The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the message that our birth brings to our community about our journey in pursuit of truth, beauty, and love.
The reading from the Prophet Malachi heralds the Coming Messenger.
* [3:23] Elijah: taken up in a whirlwind, according to 2 Kgs 2:11. Here his return seems to be foretold. A Jewish tradition interpreted this literally; the gospels saw Elijah in the person of John the Baptist (Mt 11:13–14; 17:10–13; Mk 9:9–13). (Malachi, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
Psalm 25 is a prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance.
* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides. (Psalms, PSALM 25, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke describes the Birth of John the Baptist.
* [1:57–66] The birth and circumcision of John above all emphasize John’s incorporation into the people of Israel by the sign of the covenant (Gn 17:1–12). The narrative of John’s circumcision also prepares the way for the subsequent description of the circumcision of Jesus in Lk 2:21. At the beginning of his two-volume work Luke shows those who play crucial roles in the inauguration of Christianity to be wholly a part of the people of Israel. At the end of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 21:20; 22:3; 23:6–9; 24:14–16; 26:2–8, 22–23) he will argue that Christianity is the direct descendant of Pharisaic Judaism. (Luke, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
Tom Lenz comments (2020) that Zechariah was clearly a good man, but the contrast between Mary and him is what caught his attention in this story. Mary represents humility, simplicity, and a way of life that doesn’t match the cultural expectations of power, money, attachment, or achievement. Zechariah, on the other hand, was in a position to question rather than trust. He was not yet ready to receive. Perhaps this was the purpose of the gift of silence he received from Gabriel. He needed more time in silence and stillness. This stillness that he experienced in the nine months leading up to the birth of John allowed him to truly see and rejoice at the gift – it put him in a position to receive.
The contrasts between Mary and Zechariah is yet another example in the Gospel stories that show us that nothingness, a certain type of virginity, puts us in a position to receive. We can hear God best when we are still, and without feeling the need for status, power, money, influence, and achievement. It seems that the Gospel stories continue to tell us to let go of these things and return to our virgin-like state – like Mary. If we do, we can then be ready for the coming of the Christ Jesus. (Lenz, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The parallels between John and Jesus,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).
"The elderly Elizabeth gave birth to the last of the prophets, and Mary, a young girl, to the Lord of the angels. The daughter of Aaron gave birth to the voice in the desert (Isaiah 63:9), but the daughter of David to the strong God of the earth. The barren one gave birth to him who remits sins, but the Virgin gave birth to him who takes them away (John 1:29). Elizabeth gave birth to him who reconciled people through repentance, but Mary gave birth to him who purified the lands of uncleanness. The elder one lit a lamp in the house of Jacob, his father, for this lamp itself was John (John 5:35), while the younger one lit the Sun of Justice (Malachi 4:2) for all the nations. The angel announced to Zechariah, so that the slain one would proclaim the crucified one and that the hated one would proclaim the envied one. He who was to baptize with water would proclaim him who would baptize with fire and with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). The light, which was not obscure, would proclaim the Sun of Justice. The one filled with the Spirit would proclaim concerning him who gives the Spirit. The priest calling with the trumpet would proclaim concerning the one who is to come at the sound of the trumpet at the end. The voice would proclaim concerning the Word, and the one who saw the dove would proclaim concerning him upon whom the dove rested, like the lightning before the thunder." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 1.31) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 comments that like that silversmith, our heavenly Father wants to hold us carefully and attentively as he refines us. He knows which impurities will rise to the surface this year, and he already has a plan to help us remove them. Maybe it’s envy of a prosperous neighbor who lavishes gifts on his family. Or the impulse to snap in anger when we’re feeling overwhelmed by holiday preparations. Or long-standing resentments that become apparent during family gatherings. Or any number of other “impurities.”
No matter what it is, God longs to clear it away. So trust in his deep love for you. Imagine his joy as he anticipates the freedom, hope, and love that you can experience as the dross of sin is burned off. Just as a silversmith knows what purified silver looks like, God knows what a refined “you” will look like. In these last days before Christmas, give him permission to keep working. Let him bring you closer to that vision day after day.
“Father, I trust you. I open my heart to you and ask you to purify my thoughts and desires. Make me ready to receive Jesus this Christmas.” (Meditation on Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the connection between the late prophet Malachi, John the Baptist, and the Prophet Elijah. The Day of the Lord in Malachi will emphasize purification over punishment. Friar Jude notes that even though Zachariah doubted, he names his son John (Yahweh is merciful) in recognition of the his special mission.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces public theologian Rachel Held Evans (1981–2019) who found inspiration in Mary’s courageous “yes” to God. Evans honors the unique role that Mary, and women everywhere, play in humanity’s physical incarnation.
I know that Christians are Easter people. We are supposed to favor the story of the resurrection, which reminds us that death is never the end of God’s story. Yet I have never found that story even half as compelling as the story of the Incarnation.
It is nearly impossible to believe: God shrinking down to the size of a zygote, implanted in the soft lining of a woman’s womb. God growing fingers and toes. God kicking and hiccupping in utero. God inching down the birth canal and entering this world covered in blood, perhaps into the steady, waiting arms of a midwife. God crying out in hunger. God reaching for his mother’s breasts. God totally relaxed, eyes closed, his chubby little arms raised over his head in a posture of complete trust. God resting in his mother’s
lap. . . .
To understand Mary’s humanity and her central role in Jesus’s story is to remind ourselves of the true miracle of the Incarnation—and that is the core Christian conviction that God is with us, plain old ordinary us. God is with us in our fears and in our pain, in our morning sickness and in our ear infections, in our refugee crises and in our endurance of Empire, in smelly barns and unimpressive backwater towns, in the labor pains of a new mother and in the cries of a tiny infant. In all these things, God is with us—and God is for us. (Rohr, 2022)
We anticipate the celebration of the Incarnation, when Father, Son, and Spirit present Emmanuel, God with us.
References
Lenz, T. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/122322.html
Luke, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1
Malachi, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/malachi/3?1
Meditation on Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/23/558982/
Psalms, PSALM 25. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/25?4
Rohr, R. (2022, December 23). Mary's Wholehearted Call — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/marys-wholehearted-call-2022-12-23/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). What Then Will This Child Be? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec23
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