Welcome to the Faithful Four! From an initial field of 32 saints, we are down to a holy four: Zechariah, Elizabeth of Hungary, Sundar Singh, and Nicolaus Zinzendorf.
Today, it's Zechariah vs. Elizabeth. To make it this far, Zechariah defeated Yvette of Huy, Rose of Lima, and Irenaeus. While Elizabeth of Hungary's path went through Felicity, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and Verena of Zurzach. Want to read the write-ups from the previous rounds? Click on the links!
So, what happens in this round? Well, throughout Lent Madness, our saintly heroes have battled via basic bios, quirks and quotes, and even kitsch. In this round, we let our remaining Celebrity Bloggers loose as they answer the question “Why should Saint XX win the Golden Halo?” In other words, they’ve been charged with letting us know why their particular saint is so awesome. We have also invited them to share their two favorite images of their saints.
The Faithful Four continues today and tomorrow and then, on Spy Wednesday, 24 hours of voting begins to determine the winner of the 2025 Golden Halo.
It being Monday, we bring you today's episode of Monday Madness! The last in-season episode of Lent Madness 2025. Fr. Michael and Fr. Christian are back with all the excitement as we enter the final stretch of Lent Madness! In this episode, they get ready for the epic LIVE Golden Halo event this Wednesday, reflect on how the Faithful Four connects to each day of Holy Week, and share heartfelt thanks for being part of this incredible season. We love Lent Madness—and we love all of you! Don’t miss the celebration this Wednesday as we gather on LIVE on Facebook at 1:00 pm EST.
Vote now!
Zechariah
Zechariah faithfully served as a priest while Judea was governed by a mercurial and murderous despot, whose interests were in his own power and aggrandizement. Herod the Great used a secret police to monitor community sentiment, violently suppressed dissent, and removed opponents by force. He went so far as to kill his own family members, including his wife, to quell any threats to his power.
In this context, I wonder what it was like for Zechariah to serve faithfully in the temple, as one “righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.” Zechariah loyally ministered in an institution that implicitly supported Herod, and in a building in which the cruel narcissist had invested significantly for its renovation and expansion.
On top of this, Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, had to face the real disappointment and social stigma of being childless. According to the Muslim tradition, Zechariah hoped for a child that he could raise and teach faithful submission to God. Getting on in years, childless, in a land desperately in need of God’s redemption, Zechariah continued to live faithfully.
Perhaps in this way, Zechariah is exactly the kind of saint we need to be reminded of today. And here I would thank the Lent Madness faithful for continuing to vote Zechariah forward and giving us the chance to spend more time with him this Lent. His righteousness in the midst of so much turmoil, his persistence in holy drudgery, and his fidelity as he wrestled with personal disappointment encourage us to keep the faith in our own deeply troubling times.
But this context is just the beginning of Zechariah’s story. As the Zechariah’s song, the Benedictus, proudly proclaims, God is faithful and remembers the promises made to God’s people. Zechariah had nine long months to reflect what the birth of his son would mean for the world. Israel, desperate for redemption, would finally see God’s salvation. And Zechariah’s son, for whom he had longed, would be the voice to call out in the wilderness and prepare the way of the Lord.
Zechariah was no stranger to darkness and disappointment. Seeing God’s faithfulness and the new day breaking, he boldly proclaims, “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Regardless of the outcome of this holy, absurd (and wholly absurd) competition, may Zechariah’s witness help us have courage to believe this and act on it in our own time.
Elizabeth of Hungary
Over our time, I’ve referred to her as everything from the people’s princess of the 13th century to your favorite saint’s favorite saint, but here’s why I really think she should win the Golden Halo: she loved fully, completely, and generously. She modelled how to love generously in a time and place that nigh on demanded her to hoard her wealth or power, the gentry didn’t even want the castle’s bread to be shared with the hungry. It became clear to me early on that the only thing that Elizabeth could possibly do in this world was to love with abandon, and she is the light we need to reflect back out into the world.
When I think about why we have spent time reading about these saints upon whose shoulders we stand, my prayer is that we can let the brittle bits of our hearts that have been hardened by the sins of this world begin to soften. My prayer is that Elizabeth, or any of the other 32 with which you may have connected, can become a companion long after the Golden Halo votes are cast.
Because the awful truth of 2025 is that it is very hard to be a human; there is so much pressure on us, those we love, or on those who are around us. Elizabeth is an example of how to live a life that does not deny the privilege one is born into: she was a queen and lived in the castle with a husband who respected her. But even when circumstances changed, the love she modeled after Christ could not be contained. She loved with abandon: loudly and boldly.
In the course of my first time writing for Lent Madness, I was struck by how much I wanted each of the saints I wrote about to be known by everyone who participated in this fun formation project, shout out to Hugh of Lincoln and his swans. Tomorrow, I’ll write about why Sundar Singh should win the Golden Halo this Lent Madness, but this isn’t in conflict with my support of Elizabeth for the Halo, but perhaps because of it.
Elizabeth loved generously, and as I’ve walked alongside her, I’ve begun to be shaped by her wildly abundant and fearless love as well. Each of the four final saints have things that will enrich our spiritual lives, should we invite them into our lives, Golden Halo or not. For today, though, it’s Elizabeth’s seemingly boundless capacity to follow God’s call, to see the unseen, and to abundantly love those in need, which, of course, is all of us. May we all know and be a force for love like Elizabeth of Hungary.
62 comments on “Zechariah vs. Elizabeth of Hungary”
Sorry to split hairs, but this line in paragraph 3 of the Zechariah write up confused me: "According to the Muslim tradition, Zechariah hoped for a child that he could raise and teach faithful submission to God." Was Zechariah not Jewish?
Also, this is a hard choice. 🙂
As a Third Order Franciscan, I have to vote for Sister Elizabeth. Her humility is an inspiration.
Wow! David and Becca did great justice to each of these saints. Zechariah and Elizabeth are both deserving and their personal qualities are so necessary today. The Elizabeth’s in my life have lived and are living like their namesake. That really determined my vote.
Today's write-ups both clearly demonstrated why these two saints are included in the Faithful Four. It's exciting as I write at 12:30 to see how close the competition is. Either one could win.
However, I am confused. The first round write-up on Sundar Signh was signed by David Sibley. It appears that Becca Kello has written the next two and is preparing to write tomorrow. Even though we do not have the reply option this year (if we don't have it next year I may just drop out of Lent Madness), will somebody please post a comment to help me out of my confusion?
I knew of the chrism mass - being a Episco-curious church nerd - but didn't remember that it's held on Tuesday of Holy Week. Because Lutherans don't bother with a special mass for our anointing oil.
The day the oil is blessed - definitely a good day to match with Elizabeth of Hungary.
Hi Kathy--I am not sure if this is what happened, but in previous years, Celebrity Bloggers have helped each other out and stepped in to write for different saints if needed.
I hope they bring back the reply function because, among other things, I always appreciate your commentary!
Hi Mary Beth! That's not a typo! Zechariah is venerated in both the Christian and Muslim traditions!
I love Melanie Mitchell's point about Zechariah's contribution being the father of John the Baptist and that Elizabeth did most of the work!!
Today I am voting for Elizabeth of Hungary. Zechariah is great for the reasons cited in the write-up, but in the gospel of Luke, he stands for what *not* to do at the moment of divine surprise, parallel to the counter-example of Mary's faithful response to the Annunciation. Granted, his song pours forth the holy truths he came to know through his nine months of silence. He's definitely worthy of his place in the Faithful Four.
Elizabeth of Hungary remained faithful despite facing hostility and censure. Her example of service and sacrifice are wholly admirable, and the legend of the bread and roses has inspired generations of those committed to offering both the practical and the beautiful to those in need. That's why she gets my vote today.
Come on, let’s get a Lady in the Final 4 for the win!
This was a really hard choice. I sort of flipped a coin - wish I could have voted for both - I did in earlier rounds. thanks to David and Becca for their beautiful essays throughout.
Mary Beth Butler (LM czars, please restore the Reply function!!!), Muslims revere Jesus as one of God's prophets. The Quran has way more text about Mary (Mariam) than the Bible does -- including the virgin birth of Jesus (Issa). I just googled and they also consider John the Baptist a prophet, Yahya ibn Zakariyā (John Son of Zecharia), so I guess they cover his parents, too.
One of my many goals for when I really retire is to read some of the Quran. But so far the only English versions of it are in King James English, so I think I'll wait.
I finally decided to vote for Elizabeth today, because I feel that her example is more relevant to me personally. However, it struck me while reading about Zechariah that , although I’ve usually agreed with those who prefer the verifiable stories, a story that should be true can still be important. Haven’t we all been inspired by fictional characters?
Dear Fr. Christian, There are venial and mortal sins. All of us commit venial sins daily, like not specifying Standard or Daylight times for meetings. (I am routinely an hour early or late for ICU and critical care consults.) But you have graduated to a mortal sin. Today you advertised Holy Wednesday Madness as being at 1:00 pm Eastern STANDARD time. Perhaps you misspoke and meant DAYLIGHT, and I can only pray that the God of mercy will forgive you. I will try to join, but probably an hour early or late. Guilty of a serious mortal sin, your soul is in jeopardy save for a loving God!
In faith and appreciation for Madness, Jim
to poetpriestpotter One of the interesting differences between Christianity and Islam is that one of the first thing Christian missionaries do in a new culture is translate the Bible into the indigenous language so the people can read it. One of the first things Muslim missionaries do in the same situation is teach the people Arabic, so they can read the scriptures.
I'm so heartened to see evangelists and martyrs holding their own with social workers. Francis Xavier vs. Nicholaus Zinzendorf was especially poignant for me as I'm both a volunteer firefighter (still skating over last year's elimination of my man Florian) and a singer/composer/choir director (who learned to be Episcopalian at All Saints Beverly Hills).
There are lots of ways to live your faith, and it's so good to see so many different candidates.
Janani Luwum for next year?
Congrats, Becca, in your first year as blogger you could end up on both sides of the final. You made a beautiful case for Elizabeth and tempted me to change my vote, but in the end I stuck with my guy, Zechariah. I appreciated David's comments about Zechariah's living in corrupt times while remaining faithful to his beliefs. Perhaps a nod to what's going on in our world today? Can we remain true to our beliefs when so many seem to be abandoning theirs?
Kathy in Nicaragua - good eye! I mention it in my write up tomorrow for Sundar Singh, but since David had so many of his original saints advance from the first round, he offered to let a first year LM blogger pick up Sundar!
I know it will be an awesome occasion when you celebrate the Winner of the Golden Halo on Facebook. I have been a faithful follower and voter on Lent Madness for many years, and now due to the fact I do not have Facebook (by choice), I will have to miss the conclusion of this years crowning. SO SAD!
This is the toughest choice, so far. Both inspire me with their strong faith and willingness to do God's work. Zechariah really comes forth and defies Herod's soldiers in the face of death. Incredible courage. So I voted for him.
I voted for Elizabeth because she didn’t hoard her blessings, she turned them outward. That kind of love feels especially needed in 2025 when so many feel weary, burdened, or unseen. She revealed the heart of Christ.
Loved the piece about Zechariah waiting those nine long months for the birth of his son (although I suspect any whining would have been met with "Seriously?" from the actually pregnant Elizabeth). However, how more devastating would have been the loss of your only son by being beheaded by Herod - as a father I find the thought like a dagger in the heart.
As much as I respect Zechariah (especially his will to protect his child at the cost of his own life); I am a huge Elisabeth of Hungary fan (and am also a fan of her hubby Louis IV, who supported his wife's causes and seemed to be crazy in love with her). Both of today's saints give us hope for the future, so if Zechariah pulls this one out (which seems likely), I'll be happy, but I still say "Go Elisabeth".
David, I had tears in my eyes reading about Zechariah. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for him. These last two rounds are difficult for me because I voted for all of the final four at least one time. However, I consistently voted for Zechariah.
I love Zechariah, but he gets noticed at all Complines and many Evening Prayers! I say lets let loving with abandon capture the day today. (Also our church is named after Elizabeth of Hungary)
Blessings on Monday. I appreciate so much this difficult choice: Elizabeth or Zechariah. Yes, I realize she's a namesake of the Elizabeth who mothered John the Baptist. But it still is ironic to have the Final Four include a husband-wife pair of names: Priest Zechariah OR Elizabeth....
Such a tough start to the 'Faithful Four.' Both of today's Saints deserve veneration, but I had to go for Zechariah. We, too, find ourselves facing despotic rule, and we will need all the help communally and saintly to get through it. Zechariah exemplifies a persistent faith in God's providence that we all need right now!
You guys have been really a lot of fun. Yes, Lent can be sort of a downer thinking about what is to come on Good Friday, but you both have a way of soothing.
We do need more love in this world and to shine a light on love! Elizabeth has my vote!
"What the world needs now, is Love, sweet Love" as an antidote to the cruelty and hatred on display in the USA everyday. I respect Zechariah, but my heart is with Elizabeth and we need more like her who love and care for others. Wish we could clone her! She inspires me to keep going when all appears dark and dangerous. Love lighting the way toward honoring our Lord and Savior; may we all love our neighbors as ourselves, thus making our world a better place.