Thursday, December 22, 2022

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent

(I Samuel 1:24-28; Luke 1:46-56)

As everyone knows, today many if not most people get their news online.  That is, as much as the reports may be called “news,” people find them on the Internet.  What they see is a blend of events that call attention to themselves along with multiple tidbits about the rich and famous.  The latter group consists of entertainers, athletes, and billionaires.  It is what holds the attention of most people for months, years, even decades.  The whole world now has been nurtured on this stream of vanity.

In today’s gospel Mary gives a news report one hundred and eighty degrees opposite to the dominant interests of our times.  She tells of God giving preference to herself, a humble young woman who tries to please Him.  From there she tells of how God plans to spurn the rich, proud, and powerful in favor of the lowly who do His will.  She speaks of these things boldly because she will soon give birth to the one who will bring about this new social order.

Christmas challenges us to side with Mary.  It has become so filled with material superabundance that its spiritual offering is often forgotten.  We take Mary’s side by different concrete actions.  We should go out of our way to include the poor in our Christmas giving.  We should also dedicate considerable time to prayer and reflection over the events of the Incarnation.  Finally, we should find opportunities to tell friends and family of our love and appreciation.   Making a custom of these practices, we will hear the good news about Christ, not the fake news about the high and mighty.

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

 Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

(Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Luke 1: 39-45)

A woman calls the priests she knows “Priest,” not “Father.”  She does so because of the gospel injunction to “’call no one on earth your father…’” Of course, the Church has given another interpretation to this statement of Jesus.  But the woman tries, like Mary in today’s gospel, to act on the word of God.

The purpose of Mary’s prompt visit to the hill country is undoubtedly to see her kinswomen, Elizabeth.  Luke, the evangelist here, does not say what is commonly assumed – that Mary went to help Elizabeth during the latter days of her pregnancy.  Rather, his point is that Mary, as James will later write, is a “doer of the word of God,” and a swift doer at that.  She listens to God has to say to her, contemplates in her heart its meaning, and then acts accordingly and decidedly.  Because she proceeds in this way from the beginning of the gospel, she is often called Jesus’ first or model disciple.

These days can be rich with contemplation or busy with frenzied action.  In Puerto Rico traditional Catholics are arising to attend predawn masses.  There they will be nourished by the word of God and have the rest of the day to act on it.

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

 Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

(Isaiah 7:10-14; Luke 1:36-48)

Why is Mary troubled by the angel’s greeting?  Is not “hail” a common salutation?  Perhaps it was in some sectors in the first century, but not in Palestine.  There a Jewish person was more likely to say “shalom,” meaning peace, when meeting another.  The Greek word for hail – the word used in today’s gospel passage – is chaїre.  It was used as a greeting, but it more properly meant rejoice.  Mary is troubled because she had no reason to rejoice at that precise moment.

The word chaїre is repeated by the angel who announced to the shepherds Jesus’ birth.  It is also said of the disciples when they see the risen Lord in John’s gospel.  Mary and the whole world can rejoice because God is fulfilling the promise to David of an eternal king.  This king will conquer the enemies of Israel and bring the world together in peace.

Jesus has brought peace to billions of people over the centuries.  Yet his peace is still not universal.  This past year, the greatest European war in over seventy-five years has broken out in the Ukraine.    Human beings, images of God, are being blown apart.  Many are suffering from cold, fear, and exhaustion.  No one should blame Christ for failing to establish peace.  He did all that is necessary by dying on the cross.  We must look at ourselves with the question, how do I contribute to injustice, hatred, and even violence?

Monday, December 19, 2022

 Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent

(Judges 13:2-7.24-25a; Luke 1:5-25)

Today’s readings sound definitively premodern.  Many couples today do not want to have any children, and most do not want more than one or two.  In these Scriptures Manoah’s wife and Elizabeth consider themselves disgraced for not having given birth.  Then they hear from God.

The two women will not only have children.  Their children will become outstanding in their respective times.  Manoah’s wife’s son Samson will wreak havoc on the Philistines, Israel’s archenemies in the period of the Judges.  John will prick the consciences of the entire nation of Israel to turn from sin.

Christmas celebrates human life.  It says, at its root, that human life is so wonderful that God assumed it to present Himself to the world.  We should embrace it not only for what it offers us as individuals but for what we might offer others.  Christ taught us as much.  His life testifies superlatively to the truth that life is not a commodity to be exploited but a gift to be shared.

Sunday, December 18, 2022

 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, December 18, 2022

(Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24)

We all know that actions speak louder than words. No one in history exemplifies this adage more than Saint Joseph. In the gospels he does not say a single word. However, his actions have facilitated the coming of the Savior to the world.

The Gospel according to Saint Matthew presents Saint Joseph as a "righteous man". He is righteous because he not only knows God's law but also its purpose and because he lives it. He knows that the law is to form the person in the ways of God. The Pharisees also know the law, but they manipulate it for their own benefit. Saint Oscar Romero once said: “The law is like a snake; it only stings those with bare feet.”  In the gospels the Pharisees use the law to exploit the poor.

Joseph is living the law even when he thinks of divorcing María. The two have contracted marriage but have not lived together. So when Joseph finds out that Maria is pregnant, he knows that he did not father the baby. Because it is possible that there was adultery, Joseph wants to take advantage of the part of the law that allows divorce. In this way he would show respect for the institution of marriage. But he would do it "in secret," that is, without a trial. Once again, Joseph shows himself to be righteous.  If a trial discovered that it was not adultery but rape, Maria would be unnecessarily subjected to public disapproval.

When the angel appears to him, Joseph continues to show himself as righteous. He does not delay for a moment to fulfill God’s will. He takes Mary to her house, and when her baby is born, he names it "Jesus." To understand the significance of these acts, we need to know something of the customs of first century Judaism. At that time the man who names the child was considered the legal father of the child. It is important that Joseph of David's lineage named the son of Mary so that he too is a descendant of David, Israel's greatest king. In the Old Testament God promised David that he would have a descendant whose kingdom would last forever. Now Jesus can assume this office.

The name "Jesus" also has transcendent meaning. It means, "The Lord saves." It is appropriate for Jesus because he is going to save not only his people but also the whole world from sin. Matthew gives us an indication of this universal salvation when the wise men come from afar to adore the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. At the end of the gospel, Jesus will send his apostles throughout the earth to announce salvation in Christ Jesus.

But another, even more important name is given to Jesus, and it also has to do with his lineage. In the first reading Isaiah tells the king of Judah: “Listen, O house of David! ... the virgin shall conceive bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel, that is, “God with us ”. This prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus in two ways. First, Mary conceives and gives birth to Jesus as a virgin. Jesus is also conceived by the action of the Holy Spirit who will always remain with him.

Meditating on the story of Jesus’ origins, we may wonder why we preoccupy ourselves with gifts and parties during this Advent season. Saint Matthew shows God's love for us not only by sending his son to us, but by something else almost as wonderful. Through Jesus Christ himself, God makes it possible for us to be even more righteous than Saint Joseph. We have the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount to guide us. Even more important, Jesus has shared the Holy Spirit with us so that we always live his goodness and love.