Friday, December 29, 2023

The Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

(I John 2:3-11; Luke 2:22-35)

None of the four gospels deny Jesus’ Jewishness, but Luke appreciates this heritage most.  In today’s gospel Luke shows Mary and Joseph carrying out Jewish customs for a newborn.  Commentators believe that Luke combines the practice of redeeming the firstborn Son and the purification of the mother.  Parents are to offer five shekels for the redemption of the first born.  The sacrifice for the purification rite was a lamb and a pigeon or, for the very poor, two pigeons.  Luke indicates that only two pigeons were -paid, perhaps for Mary’s purification.  That he says nothing of the five shekels probably means that his parents never bought Jesus back but gave him to the Lord forever.

Very significantly, Luke says that Simeon has seen “the Christ,” that is, the Jewish Messiah.  With prophetic perception, the holy elder finds in Jesus the fulfilment of God’s promise to Israel.  According to an ancient prophecy, a king of David’s his lineage would assume his throne and rule forever.  Other prophecies associate this Messiah with the one who will lead the world in holiness.

Even popes have said that all Christians are Semites; that is, they have the same roots as Jews.  Like all faithful Jews we give praise and thanks to the one God.  We also pursue justice by keeping God’s law brought to completion by Jesus.

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

(I John 1:5-2:2; Matthew 2:13-18)

From the beginning of the war in Gaza the carnage of children has evoked the greatest outrage.  Israelis remember their babies being beheaded by invading terrorists.  Palestinians lament the bombings of hospitals where children - both sick and well - have been harbored.  Parallels are readily drawn between the present outrage and today’s gospel.  As Palestinian and Israeli militia commit atrocities against their enemies‘ children, King Herod targets for execution all Jewish boys of a certain age span.

Children are preferred victims of the dishonorable.  They cannot give resistance, and their deaths inflict the greatest anguish upon the enemy.  If a despot wants to attack a people where they are most vulnerable, he will aim at children.  There is no other historical evidence verifying the outrage committed by King Herod.  But there is significant testimony that he was ruthless and quite capable of having slaughtered thousands of children.

The gospel cites Jeremiah the prophet speaking of with the loss of a multitude of children during the Babylonian invasion.  He says that Jewish mothers would not be consoled.  That was before Christ.  With our Lord’s resurrection from the dead, many mothers weeping for their dead children can accept at least some consolation.  They now hope that their children, redeemed by Christ, will experience eternal life.

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Feast of Saint John, apostle and evangelist

(I John 1:1-4; John 20:1a.2-8)

 

Once a disillusioned pilgrim returned from the Holy Land lamenting the conditions he encountered.  Not only was there strife between Jews and Arabs, but hawkers constantly besieged him with souvenir trinkets.  Even in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born on a serene night, he found conflict.  The man marveled at how times had changed since the serene night when the animals crowded around the infant Jesus to give him warmth.  However, he only had to read the Scriptures closely to realize that trouble is nothing new to the area.

 

Although the Gospel of Luke depicts a tranquil setting for Jesus’ birth, there is much evidence of conflict in New Testament times.  In John’s gospel Jesus conducts a running debate with the Jews who try to kill him.  The Letters of John report a feud between the community of the beloved disciple and a secessionist group who apparently believed that morals do not matter.  Of course, there is the acrimonious debate between Jesus and the Pharisees which is believed to reflect trouble between the first Christians and their Jewish countrymen.

 

In spite of all this conflict, the writer of the First Letter of John offers a testimony of hope.  Much more than a dream or vision, his testimony involves a living human being whose countenance he saw, whose voice he heard, and whose body he touched.  We do not look to this one so much for deliverance from the pressures of life.  Rather we count on him for the courage to address our problems with justice and justice.  

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

(Acts 6,8-10.7:54-59; Matthew 10:17-22)

Some might think the Church wants to limit people’s enjoyment when she sets the martyrdom of Stephan on the day after Christmas.  But the reason for this placement goes much deeper than prudishness.  The Church wants to remind everyone that Jesus became incarnate to atone for human sins.  His suffering and death secured human freedom from both the debt of and the attachment to sin.  This salvific sacrifice provides the greatest reason for rejoicing.

There are hints of Jesus’ martyrdom in both gospels that contain infancy narratives.  Matthew tells how Herod kills perhaps thousands of toddlers in pursuit of Jesus.  Luke will record Simeon making the prophecy that Jesus “will be a sign that will be contradicted.” In other words, Jesus’ offer of salvation will be brutally resented and rejected.

Christmas week is not Holy Week.  We don’t have to end our rejoicing over our Savior’s birth on December 26.  But we should keep in mind that faith entails more than singing Christmas carols and calling on Jesus’ name.  We must prepare ourselves for sacrifice in service of the Lord as we wait to experience all the fruits of his salvation.

Monday, December 25, 2023

The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the Day

(Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-5.9-14)

Who is Jesus? Where did he come from?  These questions echo through the four gospels.  For sure, he is different from any other person of his time.  But the questions press deeper.  Is he just a “once in a lifetime” personality like Alexander the Great, student of Aristotle and conqueror of a vast empire or, perhaps Mahatma Gandhi, the non-violent liberator of India?  No, the gospels will show that Jesus’ difference is not just that he is one of the most admired figures in history. 

In the gospel today John answers the pressing questions about Jesus.  He is not just a man; before he was born, he existed as God from all eternity.  In time he cast his lot as a human being to enlighten a world blinded by sin.  His light dispelled the darkness of pride, greed, and lust that keep people from living in peace.  It has enabled us to seek what is truly wise, just, and good. 

Today, of course, we celebrate Jesus’ birth. He came into the world in a unique way.  His mother laid him in a manger, certainly an unusual crib. But don’t we all have unique stories of how we were born? One woman first saw the light of day on the kitchen table of her home in Brooklyn where she lived all her ninety-five years! 

More important than the details of Jesus’ physical birth is how he came to give us spiritual birth.  His life, death on the cross, and resurrection engendered our coming to be as children of God.  Accepting him as our Lord, we have been made his sisters and brothers sharing his divine life.  It is hard to recognize this wonder with Christmas lights, gifts, and foods swarming around us.  But when we have time, we need to contemplate it.  Jesus was born yesterday physically like us so that we might be born today spiritually like him.