The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the need for recovery within our society and invite us to contemplate how to explore the transcendence of God and divine immanence.
Recovery required
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).1
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.2
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.3
Tom Lenz comments 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.
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.4
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)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:57-66 comments that Zechariah was “righteous in the eyes of God” (Luke 1:6). When an angel came to tell him that his prayers had been answered and that his elderly wife would have a child, he doubted. And for his lack of faith, Zechariah lost his ability to speak until the angel’s promise came true.
With only two days until Christmas, try to break free from whatever failures may be burdening you and keeping you trapped in silence. It’s only natural to have occasions when you fail at trusting or obeying the Lord—as long as you use it as an opportunity to grow closer to him. When he was freed from the burden of his doubts and unbelief, Zechariah broke into a song of praise. That can happen to you! So place your trust in the coming of Christ. Ask him for forgiveness. Then you’ll be free to praise God for his love and faithfulness. “Thank you, Lord, for always taking me back, no matter how many times I fail!”6
Friar Jude Winkler explains the name Malachi means “messenger” and John means “God is merciful”. The New Testament most frequently attributes the “Spirit of Elijah” to John the Baptist. Friar Jude notes the folly of Zechariah in doubting the “power of prayer”.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, suggests that left primarily in the hands of men for most of history, our politics, our economics, our psyches, our cultures, our patterns of leadership, and our theologies have all become far too warlike, competitive, individualistic, mechanistic, and non-contemplative. A simple return to the Hebrew Scriptures brings us in touch with the feminine, co-creative Spirit of God, also called Sophia (Greek for Wisdom).
As scholar Christopher Pramuk writes, “Sophia is the eros of God become one with all creation, the love in God that longs for incarnation from before the beginning. She is the co-creativity of God, always inviting, never compelling, coming to birth in us when we say yes to [what Thomas Merton calls] “the dawning of divine light in the stillness of our hearts.” [1] [2] My friend Mirabai Starr writes about Sophia’s role in incarnation, as taught by the medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179)...For Hildegard, the Son may be the incarnation of the Holy One, but the Mother forms the very stuff from which the Word of God issues forth into the world. The mystical heart of all the world’s religions affirms the profoundly feminine understanding of panentheism: that is, all the particles of the universe are infused with the substance of the Divine; God both interpenetrates the universe and is greater than all that is. [4]7
Our recovery from the culture of power, money, attachment, and achievement may require silent contemplation of how to incorporate the humility and simplicity of Mary and Elizabeth in our journey with Christ.
Addendum
Daniel P. Horan, OFM, believes that one of the best guides for reflecting on the humanity of God is a not-too-well-known spiritual treatise by St. Bonaventure, the medieval Franciscan theologian and doctor of the church. One of the most influential and prolific theologians of the 13th century, Bonaventure composed a short text titled The Tree of Life around 1260.
Using the image of a tree with 12 branches, each of which bears a "spiritual fruit" composed of four parts (each part a scene from the New Testament life of Christ), Bonaventure presents 48 short vignettes with simple titles like "Jesus Shown to the Magi" and "Jesus Denied by his Own." Central to each vignette are the rich descriptions Bonaventure offers followed by his direct invitation to the reader to engage the imagination by placing him or herself in the scene described, considering what it would be like to be one of the characters, to meditate as an onlooker, or to envisage what the experience must have been like for Jesus at that moment.[8]
([8] (2020, December 23). Christmas is about celebrating the humanity of God | National .... Retrieved December 23, 2020, from https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/faith-seeking-understanding/christmas-about-celebrating-humanity-god )
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