The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, challenge us to be open to rebirth in our journey to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord.
In the reading from the Prophet Isaiah he gives Ahaz the Sign of Immanuel.
* [7:14] Isaiah’s sign seeks to reassure Ahaz that he need not fear the invading armies of Syria and Israel in the light of God’s promise to David (2 Sm 7:12–16). The oracle follows a traditional announcement formula by which the birth and sometimes naming of a child is promised to particular individuals (Gn 16:11; Jgs 13:3). The young woman: Hebrew ‘almah designates a young woman of marriageable age without specific reference to virginity. The Septuagint translated the Hebrew term as parthenos, which normally does mean virgin, and this translation underlies Mt 1:23. Emmanuel: the name means “with us is God.” Since for the Christian the incarnation is the ultimate expression of God’s willingness to “be with us,” it is understandable that this text was interpreted to refer to the birth of Christ. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)
Psalm 24 is a prayer for entrance into the Temple.
* [Psalm 24] The Psalm apparently accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God (invisibly enthroned upon the ark), followed by the people, into the Temple. The Temple commemorated the creation of the world (Ps 24:1–2). The people had to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary (Ps 24:3–6; cf. Ps 15). A choir identifies the approaching God and invites the very Temple gates to bow down in obeisance (Ps 24:7–10). (Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, the Birth of Jesus is foretold.
* [1:26–38] The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both the angel Gabriel appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Lk 1:11–12, 26–29) and then told by the angel not to fear (Lk 1:13, 30). After the announcement is made (Lk 1:14–17, 31–33) the parent objects (Lk 1:18, 34) and a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Lk 1:20, 36). The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Lk 1:32–33) and Son of God (Lk 1:32, 35).
* [1:32] Son of the Most High: cf. Lk 1:76 where John is described as “prophet of the Most High.” “Most High” is a title for God commonly used by Luke (Lk 1:35, 76; 6:35; 8:28; Acts 7:48; 16:17).
* [1:34] Mary’s questioning response is a denial of sexual relations and is used by Luke to lead to the angel’s declaration about the Spirit’s role in the conception of this child (Lk 1:35). According to Luke, the virginal conception of Jesus takes place through the holy Spirit, the power of God, and therefore Jesus has a unique relationship to Yahweh: he is Son of God.
* [1:36–37] The sign given to Mary in confirmation of the angel’s announcement to her is the pregnancy of her aged relative Elizabeth. If a woman past the childbearing age could become pregnant, why, the angel implies, should there be doubt about Mary’s pregnancy, for nothing will be impossible for God. (Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Mardell Wilson comments that in today’s third reading we are reminded that Mary was burdened with some unimaginable news, but her trust in what Gabriel shared with her and her trust in the Lord were far greater than any trust we may have to exercise in our own daily lives.
In Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary reveals that the birth of her son will be unlike anything the world has ever seen. While the virgin birth itself is miraculous, the true significance of this child lies in His identity and work. Gabriel tells Mary that her son will be named Jesus, which means "He saves." This name speaks not only to His mission of salvation from sin, but to His power to save us from all the struggles of life—death, division, loneliness, and pain. (Wilson, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus is Son of God and Son of Mary,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"We should carefully note the order of the words here, and the more firmly they are engrafted in our heart, the more evident it will be that the sum total of our redemption consists in them. For they proclaim with perfect clarity that the Lord Jesus, that is, our Savior, was both the true Son of God the Father and the true Son of a mother who was a human being. 'Behold,' he says, 'you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son' - acknowledge that this true human being assumed the true substance of flesh from the flesh of the Virgin! 'He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High' - confess too that this same Son is true God of true God, co-eternal Son forever of the eternal Father!" (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.3.22) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 7:10-14 reminds us that God is a loving Father who wants to bless his children. Even when we hesitate to ask him for a sign, he still wants to help us. Even when we (mistakenly) believe that only the holiest of saints hear his voice, he wants to speak to each of us. God wants to intervene in our lives. He wants all of us to be able to say, “I know God spoke to me in this situation.”
So ask for a sign! You don’t have to measure up to a certain standard of holiness. You don’t have to grit your teeth and suffer in order to earn it. Sometimes the Lord gives signs we don’t even know we need! Just open your ears and eyes. Look for surprises. Let God be part of your life today!
“Lord, I believe you want to speak to me. Let me see your signs!” (Meditation on Isaiah 7:10-14, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the great amount of symbolism in the texts today that includes the names of the children of Isaiah including “Emmanuel” or “God is with us” as a message to King Ahaz, the style of Matthew to describe a great and greater event of annunciation, side by side, the perfect tense confirmation of the Immaculate Conception and the Hebrew meaning of Jesus name “Yahweh saves”. As the Spirit of God overshadows her, Mary becomes the new Ark of the Covenant. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus coming into the world is the result of an act of surrender.
James Finley describes how God knows each of us intimately because we are “hidden with Christ in God”. Finley reflects on how meditation may allow us to experience our oneness with God.
Moments of spontaneous meditative experience can be understood as flash points of awareness as the person we are breaks forth into human consciousness. Suddenly, we realize a oneness with God that we intuitively recognize to be at once God’s identity and our own. In moments of meditative awakening we obscurely sense that who we are and who God is is, in some inscrutable manner, one mystery. Sustained in this awareness, we realize that if we were to try to find ourselves as someone other than God, we would search in vain. If we were to search for God as other than ourselves, our search would be equally futile. For we realize that God is given to us, wholly and completely, in a oneness that is at once all that God is and all that we really are. We are not God. But we are not other than God, either. We as persons are who God eternally knows us to be in [God’s] infinite knowing of [God’s] infinite actuality. And in this paradoxical truth lies the essence of what it means to be a human being destined for eternal oneness with God. (Finley, n.d.)
We seek the guidance of the Spirit to become aware of the areas in which we have chosen to reject the help and counsel of God as we move towards the celebration of the birth of Jesus following the surrender of Mary.
References
Finley, J. (n.d.). God Contemplates Us. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 20, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/god-contemplates-us/
Isaiah, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/7?10
Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?26
Meditation on Isaiah 7:10-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 20, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/12/20/1155956/
Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/24?1
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Hail, O Favored One, the Lord Is with You! Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 20, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=dec20
Wilson, M. (2024, December 20). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/122024.html
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