Homilies on Luke — Homily 9 (Luke 1:56–64)
Latin source: Origen's Greek homilies on Luke, surviving only in Jerome's Latin translation (c. 391), from the reading text of M. Rauer (ed.), Origenes Werke IX (GCS 35, Leipzig, 1930). This English translation is released into the public domain.On what is written: "She remained with her three months", up to the place where it says: "and he spoke, blessing God".
Both of the things that are said and of those that are reported as done, the account ought to be worthy of the Holy Spirit and of the faith of Christ, to which we who believe are called. Hence now too the reason must be sought why Mary, after her conceiving, came to Elizabeth and "remained with her three months"; or what the reason was that Luke, who was writing the history of the Gospel, should also insert this, that she "remained with her three months, and afterwards returned to her own house". Surely there ought to be some reason which, if the Lord opens our heart, the discourse that follows will show. For if from the mere fact that Mary came to Elizabeth and greeted her, "the infant leaped for joy", and "Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit", prophesied those things which are written in the Gospel, and in a single hour made such great advances, it is left to our conjecture how much John advanced in three months, with Mary sitting beside Elizabeth. For it would be exceedingly unfitting that in a mere point and moment of an hour the infant should have leaped and in a manner frolicked with joy, and Elizabeth should have been filled with the Holy Spirit, but that in three whole months neither John nor Elizabeth should have advanced from the nearness of the Lord's mother and the presence of the Savior himself. Therefore John was being exercised, and in a manner anointed as in an athletic arena, throughout those three months, and was being prepared in his mother's womb, so that, having been born wonderfully, he might more wonderfully be nourished. For because he was nourished in an unaccustomed way, it is not recorded in writing how he was suckled at his mother's breasts, how he was placed in the bosom of a nurse, but at once there follows: "and he was in the deserts until the day of his showing forth to Israel".
Next we read: "But for Elizabeth the time was fulfilled that she should bring forth, and she bore a son". Many think it is said superfluously: "But for Elizabeth the time was fulfilled that she should bring forth, and she bore a son". For what woman can bring forth unless she has first fulfilled the time of bringing forth? But whoever contemplates the Scriptures most diligently and hears Paul saying: "attend to the reading", observing both in the Old and in the New Testament, if anywhere he might find it written at the birth of a sinner: "the time was fulfilled that she should bring forth", he will never at all find it. But wherever a just man is born, there the days are fulfilled, there the coming into the world is fulfilled. The birth of the just has fullness, but the nativity of a sinner has, so to speak, emptiness and hollowness. So much for what is written: "the time was fulfilled that she should bring forth".
Then it follows that, when John was born, "the neighbors and kinsfolk congratulated" his mother, and they wished to impose on the boy a name in honor of his father, so that he should be called Zechariah. But Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, said: "John is his name". Then when they sought just reasons why he should be called John of all names, since in his family no one bore this name, they ask his father, who, being unable to answer, spoke with his hand and with letters. For he "wrote" on a tablet: "John is his name". And at once, as the stylus was pressed into the wax, "the tongue", which before had been bound, "was loosed" and recovered speech that was not human. As long as his tongue was bound, it was human; for unbelief had bound it. As soon as it was loosed, it ceased to be human, "and he spoke, blessing God" and prophesied those things which are written in the Gospel, about which, with the Lord Jesus Christ granting it, we shall discourse when the time comes: to whom is glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen.