Israelites went through a long period of suffering. They haven't heard anything since Malachi. The last chapter of Malachi stated:

But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.

They were anxiously waiting for the Messiah. Then suddenly things started changing. An angel appears to Zechariah announcing the arrival of John the Baptist the foreteller of Jesus Christ.

The happy occasion transformed into a sad occasion when Zechariah did not believe the angel; he questioned the angel. He was punished and could not speak when he came out of the Holiest of Holies.

Contrast this with the annunciation to St. Mary which we will cover next week. Mary never questioned the angel. She knew God can do anything. She asked clarification on how a virgin can get pregnant without sex? The angel explained how it was done.

In this advent season, we will cover various aspects of Christian Life in MWJ. We will begin with facing Storms in Life in this week's journal.

Stay tuned to future editions for the rest of the themes.