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Faith and Doubt About the Baby Jesus
How did Mary react to being told she would be his mother?
The Christmas story begins with the supernatural revelation of two supernatural births.
An angel appears to a virgin and tells her she will bear the son of God. The angel also appears to an old priest and tells him he will have a son — who will be John the Baptist.
The Angel Gabriel was sent to a priest named Zechariah and to a peasant girl named Mary, and he announced the coming of Jesus to both of them.
The lack of faith
Zechariah was a priest and a righteous man. He was a faithful follower of God and, as a Priest, had a certain rank. If anyone were expected to have faith, it would be Zechariah. He was chosen to burn incense before the altar of God, which was done yearly. This was a very high honor and was done by only one priest once per year.
Zechariah was a good priest — but had no children and was an old man.
He had prayed for years, but he and his wife had no children. While he is completing his duties, an angel named Gabriel appears. Gabriel tells Zechariah that he will have a son, who will be John the Baptist, the one announcing the arrival of Christ. Zechariah doubts and asks for proof.
