him because of the approach of Jesus Christ, as this is only given to the soul whom Jesus Christ approaches. The soul, though, that lives in propriety lives in Adam and has no newness, and has not entered into new life. Before this, John was in the life of Adam. At the beginning of this new life, John entered into the new life that was purely divine. This is why the new name and the confirmation of this state was given after his birth. To mark at this moment he was established as an apostle. At this moment he became the voice of one crying in the desert.
Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. (Luke 1:64)
This verse confirms and supports what has been said: that Zechariah speaks. Zechariah, like John, was now in the order of grace and the interior. Zechariah’s language was delayed until John’s new name was given to mark that he is an apostolic person and that at this instant John was made an apostle who carried the Word. This is the secret of Zechariah’s silence. He remained mute all the time that John was in his mother’s womb to show that this was the time before John was admitted to the apostolate, to pass in silence the time in death and the sepulcher. The being of Elizabeth was like a sepulcher, a state of death, through which the soul must pass. John found life in the same place in which he had found the death of Adam. He became alive in the sepulcher, after a long time without knowledge of life and without use of this same life; now he entered into the day of perfect renewal and the day of his birth. His new name confirmed the day of his birth.
The language of Zechariah was delayed until the name was given. The soul lives immobile for a time in a life totally divine before entering into the apostolic state. When the soul is given a voice to carry the Word, Oh, then the language is free to speak. This is why all the mysteries are accomplished in Zechariah. But why does his mouth work and he begins to speak? It is to glorify and bless God.
Fear came over all the neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. (Luke 1:65–66)
When such great things happen with prodigious occurrences among apostolic souls, all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country. It is not only the hill country that benefits from this or listens to this. The voice of the eternal Word echoes in the hills and valleys. It is only in the valleys that these words are conserved. The mountains have the echoes but the valleys hear the word, that is to say, all simple and docile souls who use the light of their reason to listen to the word. All people who listen with docility, preserve this in their heart, guard it, and Christ is produced there. They then say, What then will this child become, the beginning of the seed of Jesus Christ in the soul? Because we experience this, the seed of life rests in us and gives it a particular protection. The hand of providence accompanies this child, that is to say, the highest grace.
Then the father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.” (Luke 1:67–68)
John secretly communicates to his father a portion of the Spirit that animates him. Zechariah has a part of the plenitude of the Holy Spirit and therefore is overwhelmed and in his prophecy about his son, he prophesies about Jesus Christ. He says, Blessed be the Lord whose goodness is infinite, for he has looked favorably and redeemed in his time his people. The visitation precedes John and will be done by John but Jesus Christ accomplishes the redemption for them. As soon as repentance appears we rejoice, because it is the sign of the approaching salvation, and soon Jesus Christ will follow. All depends on repentance and conversion; as soon as the time is perfect, Jesus Christ does not fail to come. To be perfect the change must not only be from sin to grace, but from exterior to interior, as it has been said many times. It is not from our own strength that we truly experience the Savior and our salvation.
“He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.” (Luke 1:69–70)
O God! You have given us a mighty Savior, given to us in your Son, you have communicated to us an abundant and infinite salvation. This is why the scripture reads, he has raised up a horn of salvation. He communicates to us a superabundance of salvation, an extremely high one, full of wonderful grace. This salvation is in the house of his servant David. O God! It seems that scripture says that the simplicity and abandon of David has attracted this salvation to his house and this salvation spreads with strength through souls. He has promised this in the holy prophets from of old and it is accomplished in this century. I will say, O Love! It seems that all the centuries past have done nothing but to predict what will happen in this century. They have spoken of interior states with shadows and valleys but you have lived this openly.
“That we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, That he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant.” (Luke 1:71–72)
God sends us a powerful Savior to deliver us from our powerful and strong enemies. Our Savior is an infinite and superabundant power, who surpasses the strength of our enemies. If our enemies are powerful and we are infinitely weak, as is true, how are we defended from our powerful enemies? It is impossible by ourselves. Therefore we have a powerful Savior who saves and delivers us from their hands. It is God who gives us Jesus Christ. But to enjoy the privilege and advantage of the Savior, we must let him act to fight and destroy our enemies. If we prevent him, he can do nothing and our salvation will not be useful, because we place obstacles before him by our revolt. This is most criminal. We also fight against him by our own will. Therefore let us abandon ourselves to him without reservation. He will defeat all our enemies without being wounded. God remembers the mercy he promised to our ancestors in the ancient law and accomplishes his promises through the merit and operations of Jesus Christ. All the holiness could not open the door into heaven without Jesus Christ. But the true covenant is for Christians and abandoned souls who participate in union with him. All others may participate in the mercy of salvation, but abandoned souls participate in the mercy of the covenant and union with salvation.
“The oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” (Luke 1:73–75)
Scripture assures again of the promise sworn to Abraham, man of faith, that God would give grace to all who follow the way of faith and abandon. God promised we being delivered through his sovereign power from the hands of our enemies, that we might serve him and follow his will without fear and without concern for ourselves in holiness, that is the holiness that he has merited and communicates to us. The person does not make the holiness or destroy the enemies, but this is operated by God alone in his righteousness. He gives grace with his continual presence, in which the soul is confirmed before him all our days in holiness and righteousness without fear but in faith. Nothing is more clear than this. Nothing can be better expressed than the truth of the interior state with its firmness and stillness when there is only God.
“To give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.” (Luke 1:77)
In the spiritual state of being like children, we are given the knowledge of salvation, different from everything we can imagine. Oh, the knowledge and experience of being as a child is like no other and more than all doctors of theology can imagine! And it is in this state of childhood that we receive the forgiveness of our sins. Children seem not familiar with their soul, yet in their powerlessness, they receive the happy state of salvation.
“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us.” (Luke 1:78)
My God! How wonderfully this is expressed! The tender mercy of our God, that we alone consult for what God in his
