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| Joy to the world |
The Prophet in the passage from Deutero-Isaiah offers consolation to the exiles in Babylon through images of God returning them to Jerusalem.
* [52:7–10] God leads the people back from Babylon to Zion, from whose ruined walls sentinels greet the returning exiles.1Psalm 98 celebrates the action of God to rule the world.
* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9).2In the Letter to the Hebrews, the author declares the revelation of God to the world through His Son.
* [1:1–4] The letter opens with an introduction consisting of a reflection on the climax of God’s revelation to the human race in his Son. The divine communication was initiated and maintained during Old Testament times in fragmentary and varied ways through the prophets (Heb 1:1), including Abraham, Moses, and all through whom God spoke. But now in these last days (Heb 1:2) the final age, God’s revelation of his saving purpose is achieved through a son, i.e., one who is Son, whose role is redeemer and mediator of creation. He was made heir of all things through his death and exaltation to glory, yet he existed before he appeared as man; through him God created the universe. Heb 1:3–4, which may be based upon a liturgical hymn, assimilate the Son to the personified Wisdom of the Old Testament as refulgence of God’s glory and imprint of his being (Heb 1:3; cf. Wis 7:26). These same terms are used of the Logos in Philo. The author now turns from the cosmological role of the preexistent Son to the redemptive work of Jesus: he brought about purification from sins and has been exalted to the right hand of God (see Ps 110:1). The once-humiliated and crucified Jesus has been declared God’s Son, and this name shows his superiority to the angels. The reason for the author’s insistence on that superiority is, among other things, that in some Jewish traditions angels were mediators of the old covenant (see Acts 7:53; Gal 3:19). Finally, Jesus’ superiority to the angels emphasizes the superiority of the new covenant to the old because of the heavenly priesthood of Jesus.3The Prologue to the Gospel of John uses a hymn to celebrate the Word becomes flesh and pitches His tent among us.
* [1:1–18] The prologue states the main themes of the gospel: life, light, truth, the world, testimony, and the preexistence of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Logos, who reveals God the Father. In origin, it was probably an early Christian hymn. Its closest parallel is in other christological hymns, Col 1:15–20 and Phil 2:6–11. Its core (Jn 1:1–5, 10–11, 14) is poetic in structure, with short phrases linked by “staircase parallelism,” in which the last word of one phrase becomes the first word of the next. Prose inserts (at least Jn 1:6–8, 15) deal with John the Baptist.4Maureen McCann Waldron offers a suggestion that when family tensions rise at the dinner table or yet another toddler falls apart in furious wails at the celebration, instead of snapping impatiently, we can ask for humility and serenity and silently pray, “On earth, Peace.”
Too often I might be stretched and frazzled by the time people gather and I’m not in the mood to ask for patience. It is into this very moment that Jesus can enter my life so deeply. Jesus has come into my life for the challenging moments as well as the wonderful ones and I am often more aware of my own need for a savior when I am not at my best. When I am disappointed or angry or frustrated at those around me, that is when I can pause and remember how much Jesus longs to hold me close and enfold me with his love. He isn’t waiting for me to behave better to love me, he is loving me right now. And that is a deeply comforting thought.5Don Schwager quotes “The shepherds are the first proclaimers of the Gospel,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"The shepherds did not keep silent about the hidden mysteries that they had come to know by divine influence. They told whomever they could. Spiritual shepherds in the church are appointed especially for this, that they may proclaim the mysteries of the Word of God and that they may show to their listeners that the marvels which they have learned in the Scriptures are to be marveled at." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.7)6The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:1-18 affirms it’s true. “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18). But today, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we hear that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory” (1:14). Today, we see Jesus, who is “the very imprint” of God’s being (Hebrews 1:3). So as we celebrate Christmas, let’s take a moment to behold the glory of the Lord.
But perhaps the best way for us to see the glory of the Lord is by gazing on the child in the manger. When we take the time to look at the manger scene, we cannot help but be cut to the heart by what we see. The humility of a God who emptied himself and came among us so that he could raise us up displays the glory of God more than all the miracles and all the apparitions. Why? Because the manger is not about displays of power; it’s about love.7Friar Jude Winkler locates the text from Second Isaiah in the time of the exile in Babylon and connects it to the celebration of the ruler-god in that culture. Greek philosophy and translation of the Greek text expand our comprehension of the texts from Hebrews and John that refer to the Logos. Friar Jude comments on Jesus becoming “sarx” in Greek and connecting to the Ark of the Covenant as a translation of the Greek is about pitching a tent.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, declares that he cannot abandon an orthodox or Catholic worldview. For all of its poor or incomplete formulations, it still offers humanity a foundationally positive anthropology, not just a moral worthiness contest, which is always unstable and insecure.
How do we first see and then practice our unique image of God, our “Original Goodness”? Paul gives us an answer. He says, “There are only three things that last, faith, hope, and love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). In Catholic theology, we call these three essential attitudes the “theological virtues” because they are a “participation in the very life of God”—given freely by God or “infused” into us at our very conception. In this understanding, faith, hope, and love are far more defining of the human person than the “moral virtues,” the various good behaviors we learn as we grow older.8A closing Christmas meditation inspired by Fr. Richard invites us to contemplate how our saying “yes” to such implanted faith, hope, and love plays a crucial role in the divine equation; human freedom matters. Mary’s “yes” seemed to be essential to the event of Incarnation (Luke 1:38). God does not come uninvited. God and grace cannot enter without an opening from our side, or we would be mere robots. God does not want robots, but lovers who freely choose to love in return for love. And toward that supreme end, God seems quite willing to wait, cajole, and entice.
References
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(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 52 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/52
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(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 98 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98
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(n.d.). Hebrews, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/1
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4
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(n.d.). John, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/1
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5
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 25, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 25, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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8
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(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 25, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/
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