The Canticle uttered by Zechariah upon the birth of his son John became hallowed by its having been prompted by the Holy Spirit. It is a song of joy, which the Church espoused by including it in the Lauds, the morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. As the word "Lauds" stands for praise, Zechariah's song anticipates the spirit in which the Church praises God for His goodness that reaches its high point in God's supreme act, the Incarnation, whereby He initiated mankind's redemption. Therefore the Canticle's joy in the Lauds is a joy not so much of human make as of a depth matching that of the Incarnation, which culminates in God's only Son's death on the cross. What was guessed of all this by Zechariah, who according to a very ancient tradition became one of Herod's victims? And what should be the joy of Christians as they sing the Lauds? And what should be the joy far more nuanced than the one granted to Zechariah or to his son John, for that matter? Such are the questions confronted in the course of these reflections on the Benedictus.

By Fr. Stanley L. Jaki

ISBN 978-1-892539-01-4  •  viii + 64 pages  •  softcover