DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Thursday, December 25, 2014 Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Christmas Day - Psalter Proper (White) Readings: Isa 52:7-10; Ps 97:1-12, Heb 1:1-8; Lk 2:15-20 Response: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. Rosary: Luminous Mysteries Verse: Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us. FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Isaiah 62:11-12 [7] How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns. [8] Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. [9] Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. [10] The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. [11] Depart, depart, go out thence, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. [12] For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. RESPONSORIAL PSALM, Psalms 97:1, 6, 11-12 1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice, the many isles be glad! 6 The heavens proclaim his saving justice, all nations see his glory. 11 Light dawns for the upright, and joy for honest hearts. 12 Rejoice in Yahweh, you who are upright, praise his unforgettable holiness. READING 2, Hebrews 1:1-6 (The Greatness of the Incarnate Son of God, Proof from Sacred Scripture) [1] In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. [3] He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, [4] having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs. [5] For to what angel did God ever say, Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee? Or again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son? [6] And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, Let all Gods angels worship him. GOSPEL, Luke 2:15-20 15 Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us. 16 So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, 18 and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them. 19 As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: Spirit of truth, sent by Jesus to guide us to the whole truth, enlighten our minds so that we may understand the Scriptures. You who overshadowed Mary and made her fruitful ground where the Word of God could germinate, purify our hearts from all obstacles to the Word. Help us to learn like her to listen with good and pure hearts to the Word that God speaks to us in life and in Scripture, so that we may observe the Word and produce good fruit through our perseverance. Amen. ON READING 1: Isaiah 52:7-10 (The Messenger of Peace 52:7-12. Salvation is approaching; it has reached the gates of Zion, and its herald is the messenger who publishes salvation (v. 7), proclaiming that the Lord is returning to his holy city, like a victorious king coming back with his men, having redeemed them from their captors (vv. 7-8). This victory parade includes songs of joy extolling the salvation brought about by the Lord, and also a pressing call to purification, to ensure that those who welcome the Lord are worthy to form part of his holy company (vv. 11-12). These verses form the famous poem of the messenger of peace who brings good tidings. The ideas of the first oracle of this second part of the book (40:1-11) are repeated here very beautifully. The messengers feet are praised -- a symbol of his speed and surefootedness when crossing the mountains, which is where important news comes from (cf. 40:9). His message (v. 7) is described very significantly as involving peace, which in Isaiah means safety in Israel after the hardships of exile; good tidings or, more literally, news of goodness and well-being, that is, genuine material and spiritual prosperity; and salvation, which is permanent renewal on all levels. The three words read together mean the highest degree of happiness imaginable. The core of this message is the enthronement of God: Your God reigns, similar to 40:9: Behold your God. What is new about this poem is that it depicts God as the king of Zion (cf. 24:23). The kingdom of God is sublime; and only analogically is it comparable to earthly kingdoms, as can be seen in the psalms of divine kingship (Ps 47:8 ; 93:1; 96:10; 97:1), and, much more fully; in the New Testament, which records Jesus preaching centered on the Kingdom of God. As in a stage play, the arrival of the messenger, which is really the same thing as the arrival of God as king on Zion, causes the watchmen to raise shouts of joy that resound across the city (v. 8). Those whose job it was to give warning of any threat now provoke unconfined joy because of the return of the Lord to Zion (v. 8; Ezek 43:1-5). In a beautiful personification, the waste places of Jerusalem are called to join in the watchmens song (v. 9). The restoration has come, and the credit must go to the Lord, for he has bared his holy arm a symbol of vigorous action, as in the time of the exodus (v. 10; cf. 40:10, 5 1:9; Ps 98:1). The short hymn at the end (vv. 11-12) is an exhortation to be cleansed from every trace of Babylonian idolatry and to follow the Lords path, who, in the early trek through the wilderness (cf. Ex 13:21-22), travels at the head of the company and is also its rearguard. St. Paul quotes the words of v. 7 in Romans 10:15 when he is making the point that preaching is necessary if the Gospel is to be spread. So, they are an abiding call to apostolate. The words of this oracle (especially v. 11) have also been applied by Christian tradition to those who have pastoral responsibilities: A pastor should be a man whose thoughts are pure and purified. No stain should mar the character of the man who holds the office of pastor; thus shall he be able to cleanse the impurity of those in his care. The one whose work it is to purify stains must have clean hands, to ensure that, when he seeks to cleanse, he does not soil his charges more. The prophet says: purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. Those who are entrusted with leading souls along the path of faith to their eternal home bear the vessels of the Lord. Consider carefully, then, how pure they must be who have devoted themselves to the task of bearing living vessels to the eternal Temple (St. Gregory the Great, Regula Pastoralis, 2, 2). ON READING 2: Hebrews 1:1-6 (The Greatness of the Incarnate Son of God, proof rom Sacred Scripture) 1-4. The first four verses are a kind of prologue to the letter, which does not carry the greetings and words of thanksgiving to God normally found in letters of St Paul. Like the prologue of St Johns Gospel, the letter moves immediately into its main subject -- the divinity of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. It speaks of Christ as a Son whose sonship is eternal, prior to the creation of the world and to his Incarnation; it speaks also of Christs mission to save all men, a mission appropriate o the Word who created all things. This exposition culminates in the affirmation of Christs absolute superiority over angels, a theme dealt with, in different ways, up to the end of the second chapter. The entire epistle in fact develops the subject entered on in the prologue -- the sublimity of Christ, the natural and eternal Son of God, the universal Mediator, the eternal Priest. This is why St Thomas Aquinas says that the subject matter of this epistle is the excellence of Christ. In this respect the Letter to the Hebrews is different from the other letters in the Pauline corpus: in some letters (the Great Epistles and the Captivity Letters) the Apostle deals with the grace which imbues the entire mystical body of the Church; others (the Pastoral Letters) deal with the grace bestowed on certain members of the Church (such as Timothy and Titus); whereas the Letter to the Hebrews looks at grace as it is found in the Head of the mystical body, Christ. This excellence of Christ the Angelic Doctor adds, is examined by St Paul from four points of view: the first is that of Christs =origin, which the sacred writer identifies by calling him the true (natural, metaphysical) Son of God, when he says that God has spoken to us by a Son; the second is that of his power, for he depicts him as being made the heir of all things; the third is that of his activity, when he affirms that he created the world; the fourth, his sublime dignity, when he says that Christ reflects the glory of God (cf. Commentary on Heb., Prologue and 1:1). Christ is thus presented as the pinnacle and fullness of salvific Revelation, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us: After God had spoken many times and in various ways through the prophets in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son (Heb 1:1-2). For he sent his Son, the eternal Word who enlightens all men to dwell among men and to tell them about the inner life of God. He did this by the total fact of his presence and self-manifestation -- by words and works, signs and miracles, but above all by his death and glorious resurrection from the dead, and finally by sending the Spirit of truth. He revealed that God was with us, to deliver us from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to eternal life (Dei Verbum, 4). 1. Divine Revelation, which is rightly called the Word of God, develops in sta- ges in the course of the Old and New Testaments. By this Revelation, Vatican II teaches,the invisible God (cf. Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:17), from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends (cf. Ex 33:11; Jn 15:14-15), and moves among men (cf. Bar 3:38), in order to invite and receive them into his own company. This economy of Revelation is realized by deeds and words, which are intrinsically bound up with each other. As a result, the works performed by God in the history of salvation show forth and bear out the doctrine and realities signified by the words; the words, for their part, proclaim the works, and bring to light the mystery they contain (Dei Verbum, 3). Revelation is, then, a gradual opening up of Gods mysteries whereby little by little, like a wise teacher, it makes known who he is and what his plans are concerning the salvation of all mankind. For, although there is only one God and one way of salvation, man needs to be educated by means of many precepts and to progress by stages on his way to God and so advance in faith towards complete salvation in Christ. God in his mercy reveals his mysteries to man in this way in order that the whole world experiencing this saving proclamation, on hearing it should believe, on believing it hope, on hoping in it love (St Augustine, De Catechizandis Rudibus, 4, 8 ). When speaking of Revelation, the First Vatican Council recalled that although God, the origin and end of all things, can be known with certainty by the natural light of human reason from the things that he created, it was, nevertheless, the good pleasure of his wisdom and goodness to reveal himself and the eternal decrees of his will to the human race in another and supernatural way (Dei Filius, Chap. 2). This supernatural revelation, as it says (reaffirming the teaching of the Council of Trent), is contained in books and in oral traditions which the Apostles received from Christ or from the Holy Spirit and passed on to us. Christs Gospel had earlier been promised by the prophets and, more generally, by the entire Old Testament. The epistle refers to this when it says that God spoke in the past through the mouth of the prophets in many ways, that is, at various stages in the history of the chosen people, and in various ways, that is, by means of visions, words, actions and historical events. 2. The most intimate truth which this revelation gives us about God and the salvation of man shines forth in Christ, who is himself both the mediator and the sum total of Revelation (Dei Verbum, 2). St. John of the Cross comments on this passage in a very beautiful and profound way: And this is as if he had said: That which God spoke of old in the prophets to our fathers in sundry ways and divers manners, he has now, at last, in these days, spoken to us once and for all in the Son. Herein the Apostle declares that God has become, as it were, dumb, and has no more to say, since that which he spoke before, in part, to the prophets, he has now spoken altogether in him, giving us the All, which is his Son. And so he who would now enquire of God, or seek any vision or revelation would not only be acting foolishly, but would be committing an offense against God, by not setting his eyes altogether upon Christ, and seeking no new thing or aught beside. And God might answer him after this manner, saying: If I have spoken all things to you in my Word, which is my Son, and I have no other word, what answer can I now make to you, or what can I reveal to you which is greater than this? Set your eyes on him alone, for in him I have spoken and revealed to you =all things (Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book 2, Chap. 22). The last days refer to the period of time between the first coming of Christ and the second coming, or Parousia. These days have begun because the definitive Word of God, Jesus Christ, can be seen and heard. Mankind already finds itself in the last age, in the end of the ages (cf. 1 Cor 10:11; Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10). By speaking to us through his Son, God reveals to us his saving will from the moment of the Incarnation onwards, for the second person of the Blessed Trinity has come into the world to redeem us by dying for us and to open for us the way to heaven by his glorification. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the prophet par excellence (cf. note on Jn 7:40-43), for he perfects and completes Gods merciful revelation The Incarnation and the subsequent events of our Lords life are, like his teaching, a source of salvation. It was appropriate that the Son who perfectly revealed God the Father should also be the divine Word, the Creator of the world (cf. Jn 1:3). The creative action of the divine Logos or Word is not contradicted by the statement that Creation is the work of God the Father, for everything done by God outside himself (ad extra) is an action common to the three divine persons; nor is it correct to see the Word as merely an instrument used by the Father, for he is one in substance with him. It is the good Fathers own, unique Word who has ordered this universe. Being the good Word he has arranged the order of all things. He was with God as Wisdom; as Word he contemplated the Father and created the universe, giving it substance, order and beauty (St Athanasius, Oratio Contra Gentes, 40 and 46). Not only did the Word make the Father manifest by creation; he, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, acted in the revelation of the Old Testament: in fact, many patristic writers attributed to the Son -- as angel or messenger of Yahweh -- the divine epiphanies witnessed by Moses and the prophets. St. Irenaeus writes, for example, that Christ prefigured and proclaimed future events through his Patriarchs and prophets, thereby acting in his role as Teacher, promulgating the divine commandments and rules and training his people to obey God the Father (cf. Against Heresies, XIV, 21). A profound harmony links Gods revelation in Creation, in the Old Testament and in the New Testament: in each case it is the same God who is manifesting himself and the Word is ever actively involved. This activity of the Word is hidden and happens through the prophets in the Old Testament; whereas in the New the Word becomes flesh and acts directly. This passage in Hebrews combines the revelation of Jesus Christ as Mediator and maker of the universe (cf. Col 1:15-18; 1 Cor 8:6) with the idea that God has at last spoken to us in his Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, and has made known to us the invisible mysteries of the Godhead (cf. Jn 1:18 ). 3a. These words, which describe Christs divinity and eternity, recall the passage in the Book of Wisdom which reads, For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God (Wis 7:26). What the Old Testament described as an attribute of God is now revealed as a personal being the second person of the Trinity, the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. Using three images, the text teaches that Jesus Christ is perfect God, identical to the Father. By saying that he reflects the glory of the Father it means that he and the Father share the same nature -- which is what we profess in the Creed when we say that Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, is light from light, true God from true God (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed). The author means, St John Chrysostom writes, that Christ has this glory in his own right; it can suffer no eclipse nor can it either increase or diminish (Hom. on Heb., 2). The Son is also stamped with the nature of the Father; stamp is a translation of the Greek word character, which means the mark left by a tool used to engrave or seal (for example, the impression of a seal on wax, or the seal affixed to a document, or the brand used to identify livestock). This word indicates two things -- first, the perfect equality between the mark and the seal which makes it, and second, the permanence of the mark. Upholding the universe by his word of power: the Son, through whom all things have been created, is also maintaining them in existence. God the Father not only creates but, through the Son, maintains a continual, direct influence on his creation; if he did not do so, as St. Thomas Aquinas explains, the world would revert into non-being: If the divine power ceased to operate, existence would cease, the being and subsistence of every created thing would end: (the Word) therefore upholds all things in respect of their existence, and he sustains them also by virtue of being the first cause of everything he has created (Commentary on Heb., 1, 2). It makes sense that God the Father should wish to keep the world in existence by means of the same Word by whom he created it. 3b. This is the central message of the Epistle to the Hebrews: Christ, the consubstantial Son of the Father, the perfect reflection of his substance, who created all things and maintains them in existence, by becoming man brought about purification for sins and by his sacrifice was glorified and put at the right hand of the Father, receiving the name which is above every name (cf. Phil 2: 6-11; Jn 1:1, 3, 14). The actions of Jesus Christ are a continuum of mercy and salvation which extends from the creation of the world and mankind to the point where he is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father. Creation and Redemption are mysteries intimately linked to each other. The Son, the divine Word, is both Creator and Redeemer. It is appropriate to speak in the first instance, St Athanasius writes, of the creation of the universe and of God its Creator, in order correctly to appreciate the fact that the new creation of this universe has been brought about by the Word who originally created it. For there is no contradiction in the Fathers effecting the salvation of creatures by him through whom they were created (De Incarnatione Contra Arianos, 1). This is why the tradition of the Church, echoing certain references in the New Testament (cf. Gal 6:15; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10), describes the Redemption as a new creation. To sit down at the right hand of the Majesty is equivalent to saying has the status of God: Majesty is a term of reverence used to refer to God without naming him; thus, Jewish rabbis would refer to God as Lord, the most High, the Power, Glory, etc. Sitting in the presence of God was a prerogative of the Davidic kings (cf. 2 Sam 7:18 ; Ezek 44:3), and the person at the right hand was seen as occupying the place of honor (cf. Ps 45:10). Psalm 110 proclaims that God will have the Messiah sit at his right hand, and at various times Christ referred to that prophecy to assert that he was the Messiah and God (cf. Mt 22: 44; 26:63-65; Jn 5:17-18 ; 10:30-33). The exaltation of the Son to the right hand of the Father was a constant theme of apostolic preaching (cf. Acts 2:33; Rom 8:34; 1 Pet 3:22; Rev 3:21; Eph 1:20). As St John Chrysostom comments, when St Paul says that the Son sat down at the right hand of the Majesty he means principally to refer to the status of the Son as equal to that of the Father. And when he says that he is on high, in heaven, far from meaning to confine God within spatial limits, he wants us to see God the Son, as Lord of the universe, raised up to the very throne of his Father (cf. Hom. on Heb., 2). 4. The prologue ends with a very important statement, which introduces the theme of the rest of the first chapter: Christ is superior to the angels. To understand this comparison of Christ with the angels, one needs to bear in mind the outlook of the Jews at the time. The period immediately prior to the New Testament had seen a considerable development of devotion to angels among the ordinary religious Jews; with the result that this was the danger of Jesus, because he was a man, in some way being seen as on a lower level than angels, who, created beings though they are, are pure spirits. In the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 23:9), we find the Pharisees in the Sanhedrin surmising that St. Pauls preaching may result from revelation given him by an angel; and belief in the existence of angels was a point of contention between Pharisees and Sadducees (cf. Acts 23:7). For this reason the author of Hebrews wants to make it quite clear to Christians of Jewish origin =that Jesus is much more than an angelic being. Christ is superior to angels, the inspired writer says, because he has the title of Son, which is his by natural right. This name demonstrates his divine nature, a nature superior to that of any visible or invisible created being, whether material or spiritual, whether earthly or angelic: somethings name describes its essence and, particularly in Sacred Scripture, name and essence are at times one and the same. Thus, for example, the phrase in the name of (cf. Mt 28:19; Acts 3:6; 4:7; 4:12; etc.) refers not just to the authority or power of the person named, but to the person himself. Jesus Christ, because he is the very Son of God, is superior to angels by virtue of the glory due to his eternal oneness with the Father. As eternal Son of God, to him belonged, by right of inheritance, the title of Son and Lord. Moreover, after his passion and resurrection he has become superior to angels by a new title through his exaltation on high (cf. 1 Cor 15: 24-27; Phil 2:9-11). This passage refers primarily to Jesus glorification as man; for the words having become as much superior to angels... cannot refer, St John Chrysostom points out, to his divine essence: by virtue of his divinity the Son is equal to the Father and cannot be subject to change, cannot become anything: he is eternally what he is by generation from the Father: Eternal Word by nature, he did not receive his divine essence by way of inheritance. These words, which manifest his superiority over the angels, can only refer to the human nature with which he has been clothed: for it is that nature that is a created one (Hom. on Heb., 1). 5. Ancient Hebrew exegesis of this verse of Psalm 2 took it in a messianic sense: the Messiah or Anointed would be king of Israel and would enjoy Gods special protection. Therefore he merited being called Son of God, in the same kind of way, though more eminently, as other kings and just men of Israel deserved the title. But in Hebrews 1:5 the verse is given a much more profound interpretation: the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is the eternal Son of God, begotten today, that is, in the continuous present of the eternal Godhead. It is affirming the generation of the Son by the Father in the bosom of the Trinity, whereby the Son proceeds eternally from the Father and is his mirror image. This form of generation is radically different from physical generation, whereby one living being physically begets another like unto himself; and it is also quite different from Creation, whereby God makes everything out of nothing. It is different from physical generation because, in the Holy Trinity, Father and Son co-exist eternally and are one and the same and only God, not two gods. It is different from Creation because the Son has not been made from nothing but proceeds eternally from the Father. God created angels in the context of time, as the Fourth Lateran Council says in its profession of faith: We firmly believe and profess without qualification that there is only one true God, Creator of all things visible and invisible, spiritual and corporeal, who, by his almighty power, from the very beginning of time, has created both orders of creatures in the same way out of nothing, the spiritual or angelic world and the corporeal or visible universe. And afterwards he formed the creature man, who in a way belongs to both orders, as he is composed of spirit and matter (De Fide Catholica, Chap. 1). The Son, on the other hand, proceeds from the Father eternally as light rays come constantly from the sun or as water forms one single thing with the spring from which it flows. These words have never been addressed to an angel, St. Thomas Aquinas comments, but to Christ alone. In them three things may be observed. First, the mode of origin, expressed in the word say. It refers to a type of generation which is not of the flesh but rather of a spiritual and intellectual kind. Second, this generation has an altogether singular character, for he says, Thou art my Son, as if saying that although many others are called sons, being [Gods] natural son is proper to Him alone; others are called sons of God because they partake of the Word of God. Third, this is not a temporal but an eternal generation (Commentary on Heb., 1, 3). The quotation from Psalm 2 is completed by Nathans prophecy to David (2 Sam 7:14: I will be his father, and he shall be my son), which announces that a descendant of David will be the Messiah and will ever enjoy Gods favor. But the Hebrews text also makes it much clearer that the Messiah is the Son of God in the proper sense of the word -- a son by nature, and not by adoption (cf. Lk 1:32-33). In Christ, therefore, two things combine: he is the Son of God and he is the Messiah King. 6. Here the words of Deuteronomy 32:43, identical with those of Psalm 97:7 as given in the Septuagint, are used to convey, as a divine commandment addressed to spiritual beings, a directive to adore the Son. This is a further proof of Christs superiority: the angels are to worship him. This adoration shows his absolute superiority over angels: it is the superiority of the master over his servants and his slaves. When Jesus Christ left the bosom of his Father to enter this world, God required his angels to worship him. This is what a monarch does when he brings some great personage into his palace and wishes to have him honored: he orders his dignitaries to bow in his presence Hom. on Heb., 3). This reference to bringing the first-born into the world is consistently interpreted by the Fathers of the Church and by ancient writers as a reference to the Incarnation. Some authors also see this verse as referring to the second coming of Christ, when the world to come, unlike the present world, will be totally subject to the Redeemer. This interpretation connected with the end of time may explain why the text of Deuteronomy 32:43 is used: that passage is followed by reference to the last judgment by God. Christs human nature should be worshipped now and always by angels and men alike, for by doing so they adore Jesus, who is one person -- which is divine -- with two natures, one divine and one human; he is worshipped as one: his divinity and his humanity are worshipped at one and the same time. This worship due to Christ over every created being is reminiscent of what St. Paul says in Philippians 2:10: at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, referring to the glorified human nature of Christ. It is fitting that the sacred humanity of Christ should receive the homage, praise and adoration of all the hierarchies of the angels and of all the legions of the blessed in heaven (St. J. Escriva, Holy Rosary, Second Glorious Mystery). ON THE GOSPEL: Luke 2:15-20 (The Adoration of the Shepherds - Continued) There was no room for them Jesus is born in extreme poverty. It is not just a matter of the material destitution of his family. It is much more than this. He is born far from the village where his parents live, far from the love of relatives and friends, far from the comfort of the paternal home, even though poor. He is born among strangers who do not care for him and only offer a manger for his birth. We see here the great mystery of the incarnation. Paul will say, he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty (2 Cor 8:9). The prologue of John’s Gospel affirms that although it is through him that the world came to be, Jesus, the Word made flesh, he came to his own domain, and his own people did not accept him (Jn 1:11). It is this drama that marks the whole of Jesus’ life, coming to its culmination in the absolute rejection at the proceedings before Pilate (see Jn 18:28-19:16). In the final analysis, it is the drama of God who reveals himself and gives himself constantly to humanity and is so often rejected. A sign to be deciphered. However, it must be said that it was not easy for his contemporaries to recognise Jesus. It is never easy for anyone, not even today, to recognise him for what he really is. Only God’s revelation can unveil his mystery (see for example Jn 5:37; 6:45). In the story of his birth, the aim of the angelic message is precisely that of revealing his mystery. In fact, our text is made up of three parts. In vv. 1-7 we have the fact of the birth of Jesus in a clear context. It is the birth of a boy like so many other boys. Verses 8-14 tell us about the message by an angel and the vision of angels who sing. It is God’s revelation (see v.15) that allows us to discover in the sign of a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger (v. 12) Christ the Lord (v.11). In the last part (vv. 15-20), we come across various reactions to the revelation of the mystery. When the sign that God offers is received with humility, it marks the beginning of a journey of faith towards him who reveals himself. How to decipher the sign and welcome Jesus Our text presents three reactions to the mystery of Jesus. First there are the shepherds. They are characterised by several verbs of expectation/seeking and discovery: (they) watch… during the night (v. 8); let us go and see… (v. 15); they hurried away and found… (v.16). The shepherds were open to the revelation of the mystery. They welcomed it in simplicity and believed it (see vv. 15 and 20) and they became witnesses of that which was revealed to them (see v. 17). Then there are those who heard what the shepherds had to say about Jesus (v. 16). They are amazed, unable to see the real meaning of the event that took place among them. Finally there is the report on Mary. The evangelist wants to contrast her reaction to that of those who heard. In fact, he introduces her with the words as for Mary (v. 19). Like them, Mary has not heard the message of the angel and has not seen the angelic choir, but has only heard the witness of the shepherds. Yet she accepts it. Certainly, she had an angelic message addressed to her alone at the beginning of this whole episode (1:26-38). The angel had spoken of a son who was to be born from her as the Son of the Most High who was to rule forever (see 1:32 and 35). But recent happenings, the birth under such circumstances, could have put doubts to these words. Now the shepherds come and again say great things about her son. Mary keeps everything in her heart, the words of the angel, the words of the shepherds, the events taking place and seeks to put them together in order to understand who is this son whom God has given her, what is his mission and what is her part in all this. Mary is a contemplative woman who keeps her eyes and ears open so as not to miss anything. She, then, keeps and meditates all in the silence of her contemplative heart. Mary is the attentive Virgin, capable of receiving the word that God speaks to her in the daily events of her life. Only they who wish to seek like the shepherds and who have the contemplative heart of Mary can decipher the signs of the presence and action of God in their lives and to welcome Jesus in the home of their being. Luke 2, 15-18. The birth of the Savior Messiah is the key event in the history of mankind, but God wanted it to take place so quietly that the world went about its business as if nothing had happened. The only people he tells about it are a few shepherds. It was also to a shepherd, Abraham, that God gave his promise to save mankind. The shepherds make their way to Bethlehem propelled by the sign they have received. And when they verify it they tell what they heard from the angel and about seeing the heavenly host. They are the first witnesses of the birth of the Messiah. The shepherds were not content with believing in the happy event which the angel proclaimed to them and which, full of wonder, they saw for a fact; they manifested their joy not only to Mary and Joseph but to everyone and, what is more, they tried to engrave it on their memory. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. And why would they not have wondered, seeing on earth him who is in heaven, and earth and heaven reconciled; seeing that ineffable Child who joined what was heavenly -- divinity -- and what was earthly -- humanity -- creating a wonderful covenant through this union. Not only were they in awe at the mystery of the Incarnation, but also at the great testimony born by the shepherds, who could not have invented something they had not heard and who publish the truth with a simple eloquence (Photius, Ad Amphilochium, 155). Luke 2, 16. The shepherds hasten because they are full of joy and eager to see the Savior. St. Ambrose comments: No one seeks Christ halfheartedly (Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam., in loc.). Earlier on, the evangelist observed that our Lady, after the Annunciation, went in haste to see St Elizabeth (Lk 1:39). A soul who has given God entry rejoices that God has visited him and his life acquires new energy. Luke 2, 19. In very few words this verse tells us a great deal about our Lady. We see the serenity with which she contemplates the wonderful things that are coming true with the birth of her divine Son. She studies them, ponders them and stores them in the silence of her heart. She is a true teacher of prayer. If we imitate her, if we guard and ponder in our hearts what Jesus says to us and what he does in us, we are well on the way to Christian holiness and we shall never lack his doctrine and his grace. Also, by meditating in this way on the teaching Jesus has given us, we shall obtain a deeper understanding of the mystery of Christ, which is how the Tradition that comes from the Apostles makes progress in the Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit. There is a growth in insight into the realities and words that are being passed on. This comes about in various ways. It comes through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts. It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which they experience. And it comes from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth (Vatican II, Dei Verbum, 8 ). FINAL PRAYERS: I shall sing the faithful love of Yahweh for ever, from age to age my lips shall declare your constancy, for you have said: love is built to last for ever, you have fixed your constancy firm in the heavens. (Ps 89,1-2) O Ruler of all nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the might arch of humankind: Come and save the creatures you have fashioned from the dust! It is by God’s mercy that we are saved. May we never tire of spreading this joyful message to the world. -- Pope Francis Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. -- St. Jerome The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it. -- St. John of the Cross
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 19:04:32 +0000
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