One For All

READINGS: Isaiah 60:1-6  Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6  Matthew 2:1-12

In the season of Christmas, we celebrate the promise that Christ represents: the promise of redemption and rebirth.  This collection of readings reminds us that the promise is a sacred covenant between us and God, and that the promise is for everyone.

Isaiah's reading was intended for an Israelite nation that had just returned from exile.  As the people continued to experience hardship after hardship long after their enslavement in Babylon, Isaiah reminds them that they are still God's chosen people, and that He would work still greater miracles for them.  "The glory of the Lord shines upon you."  Even as "darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples...upon you the Lord shines."

Rather than seeing the Israelites carried off into slavery, Isaiah proclaims that the people would now flock to Israel to pay homage to the Lord.  The vindication of Israel was a symbol to non-believers of the Lord's might and favor to Israel, making them an example to those who did not fear Him.  At the end of the passage, we have references to gold and frankincense: two of the gifts that would be presented to Jesus at His birth.

For Christmas purposes, this reading is seen as foretelling the coming of Christ.  Jesus is the new Israel that the pagans would flock to.  It's important that the nations named as making a pilgrimage to the Lord in this reading are considered foreign and very "non-Jewish."  This stands both in harmony and in contrast to what we will see later in the Gospel.

For ourselves, this reading is a reminder to take courage in our faith.  I'm not saying that we shouldn't have doubts.  We all have doubts, and I am one who believes that even Jesus had doubts when He walked as one of us.  By having courage, we banish fear.  Don't second-guess yourself.  Don't worry about the "what ifs".  The Lord is watching over you.  The Lord shines upon you.

Some would say that if we walk by God's light, no evil can befall us.  I don't believe that.  Evil is everywhere.  All you need to do is look to the news to remind us that Christians and people of many other faiths are persecuted all over the world.  Are we to believe they are suffering because their faith isn't strong enough?  Faith is not a shield from evil that lets us turn and run.  Faith is armor that lets us face the evil head-on and know that whatever happens, God is by our side.

In Isaiah's time, the Jews were the only people who were promised the blessings of God.  But Paul's letter to the Ephesians abolishes that idea with a new concept.  Drawing on the symbols Christ instituted in the Last Supper, Paul anoints the Church as "the Body of Christ."  This is a very abstract concept, particularly for the time, and is even more difficult to grasp for a people that were used to being singled out and especially beloved and exalted.  Instead, Paul insists that the Word of God was a new covenant for all people, not just the Jews.

Similarly, think about the silent prejudices we hold.  If we consider ourselves embodiments of Christ, and if we are called to be Christ to others, are we truly embracing everyone we meet as another light of Christ?  Whether it's someone's appearance, demeanor, sexual identity, political view, or religious belief, we can find a million reasons to dismiss another human being.  That person may never know you, and there's a chance that if you try to open yourself to them they will reject you, but if we walk by faith as Isaiah encourages us, we shouldn't be stopping to ask "what if."  Instead we should be asking, "why not?"

Finally, we have the last of the Nativity Gospels for this cycle, and the coming of the Magi before the Baby Jesus.  Incidentally, the Gospel refers to the Magi as just that, "Magi."  They are not called "kings," and it is not said how many there are (sorry, to those who enjoy the images presented in "We Three Kings.")  Traditionally we associate the number three with them because of the number of gifts mentioned.

There's a lot of symbolism going on here, and I don't claim to know all of it, but let's break things down a bit.

The first image we have is Herod.  We know for a fact this guy was paranoid about losing his throne because he killed members of his own family to protect it, including a wife and three sons.  This particular passage, taken out of context from the rest of the Gospel, doesn't mention that.  For all we know, Herod really does want to pay his respects to the newborn Jesus.  It's not until the last line of the Gospel that we realize his intentions are evil.  It adds a very ominous, bitter tone to an otherwise peaceful ending, and alludes to the death of Christ at the Crucifixion.

Second we have the Magi.  Again, these aren't necessarily kings.  They're not named or counted, and there's not a whole lot to describe them.  But there are a few things we know.

Magi were astrologers.  This is important for a couple of reasons.  The most obvious is that they are able to navigate their way to Jerusalem by the light of the stars, and specifically the star that they mention to Herod.  Secondly, being astrologers makes it clearer as to how they of all people would've noticed that "star at its rising."

The Gospel also mentions that the Magi were form the east.  If we follow the theme of the readings, this is an important fact: it's through the Magi that the birth of Christ and the salvation that follows is brought to the non-Jewish peoples.  The Magi are foreigners.  They are not "blessed" by God, but they are the ones specifically chosen to bring news of Jesus' birth to all the nations.  This is possibly why they are often used interchangeably with the shepherds of Luke's account: because they bring "good news of great joy that will be for all the people."  Some suggest that the Magi may even be from Babylon, which would be especially symbolic considering Israel's sojourn there.

Finally, there's the star.  Now, astrologists and historians have since suggested that the "star" spoken of in the Gospel is actually the elision ("joining") of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn: giving the illusion of a single, giant, radiant star.

It's clear that the star drew the Magi west, but it's not exactly clear why they came specifically to Bethlehem until Matthew quotes the passage from Micah.  It's easy to assume that Jewish scholars used this and possibly other passages from Isaiah to determine that Bethlehem was where the child would be found.  Remember: Matthew is doing his best throughout his account to paint Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.  He starts that with the genealogy on Christmas and continues that theme here.

Okay.  So the Magi are foreigners, so we can kind of forgive them for blurting out to this lunatic Herod that a new "king" has been born.  Herod is, reportedly, "greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."  Why would all the people be troubled?  It's possible they had a vested political interest in this (I mean, when one leader dies, everyone wonders who will take his place), but it's more likely that they were afraid this paranoid psychopath would go around slaughtering babies and even whole families to protect his crown.

So Herod asks for the particulars and the Magi (again, these guys are foreigners) spill the beans.  Herod plays it cool and sends them on their way with the simple request that when they come back (presumably on the same roads that they travel out on), they stop by and throw some more juicy details on the table so he can go and "worship" the newborn King.  The Gospel also says that in addition to what we can assume is a very public audience, Herod also takes the Magi aside privately to question them.  Speculate what you will, I'm taking this to mean he intimidated them into giving up the goods.

The Magi find their Messiah in a "house" (not a stable as mentioned in other areas, though this could be a matter of semantics), but still manage to reverence him as though he were in a royal bedchamber.  They fall down in worship, the same as you would a worldly king.  Remember, we may think of Jesus as a spiritual savior, but to these people He is very much a worldly king at this point.  These Magi are looking for a political revolutionary, not a religious foundation.

And in typical fashion, they open up their gifts.  Again, there's three, so we assume there are three kings.  It's possible there are more.  It's possible there are less.  A lot of emphasis has been placed on these gifts and what they represent, but these are gifts that would've been brought to most any king upon birth or coronation at that time.  Besides that, it's more likely these gifts were chosen for their value and their easiness to carry on a long journey.

Still, it's worth noting that the gifts are gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  The first two harken back to Isaiah's reading earlier.  Those are the gifts Isaiah foretold would be presented to the new Israel.  It's very possible these Magi were privy to that and brought them accordingly.  If we take it to a more abstract layer, we can say that gold represents a king's riches.  Frankincense is a much more appropriate gift as it was often used in worship services, so it has a much more divine flavor.  And finally, the myrrh is an ointment used in preparing a body for burial, which of course is an omen for the Crucifixion and days spent in the tomb.

Finally, we have another divine intervention that really has little explanation unless we take it at face value.  Maybe, like Joseph, an angel really did visit one or all of the Magi in their sleep.  Maybe the threats of Herod finally hit home, or maybe someone else present at the Epiphany who was familiar with Herod's atrocities warned the Magi not to go back the way they'd come.  So when they leave, the make sure to take the long way home.

Again, we are challenged to bring Christ to others, even in the face of great adversity.  Again, we are encouraged and strengthened by faith, represented here by the star that guides the Magi.  And again we are reminded that salvation is for all people.  The ancient world made a pilgrimage to Israel where a chosen people held themselves us as "blessed" and "espoused" by God.  Here, a pilgrimage is made to a baby in a stable, and we are reminded that our faith in God is not a license to boast, but an invitation people in all walks of life to embrace the Word as something to be shared with everyone, because God doesn't play favorites.

Family Ties

READINGS

1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28  1 John 3:1-2, 21-24  Luke 2:41-52

During the Christmas season, we are encouraged to grow closer together as family.  When we shop for Christmas gifts, it's often with a list of those we are shopping for: brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers, etc.  This week we are asked not only to remember our own personal families, but to recall that we are also part of a greater family: the Christian family of the church.

The readings remind us that family is a sacred and holy gift from God, and we should be ever thankful for it.  Each family has its trials, it's complications, and even its rifts, but as children of God, we are called to patience, reconciliation, and compassion when dealing with our family.  And we are encouraged to give thanks to God for the family he has blessed us with.

When God blesses Hannah with a  child, she names him Samuel: a name which mean

s, "God listens."  He is a constant symbol of God's attention to His faithful ones, and it is only after Hannah's prayer and petition to the Lord that her request is granted.  There are plenty of other stories like this, not the least of which is Sara giving birth to Isaac.  Yet in both cases, the child is then called to be given back to God.  There is a subtle difference, however.

In the case of Abraham, God demanded that Isaac be sacrificed upon His altar.  It's only after Abraham shows a readiness to do this that God rewards his faith by relinquishing the child back to him.  Hannah, on the other hand, readily returns Samuel to the temple where she leaves him under Eli's tutelage.  It almost seems callous to end the passage with the words, "Hannah left Samuel there," because the immediate feeling we get is one of abandon.  But taken in context, we realize that God would raise Samuel up as the last Judge of Israel (a figure with executive, priestly, and judicial power), and it is through Samuel that David also would be raised to favor in God's eyes.  Finally, it is through David's bloodline that Jesus would be born.

The message here isn't only that each family should be dedicated to God in its own way, but that God rewards that dedication with His grace.

Again, in the first letter from Saint John, we are reminded of the sanctity of the family.  The letter stresses that the institution of family is a blessing from the Lord, and that in addition to being members of the human family, we are also members of the holy family of the church when call ourselves children of God.  In that way, we are reminded that we are more than just human beings: we are as beloved by God as Jesus Himself was when he was in our human form.  Once more we are assured that living according to God's law will reap great reward (much like Hannah) for us, and that we have the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts in this endeavor.

The story of Jesus in the temple is well known.  It's easy to imagine His parents' distress at finding he

was not with them, particularly in a time where children have become innocent targets.  The language of this reading is often confused, as it is sometimes said that they found Jesus "teaching" the men in the temple.  In the latest translation it merely says that Jesus listened and was "asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded by his understanding and his answers."  In this way, the Gospel paints the picture of a Jesus who is exceptionally attentive and attuned, rather than a prodigy.

Mary's reaction is probably my favorite part of the entire passage simply because it's a moment where we see these people whom we hold in such high and holy esteem as simply human.  It's worth noting that Jesus' reply marks the first time he acknowledges God as His Father (at least that we have recorded.)

It's also interesting that Joseph and Mary search for Jesus for three days: the same amount of time Jesus will spend in the tomb.  In this way, it's an early sign to Mary that her son's life will spin on the axis of God's will, and prepare her for the sacrifices to come.  This is also the only story we have of Jesus as a child after his infancy but before the beginning of his ministry.  It is likely included to show that He knew, even from a young age, that He was called to serve His heavenly Father.

For us, the story is a reminder that God is at the center of our lives, and that we should recognize His presence both within the human family, and the family of the church.  By continuing to recognize God's work in each other, we strengthen the bond between ourselves and our ability to reach out to others.  It is the foundation on which God's kingdom here on earth is raised.

Christmas Reflections

If there's one challenge to writing down my reflections of the weekly readings, it's trying to keep up with a celebration like Christmas.  You probably went to church for Christmas, but how many people out there know that there are no fewer than four different sets of readings for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?  I won't be writing a detailed reflection on all of them, but I will be giving a "cliff notes" reflection on each below.

CHRISTMAS EVE - VIGIL MASS

READINGS: Isaiah 62:1-5  Acts 13:16-17, 22-25  Matthew 1:1-25

Isaiah is a prophet that comes in a few different flavors.  What that means is that there are three major sections to this book, and only one was actually written by Isaiah.  The first part of the book speaks of the coming of a new king to save Israel.  The second part talks about how God will send an Anointed One to save His people.  The third part admonishes the Israelites upon their return from exile so that they will again find favor with God.  In this particular reading, Isaiah speaks of his own desire to see Israel restored to its former glory.  It's a warning to the enemies of God's people, and a rekindling of the promise God has made to that holy nation.  Note Isaiah's use of matrimonial metaphors here: a reinforcement of the idea that Israel is a holy nation that God has consecrated as His own.

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents the beginning of a speech Paul gives in a synagogue to potential Jewish converts.  This discourse is known as the "kerygma", which derives from the Greek word meaning "to preach" or "proclaim."  Because he is speaking to Jews after the death of Christ, it's his job to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to His people.  Paul very deliberately traces Jesus' bloodlines back to Saul and David.  This is as much to validate Jesus' legitimacy as the Messiah as it is a warning to his listeners: Saul and David were both beloved and blessed by God, but both fell out of His favor through sin.

Matthew's Gospel follows the same train of thought as Luke's Acts of the Apostles before him.  Many Catholics in particular find the genealogy here monotonous and boring, but the if we look beyond the hard-to-pronounce names, there's a ton of symbolism to everything Matthew writes here.

Firstly, it's important to trace Jesus' bloodlines back to Abraham--and specifically David-- because it proves once again that Jesus is the living promise of God's covenant to Israel.  Secondly, we can note that a few women's names are sprinkled in here.  Not only is it odd for a genealogy of the time to mention women at all, but each of the women mentioned has a questionable past.  Tamar posed as a prostitute.  Rehab is referred to as a "harlot" in the Old Testament.  Ruth was a foreigner.  Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, committed adultery.  Finally, there is Mary who--though sinless--conceived outside the bonds of marriage.  This is most likely to show that God works through all people, not just those considered "holy" in the eyes of the leaders of the faith.  Finally, there is the emphasis on the number of generations between Abraham and David, David and the Babylonian exile, and the exile to Jesus.  In each case, Matthew maintains that there are fourteen generations separating each milestone.  Fourteen, of course, is the symbolic number of the name of David.  It's actually a little white lie, since Matthew deliberately skips a few generations to make this happen, but there's a method to his madness.  There were no superlatives to explain this, so much in the same way that we say, "Holy, holy, holy," to describe something that is the "holiest," Matthew is using three sets of the sacred number to show that Jesus is the "holiest" of Abraham's descendants and the living promise of God.

Finally, there is the account of Jesus' birth, which is so well known it would be redundant to simply recite here.  But a few things stand out.  The story mentions that Joseph was a "righteous man."  To the Jewish people, this would be contradictory, since a righteous man would have Mary killed upon finding out she was pregnant and unwed.  Instead, Matthew establishes a new form of "righteousness" by showing Joseph's compassion; something Jesus would expand upon during His ministry.  Continuing his efforts to draw parallels between the Old and New Testament, Joseph receives his vision from the Angel in a dream much as his namesake in the Old Testament received visions in dreams.  Finally, Matthew quotes the Old Testament again to reaffirm that Jesus is the promised Savior proclaimed by the prophets.

CHRISTMAS EVE - MASS DURING THE NIGHT

READINGS: Isaiah 9:1-6  Titus 2:11-14  Luke 2:1-14

Isaiah's book shows a gradual change in understanding of how God would redeem his people.  At the start, Isaiah is looking for a very literal ruler to replace the unfaithful rulers of Israel.  Each ruler was believed to be holy and anointed by God, but their infidelity was a mark against their people.  Eventually, Isaiah realized that it was not a literal ruler God would provide, but an Anointed One who would renew His covenant with Israel.  Isaiah reminds his readers of the great things God has done for them, and promises them more blessings from the One to come.

This letter claims to have been written by Paul, but was most likely written by a disciple of his to Titus: a pagan convert who became the leader of the church in Crete.  Most of the book serves as instructions for Christian leaders as well as how followers should conduct themselves in the community and family.  This particular reading encourages us to remove everything that separates us from God as we celebrate Jesus' birth and look forward to His second coming.

Again, Luke's Gospel is a familiar one.  He begins by naming the rulers of the time.  This does a few things.  Firstly, it establishes the time in which the story takes place.  Second, it provides historical accuracy, so we know this is not fiction.  Third, it demonstrates that it was the law that ruled when Jesus was born, not God (unlike much of the Old Testament).  And finally, it shows that this baby, who would be born in a tiny village on the fringes of the Roman Empire, would change the world.

Everything written here emphasizes the poverty of the Holy Family.  The trek to Bethlehem, the birth in a stable, the lying in a manger: it all points to the idea that God chose to come into this world in "the form of a slave," as Paul would later put it, not as a king or someone of stately reputation.  Finally, there are the shepherds.  The importance here is to remember that shepherds of this time were considered untrustworthy and unclean.  And yet, they are the first to hear of the birth of this Messiah, and the first to make their way to Him.  Again, this shows that in this new age, even those considered to be the least among the people would be loved by God.  It also speaks something of what Jesus was to become: the Good Shepherd to gather God's people back into the fold.

CHRISTMAS DAY - MASS AT DAWN

READINGS: Isaiah 62:11-12  Titus 3:4-7  Luke 2:15-20

We've been following Isaiah for a while, now, so it's easy to rope this in with the rest of his writings.  But there is one big difference here: the tense.  Specifically, Isaiah is no longer talking about some promise for the future, but a promise that is actively being fulfilled now.  Granted, this is taken out of context for the purpose of our Christmas celebration, but it's important to realize that long-awaited Messiah is not something we should be speaking about at a distance, but someone we should recognize as alive and active in our hearts and in the hearts of those we encounter every day.

Paul takes this a little deeper, noting that Jesus came into this world through God's own mercy, and not because we necessarily earned it.  It's only by God's love for us that He sends us His Son for our own benefit, that we might turn away from sin and live in a new Light.  It's not that we are being awarded for our good behavior.  Quite the contrary.  Jesus was God's last-ditch effort to get through to us after we'd strayed so far from Him.

Luke's Gospel continues the story of the shepherds as they seek out and pay homage to the baby Jesus.  Again, remember that these are not people you'd be accustomed to seeing at the feet of "royalty", but they are the first to greet this new King.  Moreover, they tell Mary what the Angels proclaimed to them in the fields.  Everyone likes to fall in love with this line about Mary "reflecting on [these things] in her heart," but imagine for a moment what it must have felt like to be in her shoes.  She receives a child through the Holy Spirit, and is probably judged by the community for getting pregnant outside of wedlock.  An angel tells her that this child will be the very incarnation of God among the people.  Okay, assuming that wasn't enough to freak you out, now you have these vagabonds running in out of nowhere to gape at your freshly born babe and telling you that he will be the Savior of the world.

Call me cynical, but I don't think Mary's "reflections" were as peaceful as we'd like to believe they were.  There was probably much fear and trepidation in them for herself, her husband, and her son.  No kingdom is one without sacrifice.

CHRISTMAS DAY - MASS DURING THE DAY

READINGS: Isaiah 52:7-10  Hebrews 1:1-6  John 1:1-18

The last readings for Christmas start with a poem of joy and thanksgiving from Isaiah for the great things God has done, and will do, for His people.  It's important to note that Isaiah's not talking about God sending another prophet to help Israel, but that He Himself will save, as discussed in previous reflections.  This carries new meaning since we now know that God comes to us in the form of Jesus, who is the literal fulfillment of this promise.

There are three parts to the second reading.  The first points to Israel's rejection of the Old Testament prophets, which would result in God sending us Jesus as a purported better means of communication. Whereas the prophets may not have found the right way to get through to their people, Jesus would be the living embodiment of God to give us a model to follow.  Second, it points to Jesus as God incarnate, not as God speaking through another anointed prophet.  Both of these first sections establish the humanity of Jesus, which apparently led to some debating whether he could truly be the divine Son of God.  Which leads to the third part, where the writer (again, most likely not Paul) insists that Jesus, despite being human, is seated at God's right hand in heaven.  Since angels are spiritual beings, it was often wondered how a human could be held in higher esteem than something ethereal.  This is accomplished by remind the reader that God Himself confirmed Jesus as His own Son, and that this places him far above any angel or other spiritual being.  In this way, we know that Jesus is both human and divine.

Finally, to cap off our Christmas Day celebrations, we have the opening to the Gospel of John, which is possibly the most poetic and most confusing of any of the opening Gospel passages.  In its simplest form, the Gospel points to Jesus as the pre-existing Word of God.  Unlike the other Gospels, which tell of Christ's birth from a human standpoint, this Gospel establishes Christ's divinity before He is even born.  Note that John uses the same words at the beginning of his book that are used in Genesis: "In the beginning."  In this way, John is both acknowledging the history of the Jewish faith and establishing something new.  After naming Christ as the "Word," John speaks of the world rejecting "him".  It's easy to think that he is alluding the Crucifixion, but that's not necessarily the case.  John names Jesus as "the Word," and in this case, the Word is wisdom.  If we follow that assumption, we can see that John is referring again to the rejection of the prophets of the Old Testament, which would prompt God to come to us Himself in the form of Jesus.

The other thing John does is sanctify humanity in his Gospel.  Whereas the prophets constantly condemn humanity, John assures us that "the light of the human race" is holy, "and the darkness cannot overcome it."  In Genesis, we are told that man was created in God's image, but here that creation comes full circle as now God comes to us in our image.  The recounting of John the Baptist is brief, and differs slightly from the earlier Gospels of this season.  Rather than call to repentance, John the Baptist is instead exclusively proclaiming the coming Messiah.  Finally, John again confirms Jesus' humanity and Old Testament roots by naming Him the Son of God.  In the Old Testament, a "Son of God" might have been a hero, a prophet, or a king chosen by God.  In this reading, however, it is used to quite literally describe Jesus as the Christ: the only begotten Son of God.

WHAT THAT MEANS FOR US: The readings from the prophets are clear: God will never abandon us.  He makes His promise to us every day that we are never alone.  Even when we try to keep God at a distance, He is here among us in the faces of those who love us and the people we encounter.  When we receive gifts from others this season, be they physical or immaterial, we are receiving a blessing from God in our lives.  In that way, we are the living descendants of the people of Israel.  We are offered the same warnings, but we are also offered to reap the same spiritual reward for our faithfulness to Him.

The epistles emphasize that Jesus' message is for everyone.  From Jewish Synagogues, to Titus, to people of foreign nations and pagan beliefs, we are encouraged to bring Christ to others by the love we show to those we meet.

Finally, the Gospels remind us that Jesus is alive and His love works through us every day.  The Jews were asked to recognize Christ as the promised Messiah, and we are called to recognize Christ in everyone we encounter, and to remember that others should see Christ in us.  We are all the sons and daughters of God.  We carry the light of Christ in us.  We were chosen in Baptism and Confirmed in HIs love.  Now we are invited to lead others to that same Nativity so that they may see in us the same pure love that first shone in the eyes of a baby on that silent, holy night.