The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our acceptance of the invitation of the Spirit to cooperate in the Plan of God as revealed in the “yes” of Mary.
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans proclaims God’s Indomitable Love in Christ, in which all things work together for good.
* [8:28–30] These verses outline the Christian vocation as it was designed by God: to be conformed to the image of his Son, who is to be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29). God’s redemptive action on behalf of the believers has been in process before the beginning of the world. Those whom God chooses are those he foreknew (Rom 8:29) or elected. Those who are called (Rom 8:30) are predestined or predetermined. These expressions do not mean that God is arbitrary. Rather, Paul uses them to emphasize the thought and care that God has taken for the Christian’s salvation.
* [8:28] We know that all things work for good for those who love God: a few ancient authorities have God as the subject of the verb, and some translators render: “We know that God makes everything work for good for those who love God….”
* [8:29] Image: while man and woman were originally created in God’s image (Gn 1:26–27), it is through baptism into Christ, the image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15), that we are renewed according to the image of the Creator (Col 3:10). (Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Book of Micah prophesied the Ruler from Bethlehem.
* [5:1–6] Salvation will come through a “messiah,” an anointed ruler. The Book of Micah shares with Isaiah the expectation that God will deliver Israel through a king in the line of David. Bethlehem-Ephrathah is the home of the Davidic line.
* [5:2] These words are sometimes understood as a reference to Isaiah’s Emmanuel oracle, given some thirty years earlier (Is 7:14). The Gospel of Matthew reports that the chief priests and scribes cite this passage as the ancient promise of a messiah in the line of David to be born in Bethlehem (Mt 2:5–6).
* [5:4] Peace: he will not only symbolize but also bring about harmony and wholeness. (Micah, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
Psalm 13 is a prayer for deliverance from enemies.
* [Psalm 13] A typical lament, in which the psalmist feels forgotten by God (Ps 13:2–3)—note the force of the repetition of “How long.” The references to enemies may suggest some have wished evil on the psalmist. The heartfelt prayer (Ps 13:4–5) passes on a statement of trust (Ps 13:6a), intended to reinforce the prayer, and a vow to thank God when deliverance has come (Ps 13:6b). (Psalms, PSALM 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents the Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah leading to The Birth of Jesus the Messiah.
* [1:17] Matthew is concerned with fourteen generations, probably because fourteen is the numerical value of the Hebrew letters forming the name of David. In the second section of the genealogy (Mt 1:6b–11), three kings of Judah, Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah, have been omitted (see 1 Chr 3:11–12), so that there are fourteen generations in that section. Yet the third (Mt 1:12–16) apparently has only thirteen. Since Matthew here emphasizes that each section has fourteen, it is unlikely that the thirteen of the last was due to his oversight. Some scholars suggest that Jesus who is called the Messiah (Mt 1:16b) doubles the final member of the chain: Jesus, born within the family of David, opens up the new age as Messiah, so that in fact there are fourteen generations in the third section. This is perhaps too subtle, and the hypothesis of a slip not on the part of Matthew but of a later scribe seems likely. On Messiah, see note on Lk 2:11.
* [1:18–25] This first story of the infancy narrative spells out what is summarily indicated in Mt 1:16. The virginal conception of Jesus is the work of the Spirit of God. Joseph’s decision to divorce Mary is overcome by the heavenly command that he take her into his home and accept the child as his own. The natural genealogical line is broken but the promises to David are fulfilled; through Joseph’s adoption the child belongs to the family of David. Matthew sees the virginal conception as the fulfillment of Is 7:14. (Matthew, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that at the angel’s arrival in her life, Mary was, in a sense, reborn so as to birth the Final Physical Revelation of God’s inner reality, Salvific Love.
Time takes time and so does God. Mary grew up with God’s history in mind and heart, then took into her body the Perfect physical presentation of her faith and God’s care. Mary’s being born is the end of ambiguity or question mark. It is the birth of the definite, the exclamation mark. Perhaps what I am attempting to say is that Mary was born into time as we were and she played out her part in the revelation of God’s love as we were. We each are the healthy revelation, as Mary was, of the interior Love of God made flesh in Mary’s Body through whom the final display is made in the Perfect Body of Jesus the Christ. Happy eternal Birthday always, The Mother of the Church. (Gillick & Hopkins, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus' humanity revealed in the genealogy,” by Severus of Antioch (488-538 AD).
"One must bear in mind therefore that the Evangelists, or rather the Spirit speaking through them, took pains to ensure that their readers believed that Christ was truly God and truly human. Because of what they wrote, no one could possibly doubt that he is God by nature, beyond all variation, mutation or illusion, and that according to the ordered plan of God he was truly human. This is why John could say, on the one hand, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' John immediately adds, 'The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us' (John 1:1-2,14). Hence Matthew wrote appropriately, 'The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.' On the one hand he is not able to be counted simply from natural generation among families, since it is written, 'Who shall declare his generation'? (Isaiah 53:8)
"He is before the centuries and of one substance with the Father himself, from the standpoint of eternity. But by this genealogy he is also numbered among the families of humanity according to the flesh. For in truth, while remaining God, Christ became man without ceasing to be God, unaltered till the end of time. This is why there is also mention of the ancient patriarchs in the lineage, the narrative and observation of the times and vicissitudes that are indeed proper to human history. Through all this Matthew made it clear that Christ participates in our human generation and in our nature. Otherwise some might claim that he appeared in illusion and in imagination only, rather than by becoming genuinely human. Think of what might have been said if none of this had been written?" (excerpt from CATHEDRAL SERMONS, HOMILY 94) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-2 comments that the truth that Mary is a real person, someone we can relate to,helps us understand not only Mary but also her son. Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity and Emmanuel, God with us. But by virtue of his mother, he is also God like us. He is fully human, just like his mother and all those ancestors. Just like us. He, too, was born—to a woman in the ancient Middle East. As a man, he walked the earth and experienced all of the triumphs and temptations, all the joys and sorrows that are common to each one of us. By becoming man, he not only made us partakers in his divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), but he also showed us how to live a fully human life as a child of God in the real world.
As we honor Mary’s birth, we give glory to God, who sent his son Jesus into our world to be like us in all things but sin. So go ahead! Celebrate your heavenly mother’s birthday today!
“Jesus, I want to praise you and honor your mother today.” (Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-2, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the conflict of Micah with big city values and the prophecy of the Messiah, a descendant of David, being born in a small town of Bethlehem. The numerology of the account of the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and the mention of unusual women highlights the path of the Plan of God. Friar Jude reminds us how the compassion of Joseph highlights the redefinition of righteousness.
Brian McLaren, CAC teacher, joins with Catholic activist Patrick Carolan to call for a renewal of the Franciscan way in Christianity. They have a proposal that addresses both the crises in the world at large and the crises in the Christian church: the possibility of a Franciscan Renaissance.
First, at this time of ecological crisis, the Franciscan legacy is powerfully ecological…. We need a spiritual vision that integrates love for God and love for our neighbor with love for the earth….
Second, in this time of violence, this time of school shootings and war in Europe, this time when many politicians seem to believe that the more guns we have the safer we’ll be, or the more bombs we have the safer we’ll be, we need St. Francis’ message and example of nonviolence as never before….
Third … the Franciscan vision is deeply economic. Today, a larger and larger percentage of wealth is being concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer individuals and families…. St. Francis arose in the early stages of modern capitalism, and he saw its potential dangers. He exemplified an alternative value system where the poor, the leper, and the outcast matter more than money, luxury, and power.
Fourth, we live in a time of exclusion, division, classism, racism, and religious prejudice. We need the example of St. Francis and St. Clare, who clearly modeled deep inclusiveness and solidarity. (McLaren, 2023)
We ponder our salvation history in gratitude for the events in which “yes” to the plan of God has brought us to the possibility of full life.
References
Gillick, L., & Hopkins, G. M. (2023, September 8). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/090823.html
Matthew, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/1?1
McLaren, B. (2023, September 8). It's Time for a Franciscan Renaissance — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/its-time-for-a-franciscan-renaissance-2023-09-08/
Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-2. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/09/08/777640/
Micah, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/micah/5?1
Psalms, PSALM 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/13?6
Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8?28
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Mary's Call to Be the Mother of Jesus the Savior. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 8, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=sep8a
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