Church Fathers Commentary Luke 1:67-68

"And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, Blessed [be] the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people," — Luke 1:67-68 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: In His mercy and willingness to pardon our sins, God not only restores to us what He took away, but also grants us gifts beyond our expectations. Therefore, let no one distrust Him; let no one, conscious of past sins, despair of God's blessing. God knows how to change His sentence if you know how to correct your sin, since he who was silent for so long now prophesies, as it is said, And Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit.

St. John Chrysostom: That is, “with the working of the Holy Spirit,” for he had obtained the grace of the Holy Spirit, not just in some measure, but fully. The gift of prophecy shone forth in him, as it follows, And he prophesied.

Origen of Alexandria: Now Zacharias, being filled with the Holy Spirit, utters two prophecies: the first relating to Christ, the second to John. This is clearly proven by the words in which he speaks of the Savior as present and already at work in the world, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited, etc.

St. John Chrysostom: When Zacharias blesses God, he says that He has visited His people. By this, he means either the Israelites in the flesh—for He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel—or the spiritual Israel, that is, the faithful who were worthy of this visitation, making God's providence effective for them.

The Venerable Bede: The Lord visited His people, who were wasting away as if from a long sickness, and by the blood of His only-begotten Son, He redeemed those who were sold under sin. Zacharias, knowing this would soon be accomplished, relates it in a prophetic manner as if it had already happened. But he says, "His people," not because He found them to be His own when He came, but because by visiting them, He made them His own.