He Will Save His People from Their Sins
Introduction: As you continue your process of preparing for the
First Coming (Advent) of Jesus in His human nature (Christmas), may you take the
time to reflect on what it means that the Son of GOD has humbled Himself and taken
on our nature, being born as an Infant, and living in the human condition.
It is so easy to get caught up in the externals of Christmas.
Obviously, they help to make this season so special. We enjoy the colored lights,
the food, the cards, the Christmas carols, the presents, and the Christmas trees.
It is important, however, to take the time to focus on what we are celebrating:
GOD’s love manifested in the Son of GOD becoming human and sharing life with us,
and for us. The Almighty and Eternal GOD has chosen to enter history and limit Himself
in the person of Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary. It was a total absurdity for those
to whom the event was first announced and proclaimed. We cannot take it for granted.
We must try to comprehend how awesome the Incarnation of Jesus is.
Here we are, less than a week before Christmas. The scripture
readings call to mind the mystery of the Incarnation – GOD becoming human. In the
First Reading we hear a promise of a Son born to a woman (thus human) who would
be called “Emmanuel” (alternate English spelling Immanuel) – “GOD-with-us.” St.
Paul begins his letter to the Romans by speaking of the fulfillment of the promises
of the prophets in Jesus, descended from David (human) yet “Son of GOD” (divine).
In the Gospel we hear the story of Joseph being informed that the child of Mary
was conceived by the Holy Spirit and is the fulfillment of the passage of Isaiah
that we heard in the First Reading. Thus, the child would be “Emmanuel” – “GOD-with-us.”
First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive.’
Commentary: The readings
of the last Sunday of Advent always turn to Mary, as she wait for her child to be
born. The prophecy in this first reading was given in 736 BC, when King Ahaz of
Judah was about to be forced into an alliance, in a vain attempt to oppose the crushing
military power of Babylon. Isaiah goes to him and warns him that the alliance would
be fatal: he had better trust in the LORD. Isaiah promises a sign, which Ahaz refuses.
He does not want to be convinced! What is this sign? The original Hebrew reads,
‘A girl is with child and will bear a son’, indicating that within a few months
the threat will vanish and Jerusalem will be convinced that God is on their side
– hence the boy will be called Emmanuel, in relieved gratitude. But the Greek translation
of the Hebrew, made some 200 years before the birth of Jesus, translates ‘The virgin
is with child’, which the evangelist Matthew sees as a prophecy of the birth of
Jesus from the virgin Mary. The symbolic name Emmanuel then becomes a promise of
the presence of God in the world at our side.
Responsorial Psalm: 24(23):1-2. 3-4b. 5-6: Let the LORD enter;
he is the king of glory.
“O” the antiphons used by the Church in the Liturgy of the Hours.
These antiphons are the basis for the song “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” They are
used on the seven days before Christmas and reflect on some of the titles used in
the Hebrew scripture that foretell the coming of the Messiah.
Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7: Jesus Christ, descended from
David, Son of God.
Commentary: This reading
gives us the beginning of the great Letter to the Romans, in which Paul lays out
the saving work of Christ. After proclaiming his apostolic office, Paul lays out
the two aspects of Jesus. In his introductions to the letters Paul always briefly
introduces or hints at the subject with which he is specially concerned in the letter.
So here it is the dual aspect of Christ. If he were not both wholly human and Son
of God, his supreme act of obedience on the Cross would not have saved us. And yet,
it is by his resurrection that he lifts his followers to completion in the divine
life, for we are baptized into his death and rise in his resurrection. According
to his human nature he is a descendant of David, wholly human. At the same time
he is Son of God in power through his resurrection from the dead. Paul does not,
of course, suggest that before the resurrection he was not Son of God, but in some
way the resurrection put him in the position of his full power as Son of God. The
Incarnation is the basis of all the theology of Salvation.
Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24: Jesus was born of Mary, who was betrothed
to Joseph, son of David.
Commentary: Matthew
begins his gospel about the birth of Jesus with a long and elaborately formal genealogy
of Joseph. But Jesus is the son of Mary, not of Joseph! The whole point of this
story is that Joseph is not the genealogical father of Jesus, but adopts Jesus into
his line of David. At first he is hesitant to do so, presumably thinking that he
is unworthy to acknowledge the child as his own, and unworthy to bond with Mary
who is with child by the Holy Spirit. But the angel insists (‘Do not be afraid’)
that only Joseph can do this job. As soon as the child is born, he is given the
name Jesus, and given it by Joseph. It is the father’s prerogative to name a son,
and by so doing Joseph takes the child as his own. We hear little more of Joseph,
but what a joy it must have been to have Jesus as a son! What a relationship there
must have been! What responsibility too! When Jesus calls God his ‘Father’, he is
using the concept which must have been formed in his mind by his adoptive father,
Joseph, the perfect ideal of the loving father.
Reflection: Do you hold on to the promises of God at all times,
especially when you are faced with uncertainty or adversity? The prophet Isaiah
spoke words of hope in a hopeless situation for Israel. When Ahaz, the apostate
king of Judah and heir to the throne of David (735 B.C.) was surrounded by forces
that threatened to destroy him and his people, God offered him a sign to reassure
him that God would not abandon the promise he made to David and his descendants.
King Ahaz, however, had lost hope in God and refused to ask for a sign of favor.
God, nonetheless, gave a sign to assure his people that he would indeed give them
a Savior who would rule with peace and righteousness (Isaiah 7:11ff). Like the prophet
Isaiah we are called "in hope to believe against hope" (Romans 4:18) that
God can and will fulfill all his promises.
Mary was found to be with child
of the Holy Spirit: Mary had to face an enormous challenge to her faith
and trust in God and to the faith of her family and Joseph, the man she chose to
marry. She was asked to assume a burden of tremendous responsibility. It had never
been heard of before that a child could be born without a natural father. Mary was
asked to accept this miraculous exception to the laws of nature. That required faith
and trust in God and in his promises. Second, Mary was not yet married. Pregnancy
outside of wedlock was not tolerated in those days. Mary was only espoused to Joseph,
and such an engagement had to last for a whole year. She was asked to assume a great
risk. She could have been rejected by Joseph, by her family, by all her own people.
Mary knew that Joseph and her family would not understand without revelation from
God. She nonetheless believed and trusted in God's promises.
Joseph believed the angel's message "that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Spirit"
Joseph, a just and God-fearing man, did not wish to embarrass
or punish his espoused wife, Mary when he discovered that she was pregnant. To all
appearances she had broken their solemn pledge to be faithful and chaste to one
another. Joseph, no doubt took this troubling matter to God in prayer. He was not
hasty to judge or to react with hurt and anger. God rewarded him not only with guidance
and consolation, but with the divine assurance that he had indeed called Joseph
to be the husband of Mary and to assume a mission that would require the utmost
faith, confidence, and trust in Almighty God. Joseph believed in the divine message
to take Mary as his wife and to accept the child in her womb as the promised Messiah.
A model of faith for us: Like
Mary, Joseph is a model of faith for us. He is a faithful witness and servant of
God's unfolding plan of redemption. Are you ready to believe in the promises of
God, even when faced with perplexing circumstances and what seems like insurmountable
problems? God has not left us alone, but has brought us his only begotten Son, our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate Christmas, the feast of the Incarnation,
with joyful hearts and let us renew our faith and hope in God and in his redeeming
work.
Lord Jesus, you came to save us from sin and the power of death.
May I always rejoice in your salvation and trust in your divine plan for my life.
Daily Quote from the Early Church
Fathers: The righteous branch of David
is Christ, by Leo the Great, 400-461 A.D.
"There was only one remedy in the secret of the divine plan
that could help the fallen living in the general ruin of the entire human race (Jeremiah
23:5-8). This remedy was that one of the sons of Adam should be born free and innocent
of original transgression, to prevail for the rest by his example and by his merits.
This was not permitted by natural generation. There could be no clean offspring
from our faulty stock by this seed. The Scripture says, 'Who can make a clean thing
conceived of an unclean seed? Isn't it you alone?' (Job 14:4) David's Lord was made
David's Son, and from the fruit of the promised branch sprang. He is one without
fault, the twofold nature coming together into one person. By this one and the same
conception and birth sprung our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom was present both true
Godhead for the performance of mighty works and true manhood for the endurance of
sufferings." (excerpt from Sermon 28.3)
knock, knock
“Let the Lord enter; He is King of glory.” —Psalm response for
today’s Mass (see Ps 24:9)
God attempted to enter into the lives of four people in today’s
Mass readings. The first, King Ahaz of Judah, did not let the Lord enter into his
life (Is 7:12). The other three, St. Paul, St. Joseph, and the Blessed Virgin Mary,
let the Lord enter their lives and take charge of all their plans (see Rm 1:1; Mt
1:20-24).
Today’s psalm response urges us to “let the Lord enter” (see
Ps 24:9). The Lord stands at the door of your life, knocking (Rv 3:20). He has a
plan for your life (Heb 11:40; Jer 29:11), and He wants to enter in. His plan will
change your life and turn it around.
The innkeepers of Bethlehem did not let the Lord enter (Lk 2:7).
Many people in the secular culture refuse to let the Lord enter. None of us is “worthy
to have [the Lord] enter” into our lives (Lk 7:6). Yet the Lord stands knocking
at your door (Rv 3:20). Will you open the door and “let the Lord enter” into your
life?
Prayer: “Lord, I am
not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul
shall be healed” (see Mt 8:8). “The Lord Himself will give you this sign: the Virgin
shall be with Child, and bear a Son, and shall name Him Immanuel.” —Is 7:14. “O
Radiant Dawn, Splendor of eternal light, Sun of justice: come, shine on those who
dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”
The personal action for today: What does it mean for me that Jesus gave up His position
of glory and humbled Himself by becoming human? What message do I receive from Jesus’
Incarnation (becoming human flesh)? How can I bring this meaning to others, especially
during this most holy season of the year?
*Saint Peter Canisius: The energetic life of Peter Canisius should demolish
any stereotypes we may have of the life of a saint as dull or routine. Peter lived
his 76 years at a pace which must be considered heroic, even in our time of rapid
change. A man blessed with many talents, Peter is an excellent example of the scriptural
man who develops his talents for the sake of the Lord’s work.
Peter was one of the most important figures in the Catholic Reformation
in Germany. He played such a key role that he has often been called the “second
apostle of Germany,” in that his life parallels the earlier work of Boniface.
Although Peter Canisius once accused himself of idleness in his
youth, he could not have been idle too long, for at the age of 19 he received a
master’s degree from the university at Cologne. Soon afterwards he met Peter Faber,
the first disciple of Ignatius of Loyola, who influenced Peter so much that he joined
the recently formed Society of Jesus.
At this early age Peter Canisius had already taken up a practice
he continued throughout his life—a process of study, reflection, prayer, and writing.
After his ordination in 1546, he became widely known for his editions of the writings
of St. Cyril of Alexandria and St. Leo the Great. Besides this reflective literary
bent, Peter had a zeal for the apostolate. He could often be found visiting the
sick or imprisoned, even when his assigned duties in other areas were more than
enough to keep most people fully occupied.
In 1547, Peter Canisius attended several sessions of the Council
of Trent, whose decrees he was later assigned to implement. After a brief teaching
assignment at the Jesuit college at Messina, Peter was entrusted with the mission
to Germany—from that point on his life’s work. He taught in several universities
and was instrumental in establishing many colleges and seminaries. He wrote a catechism
that explained the Catholic faith in a way that common people could understand—a
great need of that age.
Renowned as a popular preacher, Peter packed churches with those
eager to hear his eloquent proclamation of the gospel. He had great diplomatic ability,
often serving as a reconciler between disputing factions. In his letters—filling
eight volumes—one finds words of wisdom and counsel to people in all walks of life.
At times he wrote unprecedented letters of criticism to leaders of the Church—yet
always in the context of a loving, sympathetic concern.
At 70, Peter suffered a paralytic seizure, but he continued to
preach and write with the aid of a secretary, until his death in his hometown of
Nijmegen, Netherlands, on December 21, 1597.
Peter’s untiring efforts are an apt example for those involved
in the renewal of the Church or the growth of moral consciousness in business or
government. He is regarded as one of the creators of the Catholic press, and can
easily be a model for the Christian author or journalist. Teachers can see in his
life a passion for the transmission of truth.
Whether we have much to give, as Peter Canisius did, or whether
we have only a little to give, as did the poor widow in the Gospel of Luke (see
Luke 21:1–4), the important thing is to give our all. It is in this way that Peter
is so exemplary for Christians in an age of rapid change when we are called to be
in the world but not of the world.
