): but prophecy is for believers, not for unbelievers.
(Vers. 24, 25.)
(Verse 24, 25.) After those days, Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid herself five months, saying: Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he hath had regard to take away my reproach among men.
Great care is given to modesty by the saints, so that often shame is in their very desires; as we observe in this place the holy Elizabeth, who desired to have children and concealed herself for five months. What is the reason for this concealment, if not modesty? For there is a prescribed age for everyone's duty: and what is fitting at one time is not fitting at another; the change of age often changes the nature of an action. There are also certain times prescribed for marriage itself, when it is appropriate to devote oneself to having children: while the years are youthful, while there is hope of receiving children; while there is a need for procreation in the example, there is also a need for union in marriage. But when the mature age of old age has succeeded, and the age is more skilled in governing children than in creating them, it is modest to bear the signs of lawful intercourse, and to be burdened by the weight of another's age, and the womb swells not with its own offspring but with the fruit of someone else's time. For elderly people are concluded from their very age, and are restrained from engaging in the works of marriage by a sense of modesty. Indeed, young people themselves often cite the desires of their children and think that the heat of age, and the desire for offspring, excuses them. How much more shameful it is for the elderly, which is a matter of modesty for young people to confess? Moreover, even young people, who restrain their hearts with sober fear of the divine, often renounce the works of youth after having produced offspring.
And why is it surprising that men, if even animals in some way speak by means of a mute operation, show not a desire for mating but a desire for procreation? For once they have felt a heavy abdomen and have received semen in the genitalia, they no longer indulge in intercourse or the lasciviousness of a lover, but rather assume the care of a parent. But indeed, men spare neither the conceived nor God: they defile the former and infuriate the latter. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you: and in your mother's womb I sanctified you (Jeremiah 1:5). To curb your impudence, you are warned of the hands of your Creator forming you in the womb. He works, and you defile the sacred secret of the womb with incestuous lust? Either imitate a beast or fear God. And what of beasts? The very earth often rests from the work of procreation: and if it is frequently occupied by the thoughtless seed thrown about by impatient humans, the farmer punishes their impudence and changes fertility into sterility. So, for certain creatures, the sense of shame in not ceasing to reproduce is inherent in their very nature, both in the case of tame animals and in the case of wild animals.
45. Therefore, rightly, even Saint Elizabeth blushed with grace, although she did not acknowledge guilt. For although she had conceived by a man (for it is not right to believe otherwise about the birth of a human being), nevertheless her childbirth blushed in its maturity. And again, she rejoiced at having been freed from shame; for it is a shame for women to not have the rewards of marriage, of which this alone is the cause of marrying. Therefore, this shame, removed by her own modesty, comforts her, that modesty I mentioned, which embarrassed her on account of her age. From this, it can be understood that they were no longer joining together in conjugal intercourse; for what does not blush at an old person having intercourse, would not blush at giving birth; and yet, it blushes at the burden of being a parent, as long as it does not know the mystery of religion.
46. She who was hiding herself, because she had conceived a son, began to boast because she was giving birth to a prophet. And she who was ashamed before, now gives blessings; and she who was doubtful before, is strengthened. Behold, she says, how the voice of your greeting has become in my ears, the baby in my womb rejoiced with joy. Therefore, she cried out with a loud voice when she sensed the coming of the Lord; because she believed in the religious birth. For there was no cause for shame, when she bore a prophet, not acquiring faith in the generation by pretense.
Book Two
(Vers. 26, 27.)
(Verse 26, 27) At that time, the angel Gabriel was sent by the Lord into the city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
Truly, divine mysteries are hidden and it is not easily within the grasp of humans to know the plan of God, as the prophecy says. However, we can understand from other events and the teachings of our Lord that it was part of a deeper plan that she, who was betrothed to a man, would bear the Lord. But why was this fulfilled before she was betrothed? Perhaps so that it would not be said that she had conceived out of wedlock. And the Scripture rightly placed both conditions: that she should be betrothed and a virgin. A virgin, so that she might appear free from man's companionship; betrothed, so that she might not incur the disgrace of a rashly violated virginity, and be thought to bring the mark of corruption upon a chaste conception. But the Lord preferred that some should doubt the origin of His birth rather than doubt the honor of His mother, for He knew that the modesty of a virgin is tender and a good name is easily tarnished. He did not think it necessary to confirm the faith in His birth by subjecting His mother to dishonor. Therefore, the holy Virgin Mary is preserved in both her purity of modesty and her inviolable reputation of virginity; for it is necessary for the saints to have testimony from those who are outside: nor is it proper for a veil of excuse to be left for virgin women who are living with a suspicious reputation, lest even the mother of the Lord appear to be dishonored.
But what could be attributed to the Jews, what to Herod, if they seemed to have persecuted ones born from adultery? And yet, as he himself said: I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:18); if it seemed that he had begun with an injustice against the Law, when the offspring of an unmarried woman is condemned by the Law (Deuteronomy 23:17)? Moreover, a wealthier witness of decency, the husband, is called upon, who could both grieve the injustice and avenge the disgrace, if he did not acknowledge the sacrament. Moreover, the credibility of Mary's words is further confirmed, and the motive for falsehood is eliminated. It would seem that being pregnant without being married, she wanted to cover up the blame with a lie. However, she had a reason to lie because she was not yet married, whereas married women have the reward of marriage and the blessing of childbirth.
Also, there is a significant reason why the virginity of Mary could deceive the prince of the world: when he saw her betrothed to a man, he could not suspect that she would have a child. The plan to deceive the prince of the world is confirmed by the words of the Lord Himself, when the apostles are commanded to be silent about Christ (Matthew 16:20), when the healed are forbidden to boast about the cure (Matthew 8:4), when the demons are ordered to keep silent about the Son of God (Luke 4:35). The plan of the fallen, as I said, was to be the ruler of the world, and even the Apostle declared, saying: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (I Cor. II, 7 and 8), that is, they would not have caused me, the Lord, to be redeemed by death. Therefore, he deceived for us, he deceived in order to conquer, he deceived the devil when he was tempted, when he was prayed to, when he was called the Son of God, so that he would not confess his own divinity anywhere. But nevertheless, the prince of this world was more deceived; for the devil, although he sometimes doubted, as when he said: 'If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down' (Matt. IV, 6); yet he later recognized and departed from him. The demons also acknowledged, saying: 'We know who thou art, Jesus, the Son of God. Why art thou come hither before the time to torment us?' (Matt. VIII, 29) And therefore they knew that he had come, because they had foreknowledge of his coming. But the princes of this world did not know, which we can prove with even greater evidence than the testimony of the Apostles. For if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of Majesty. The malice of demons can easily detect even hidden things: but those who are occupied with worldly vanities cannot know divine things.
But the Evangelists divided it well among themselves, so that the holy Matthew would indicate that Joseph was warned by an angel to take Mary as his wife (Matt. 1:20): Luke, on the other hand, would give testimony that they had not come to an agreement; this Mary herself would confess, when she says to the angel: How shall this be done, because I do not know man? (Luke 1:34). And the holy Luke himself declared the virgin saying: And the name of the Virgin is Mary. And the prophet taught, saying: Behold, a virgin shall conceive (Isaiah 7:14). And Joseph, who saw that she was pregnant and did not know her, wanted to divorce her (Matt. 1:19). And the Lord Himself, while hanging on the cross, revealed it, when He said to the mother: Woman, behold your son. Then to the disciple: Behold your mother (John 19:26-27). Both the disciple and the Mother testified, because from that hour the disciple took her into his own (ibid., 27). Surely, if it had been appropriate, she would never have left her own husband, nor would a righteous man have allowed her to depart from him. But how did the Lord command divorce, since it is his opinion that no one should divorce their wife except for the cause of fornication (Matthew 5:32)?
However, the holy Matthew taught beautifully what the righteous man should do if he discovers the dishonor of his wife, that he should strive to be free from murder and chaste from adultery: For he who joins himself to a prostitute is one body (1 Corinthians 6:16). Therefore, everywhere in Joseph the grace and person of the righteous man are preserved, that he may be adorned as a witness; for the mouth of the righteous does not know falsehood, and his tongue speaks justice, his judgment speaks the truth. And do not let it bother you that Scripture often speaks of a spouse; for it is not the taking away of virginity, but the testament of marriage and the celebration of the wedding that is being declared. In fact, no one dismisses what they have not received; and therefore, whoever wanted to dismiss, admitted to having received it.
6. Moreover, it should not be moved simultaneously as the Evangelist says: He did not know her until she gave birth to a son (Mat. 1:25); for that is a phrase of Scripture, as you have in another place: Until you grow old, I am (Isaiah 46:4). Did God cease to exist after their old age? And in the Psalm: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet (Psalm 110:1). Will He not sit thereafter? And since he who argues a case thinks it is enough to state the cause, he does not require redundancy; for it is enough for him to establish the cause he has undertaken, and postpone the incidental matters. Therefore he who undertook to prove the mystery of the Incarnation in its incorrupt state, did not think it necessary to pursue at length the testimony of the Virgin Mary's virginity, lest he should be thought to be a defender rather than an assertor of the mystery. Certainly, when Joseph had made lawful the marriage he was about to contract, he sufficiently showed that the temple of the Holy Ghost, the abode of the mystery, the mother of the Lord could not have been violated.
7. We have learned the series of truth, we have learned the counsel: let us also learn the mystery. Well betrothed, but a virgin; for she is a type of the Church, which is immaculate, but married. The virgin conceives us by the Spirit, the virgin gives birth to us without groaning. And therefore perhaps holy Mary is married to one, filled by another; for indeed individual Churches and souls are filled by the Spirit and grace; yet they are joined to the outward appearance of a temporal priest.