Gospel (Lk 1,57-66) - In those days, the time came for Elizabeth to give birth and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy in her, and they rejoiced with her. Eight days later they came to circumcise the child and wanted to name him after his father, Zechariah. But her mother intervened: "No, his name will be Giovanni." They said to her, "There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name." Then they asked her father with nods what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote: "John is his name." Everyone was amazed. Instantly his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosened, and he spoke, blessing God. Fear filled all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. All those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying: "What will this child be?" And truly the hand of the Lord was with him.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

John the Baptist is the last "favor of God", the last of the prophets before the Lord speaks directly with his Word to men. The evangelist Luke underlines that his birth is the work of God's intervention which made Zechariah and Elizabeth fruitful, who recognize the extraordinary nature of the birth of their child. And their joy was great. After the moment of disbelief, Zechariah manifests his faith in the Word of God which is strong and effective. He became a believer. He is no longer mute, his tongue loosens and he can speak; her heart is full of joy for this son, the fruit of listening to the Word of God. The birth of John creates wonder not only in Zechariah's house, but also among the neighbors, as always happens every time the Gospel is heard and put into practice: the effects of love caused by the Gospel always create a new climate among people, a climate of celebration, of amazement at the events it arouses. Listening to the Gospel is the way to transform the world. It is not a banal and superficial path: it is profound, internal, it takes the world towards the sky. With the Gospel everything can change, because nothing is impossible for God. We are on the threshold of Christmas, of the "Word" (the "Word") who becomes flesh to save the world from sin and death. it is the first step of a new story, that of God who changes the course of the years with the sending of his Son. Our ancients, due to this awareness, began to calculate history from the birth of Jesus, dividing it into before and after Christ. Yes, with the birth of Jesus, personal history and that of the world changes. Everyone and everything is reborn with Jesus. At Christmas we are called to welcome the "Word" (Jesus) into our hearts and make it become our own flesh, a new and holy story.