Mt 1:18-24
Dear Friends, No matter how much we try, it is a truly an uphill battle to truly grasp, “Jesus is the reason for the Season!”
Over our lifetimes we have been the recipients of billion upon billions of advertising dollars to immerse us in a neatly packaged idea of a commercial Christmas. It is a subtle and attractive enticement. In the end, however, it has little, if anything to do with the Christ of the Gospels.
In the opening prayer of today’s liturgy, the Church, like a voice in the wilderness, is calling us back to Jesus in the stark beauty and wonder of the gospel message. It directs us to be aware of the Angel’s message of the Incarnation. Then, in almost shocking contrast to our vision for the Season, has us pray that we may “by his Passion and cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.”
It is a message that cuts through all the fluff and deception. It tells us if we really are going to enter the mystery of the Babe in the crib, we need to accept the totality of the message. This is actually only possible by accepting the Crucified and Risen Christ. In this broader view, we are able to grasp the genuine truth of the Bethlehem experience. It is the beginning of the final battle of good and evil that is opening the darkness of our life and world to a new Light of the World that is Christ.
In this approach to the Christmas mystery, Dec. 26th or any other day of the year is not a letdown of the emotional high when we clean up the mess left by the commercial event. The true experience of Christmas engulfs us in a message of hope every day.
So, today, in this final Sunday before Christmas, we are invited to ponder two clearly comforting and revealing phrases in our Scriptural lessons.
In today’s Gospel story the two phrases are, “be not afraid” and “Emmanuel” which means God is with us. These phrases mark the change in focus of the Advent message. The Incarnation of the coming Christmas Season is moving to center stage. Each of today’s readings is on this theme. Emanuel is born in time to be forever with his people as the new presence of a loving and saving God.
While the phrase “be not afraid” is used over three hundred times in Scripture, the Infancy narratives of Luke and Matthew convey this expression four times. It is always related to the supportive presence of God in a challenging situation such as Joseph’s dilemma with Mary’s pregnancy.
Just like the almost destructive ambiguity that Mary and Joseph faced, our lives are never free of the consequences of evil. Sickness, ignorance, prejudice, violence, and hatred come at us in all manner of ways. This is the reality of living with the seemingly endless battle of good and evil in the events of our day. No sooner has Covid been reduced as a threat, than we have Putin’s war in the Ukraine or the apparently endless violence in the Middle East. These incredible horrors confront us with human carnage, destruction of the environment, threat of nuclear disaster and the waste of all these resources to the neglect of the poor and hungry. This gross manifestation of evil affects everyone.
“Emmanuel” reveals God’s faithfulness and involvement in all human reality. God is always present calling us into the mystery of new life and new love amidst the evil. On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we begin to recall the great event of God becoming human in the person of Jesus. This is the ultimate revelation of God’s saving involvement in our broken world. Our challenge is to be open and accepting of the call on God’s terms.
While “be not afraid” and “Emmanuel” are profoundly comforting statements, Mary and Joseph needed all the support they could get. If you do the minimal analysis of their situation, the challenge to their relationship was enormous. Anytime the betrothed says she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit, where does the dialogue go from there? Add the fact that the child is to be the Savior of his people, the only saving grace would have to be divine intervention. That’s what happened!
Mary and Joseph had to dig deep into the comforting and reassuring message of the angel to make any kind of sense of the reality of their poverty and uprooting that was to be part of the crisis that surrounded them. It truly challenged them to look with faith on the baby who needed a diaper change and see hope for the world.
On this fourth Sunday of Advent as we recall the wonder of God’s becoming flesh, we are invited to embrace the great gift of Emmanuel. God is with us in love, mercy and saving grace in the person of Jesus, the son of Mary. Our challenge is to respond to this call of love on God’s terms.
For Mary, it was just the beginning of a long journey of confusion and bewilderment. Only her faith and trust could comfort her in the midst of a perplexing series of events that ultimately brought her to the foot of the Cross.
When you think about it, it is similar to our journey! It is no wonder that the great prayer of Advent is so relevant to our life. Come, Lord Jesus!
