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| “The Nativity” by Jacob de Backer, 1580’s |
Reading 1: Jeremiah 23:5-8
Behold,
the days are coming, says the LORD,
when
I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
As
king he shall reign and govern wisely,
he
shall do what is just and right in the land.
In
his days Judah
This
is the name they give him:
“The
LORD our justice.”
Therefore,
the days will come, says the LORD,
when
they shall no longer say, “As the LORD lives,
who
brought the children of Israel
out of the land
of Egypt
but
rather, "As the LORD lives,
who
brought the descendants of the house of Israel
up
from the land of the north”–
and
from all the lands to which I banished them;
they
shall again live on their own land.
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Commentary on
Jer
23:5-8
This passage is part of the “Booklet on Kings.” In it, the prophet
exhorts the Hebrew leaders to rule with justice, with special attention to the
poor. The last two verses of this passage were probably written during the
exile, looking forward to the return to the land. We see in this passage the
Prophet Jeremiah predicting the coming of the Messiah who will rule with
justice for all time.
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and
fullness of peace for ever.
O
God, with your judgment endow the king,
and
with your justice, the king’s son;
He
shall govern your people with justice
and
your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish
in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
For
he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and
the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He
shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the
lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish
in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Blessed
be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who
alone does wondrous deeds.
And
blessed forever be his glorious name;
may
the whole earth be filled with his glory.
R. Justice shall flourish
in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Ps
72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19
Psalm 72 is one of the Royal Psalms sung for the
king. It is a prayer that the civil leader may rule with the justice of God. In
doing so compassion will be shown to the poor and the wealth of the kingdom
will be shared with the poor. In the Advent season, we see this song sung by
the Messiah who comes with justice for the poor. The final strophe is concluded
with praise for a God who, while unseen, makes his presence known through his
creation.
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25
Now
this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When
his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but
before they lived together,
she
was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph
her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet
unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided
to divorce her quietly.
Such
was his intention when, behold,
the
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph,
son of David,
do
not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For
it is through the Holy Spirit
that
this child has been conceived in her.
She
will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because
he will save his people from their sins.”
All
this took place to fulfill
what
the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be
with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him
Emmanuel,
which
means “God is with us.”
When
Joseph awoke,
he
did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and
took his wife into his home.
He
had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and
he named him Jesus.
-------------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Mt
1:18-25
This passage is the beginning of
St. Matthew’s story of the nativity of Jesus. Joseph is being told by the angel
that he should bring Mary into his home as wife and the paternity of the child
is the Holy Spirit.
"The angel's message is
urgent: Joseph must maintain his marriage in order to be the foster-father of
Jesus. As a descendant of King David, he imparts to Jesus Davidic (royal)
rights of inheritance. Matthew's portrait of Joseph recalls the Old Testament
patriarch Joseph. (1) Both share the same name (Matthew 1:18; Genesis 30:24); (2) both
have fathers named Jacob (Matthew 1:16; Genesis 30:19-24); (3) God
spoke to both of them through dreams (Matthew 1:20-21; Matthew 2:13, 19-20, 22; Genesis 37:5-11); (4) both
were righteous and chaste (Matthew 1:19; Genesis 39:7-18); (5) both
saved their families by bringing them to Egypt (Matthew 2:13; Genesis 45 16-20)." [4]
He is also told the name the child
is Emmanuel ("God with us").
The story ends with Joseph accepting the role and the command of the angel.
“The natural genealogical line is broken but the promises to David are
fulfilled; through Joseph's adoption the child belongs to the family of David.
Matthew sees the virginal conception as the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14.”[5]
CCC: Mt 1:16 437; Mt
1:18-25 497; Mt 1:20 333,
437, 486, 497; Mt 1:21 430,
437, 452, 1507, 1846, 2666, 2812; Mt 1:23 497,
744
-------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The
Church teaches that God reveals himself to mankind gradually –
The divine plan of
Revelation is realized simultaneously "by deeds and words which are
intrinsically bound up with each other" and shed light on each another [sic]. It involves a specific divine pedagogy [teaching]: God communicates
himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the supernatural
Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of the incarnate
Word, Jesus Christ.[6]
This
statement from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is demonstrated in
sacred scripture as we see two stages of revelation recalled in the reading
from Jeremiah. Then, in St. Matthew’s Gospel, the final stage of God’s
revelation is shown to St. Joseph in a dream as the Father’s plan unfolds
before us.
His
divine plan, the whole idea of God setting in motion the events leading to
complete revelation, surpasses human understanding. We see indistinctly the touch points God has
had with humankind since the beginning as recorded in the Bible. Those direct
interactions are indistinct because the events were recorded and passed down
through human authors and chroniclers who were limited by language and
understanding, being the tools they were meant to be. But what they do show us is a dawning
understanding of the Lord’s intent toward us.
While
God’s revelation was completed in Christ, and no new divine revelation followed
his Only Begotten Son, our understanding of these events is incomplete. Starting with those people closest to Jesus,
the body of human understanding has grown over the years.
In
the Gospel today we see a reference to an ancient prediction: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and
bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” Isaiah announced this event even before the
great Babylonian Exile, half a millennia before Joseph’s dream. Would Joseph have made the connection to
Isaiah’s oracle about the Messiah had that dream not painted the picture? Would Joseph have awakened from that dream
and wondered: “Where have I heard those words before?”
It
is good that God does not overestimate our ability to take in all that he has
planned for us. We come to faith so
slowly sometimes, and the sheer magnitude of his love for us continues to be
revealed to us as we grasp through faith the reality of Christ. Each time the story plays through, we get a
clearer picture, come to a personal revelation that is more complete. Awe at God’s plan once more fills us and our
anticipation of the great feast grows.
Pax
O Antiphon for this date:
O
Sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed
yourself
to Moses in the burning bush, who gave
him
the holy law on Sinai mountain: Come, stretch
out
your mighty hand to set us free.
O
Adonai, et dux domus Israel,
qui
Moyse in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et
ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni
ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.
[1]
The picture is “The Nativity” by Jacob de Backer, 1580’s.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
[4]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p.8.
[5]
See NAB footnote on Matthew 1: 18-25.
[7]
The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least
the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat
canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology
that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old
Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old
Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative
"Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. (USCCB)
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