"There was in the days of Herod king of Judea a priest named Zechariah of the class of Abia, and his wife was of the lineage of Aaron and was named Elizabeth; and both were righteous, behaving according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord, without reproach. "

Divine Scripture teaches us that among those who deserve praise it is fitting to praise not only their manners, but also their parents; so it is in the manner of a transmitted inheritance that a spotless purity will distinguish those whom we want to celebrate. In fact, what is the sacred evangelist aiming for here? Does he not want to claim for St. John the Baptist the nobility of parents, prodigies, life, function, martyrdom? Thus is celebrated Anne, mother of Samuel the saint, that Isaac received from his parents the nobility of piety, then bequeathed it to his descendants.

So Zachariah is a priest, and not only a priest, but also of Abia's class, which distinguishes him from the oldest families. "And his wife, it is said, was of Aaron's lineage. So it is not only to his parents but to his ancestors that the nobility of St. John goes back, not enhanced by the power of this world, but venerable by a religious lineage. Such ancestors were needed by the herald of Christ: thus would he preach, not for having suddenly conceived it, but as having received from his ancestors, as infused by right of birth, faith in the coming of the Lord.