The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: S. Luke
Ver. 55. — As he spake to our fathers, &c. The Virgin declares that this mercy, viz. the salvation brought by Christ, had been promised by God from ancient times to the fathers, Adam, &c. ; so that the Incarnation of Christ was not a fortuitous event, but from eternity had been provided and decreed by God for the salvation of Israel and of the whole world, and had been promised in time to all the Patriarchs from the beginning of the world; who themselves eagerly desired the same, and though they besought God for it with ardent longings, yet they did not obtain it, because God had decreed to reserve this great gift for this time and age.
To Abraham and his seed. These words are to be referred to the words in remembrance of His mercy , not to the words as He spake to our fathers , which are to be enclosed in a parenthesis. God by making Christ to be incarnate remembered His mercy formerly promised by Him to Abraham and his seed, that is, to the Israelites his descendants. For Christ was especially promised to them, but inasmuch as they rejected Him, God turned His mercy aside from them to the Gentiles who gladly received Him. He remembered both because he was the first Patriarch of Israel, and also because he excelled in faith and was therefore called by God the father of the faithful, and received the promise concerning Christ Who should be born of his seed.
Wherefore this seed, i.e. the children and posterity of Abraham, is not to be understood carnally of the Jews descended from him according to the flesh, but spiritually of the faithful believers in Christ both Jews and Gentiles, for these follow the example of the faith of Abraham the father of the faithful.
For ever. This word may be referred either to the word seed, so that the meaning is, the seed of Abraham will last for ever, or to the word mercy. God hath remembered His mercy, that is the salvation to be given through Christ ; and it was His will that it should endure not for a hundred or a thousand years only, but for all eternity. Either sense comes to the same.
Ver. 56. — And Mary abode with her about three months , &c. She ministered to Elizabeth her kinswoman, refreshing her with her holy ministrations and conversation, and sanctifying her, and John likewise . So S. Ambrose says, “It was not only for the sake of friendship that she abode so long, but for the advancement also of so great a prophet ; for if at her first coming the child had advanced so far that at the salutation of Mary he leaped in the womb, and his mother was filled with the Holy Spirit, how much may we suppose that the presence of the holy Mary added during so long a time ? ” So also Origen (Hom. 1. 9) shows that during these three months, owing to the presence of the Virgin both John and Elizabeth made wonderful progress in holiness.
There is a question here whether the Blessed Virgin remained until the nativity of John. Theophylact, Euthymius, Jansenius maintain that she did not
They prove this — 1. because the Blessed Virgin came in the sixth month, and remained, as it were, three months (Vulg. quasi tres menses), therefore she departed before the ninth month was completed , and therefore before Elizabeth gave birth to the child ; 2. because after the departure of the Virgin, S. Luke relates the birth of the child, without making any mention of the Virgin ; 3. and chiefly, because it was not fitting that the Virgin should be present at the birth ; 4. because it was proper that she should avoid the crowd which would gather together at the birth.
The contrary opinion is equally, and even more, probable ; and is maintained by Origen, S. Ambrose, &c. — 1. because it would have been discourteous to remain up to the birth and leave immediately before it ; 2. because at the time of the birth Elizabeth most needed the presence, help, and consolation of the Virgin ; 3. because the Virgin remained three months for this very purpose, that she might behold, embrace, and bless John, the wonder of the world, and the forerunner of Christ, and on the other hand that John when born might behold and venerate the mother of the Lord, and Christ the Lord in her. Whence Bede says, “Mary remained until, Elizabeth’s full time having come, she saw the nativity of the forerunner of her Lord, on account of whom chiefly she had come.”
And she returned to her own house . To Nazareth. This house of the Virgin was translated by angels to Loretto, as I have said before.
Ver. 57. — And Elizabeth’s full time came , &c. S. Luke adds the account of Elizabeth’s bringing forth to that of the visitation of the Blessed Virgin, as an effect to a cause. For the Blessed Virgin by her prayers and merits obtained for John both his nativity and his sanctification ; for this purpose she had come from Nazareth and had remained with her for three months.
And she brought forth a son. John the Baptist on June 24th ; for then the Church keeps the yearly celebration of his birth, observing it in his case alone, as it does also in the case of Christ. For as regards the rest of the Saints the Church celebrates not the day of their birth, but that of their death on which they passed from a life of misery to one of blessedness.
Ver. 58. — And her neighbours , &c. So was fulfilled the promise of the Angel (v. 14), Many shall rejoice at his birth. Truly as S. Ambrose says, “ The bringing forth of the Saints causes the rejoicing of many, for it is a common blessing ; for justice is a public virtue,”
For the just by their example benefit all; many also, as John did, benefit them by their preaching.
Ver. 59. — They came. That is, the priests and relations whose office it was to perform the rite of circumcision.
To circumcise. Notice here that the Jews were not always circumcised in the synagogue. For that John was circumcised at home is inferred from the following verse, in which it is clearly implied that his mother was present, who could not at that time according to the law (Lev. xii. 4) leave the house.
Also by circumcision an infant was purged from original sin, and united to the church, or company of the faithful, whence at that time the name of some faithful person, especially of the father, grandfather , or some relation was given to the infant, as is now done in baptism.
Ver. 60. — And his mother , &c. Elizabeth, who on the salutation of the Virgin, being filled with the Holy Ghost, had learned the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, learned also the name of her son not from Zacharias but from the Holy Spirit, and all the other things that had happened to Zacharias in the temple when he was burning incense. For as S. Ambrose says, “ She could not be ignorant of the Forerunner of the Lord who had prophesied of Christ.”
Ver. 61. — And they said, There is none of thy kindred , &c. This is an earthly custom ; but John was a citizen of heaven, not of the earth; whence he received from heaven a celestial name. “Observe,” as S. Ambrose and Bede say, “ that the name belongs not to the family but to the prophet.”
Ver. 62. — They made signs , &c. Lest perchance the mother had made a mistake in assigning the name, they refer to the father, to whom both the infant and the giving of a name to the infant belonged. They made signs ; “because,” says S. Ambrose, “his unbelief had deprived him of speech and hearing, they question him by signs.”
Ver. 63. — His name is John. S. Ambrose remarks that it is said his name is, not will be; so that the meaning is, we do not give a name to him who has received one from God, “ he has his own name, which we acknowledge, but which we did not choose.” Names were frequently given from some event either present or future; thus Isaac received his name from the laughter of his mother; Cain because he was the possession of his mother Eve ; Moses because he was drawn out of the water, &c. ; so also John received his name from the grace and mercy which he received, not in his conception, but when he was visited by the Blessed Virgin.
And they all wondered, both at the agreement between the father and mother, and at the name, which was an unknown one in the family; for they did not know that it had been revealed from heaven to Zacharias.
Ver. 64. — And his mouth, &c. That is, he began to speak. S. Ambrose says, “ Rightly from that moment was his tongue loosed, for that which unbelief had bound faith set free.” When he saw John really born, he believed the promise made to him by the angel concerning him. John therefore, as he had filled his mother when in her womb with the Holy Spirit, so now when born breathed the same spirit upon his father. Whence S. Gregory Nazianzen says, “The birth of John broke the silence of Zacharias; for it were unreasonable, when the voice of the Word had come forth, that the father should remain speechless.”
Moreover, Theophylact says, “All these things were done economically, that John might be esteemed a witness of Christ worthy of credit;” and Bede, “The future prophet is commended by auspices.”
Symbolically, S. Ambrose says, “Because John was a voice (according to the words, 1 am the voice of one crying in the wilderness), therefore at his birth his father, who had been dumb, recovered his voice."