Saint of the Day - Elizabeth and Zachariah (November 5th)
Channel: House of Prayers for Everyone (HOPE)
Date: 2023-11-04

Sts. Elizabeth and Zachariah were the parents of John the Baptist. The Roman Catholic Church commemorates their feast day every November 5.

St. Elizabeth

Tradition knows Elizabeth as a cousin of Mary, the Mother of Jesus; she is an honored woman in Islam. This wife of Zakaria, the mother of Yahya, is revered by Muslims as a wise, pious, and believing person who, like Mary, was exalted by God to a high station.

She is believed to have lived in the household of Imran, and thus, a sister of Mary. Therefore, Jesus and John are cousins. In other accounts, Elizabeth is said to be a daughter of Fakudh and a sister of Imran's wife Hannah.

Biblical Narrative

The Gospel of Luke states that Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah were "righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless", but childless. She was advanced in age when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her husband Zachariah in the temple to promise them a son.

Elizabeth's words were the origin of the words in “Hail Mary,” which she uttered at feeling her child leap in her womb as Mary, then pregnant with Jesus, came to visit her cousin, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."

However, there is no further mention of her in the bible after the birth of her son John the Baptist.

St. Zachariah

According to the Gospel of Luke, during the reign of King Herod, there was a priest named Zachariah, whose wife Elizabeth was from the family of Aaron.

During the week when Zachariah's family line served at the temple of the Lord, an angel of the Lord appeared and announced to him that his wife would give birth to a son, whom he was to name John, and that this son would be the forerunner of the Lord (Luke 1:12–17).

Citing their advanced age, Zachariah asked for a sign to know the truth of this prophecy. The angel identified himself as Gabriel sent by God to make this announcement, and because of Zechariah's doubt, he would not be able to speak until the prophecy happened. When Zachariah went out of the temple, he was unable to speak.

In Islam, Zachariah is considered a prophet and is mentioned in the Qur'an as the father of Yaḥyā (John the Baptist). Some Muslims also believe him to be a martyr.

Zachariah's Death

The Gospel of James recounts that at the time when King Herod ordered the slaughter of all males under the age of two in an attempt to prevent the prophesied Messiah from coming to Israel, Zechariah refused to divulge the whereabouts of his son. Because of his defiance, he was murdered by Herod's soldiers.

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Images attributed to the following:
- By Philippe de Champaigne - http://www.guiarte.com/noticias/philippe-champaigne.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3234127
- By Unknown author - National Parliamentary Library of Georgia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20695949