Signs of Rebirth

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.

The Jesse Tree

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 

Workers with Persistence

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today alert us to the persistent efforts needed to support goodness and remind us to respond to the persistent needs of the less fortunate.

Respond to Persistent Needs

The reading from the Third Letter of John urges support for Co-workers with the Truth.

* [5] You are faithful in all you do: Gaius’s aid to the missionaries is a manifestation of his true Christian faith.

* [6] Help them…to continue their journey: the Presbyter asks Gaius not only to continue to welcome the missionaries to his community but also to equip them for further travels.

* [7] The Name: of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 5:41; 1 Jn 2:12; 3:23; 5:13). Accepting nothing: not expecting support from the pagans to whom they preach the gospel, so that they will not be considered as beggars; they required support from other Christians; cf. Paul’s complaints to the Corinthians (1 Cor 9:3–12). (3 John, THE THIRD LETTER OF JOHN | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 112 declares the Blessings of the Righteous.

* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111.

* [112:3] Righteousness: in the Second Temple period the word acquired the nuance of liberality and almsgiving, cf. Sir 3:30; 7:10; Mt 6:1–4. (Psalms, PSALM 112, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge.

* [18:1–14] The particularly Lucan material in the travel narrative concludes with two parables on prayer. The first (Lk 18:1–8) teaches the disciples the need of persistent prayer so that they not fall victims to apostasy (Lk 18:8). …

* [18:5] Strike me: the Greek verb translated as strike means “to strike under the eye” and suggests the extreme situation to which the persistence of the widow might lead. It may, however, be used here in the much weaker sense of “to wear one out.” (Luke, CHAPTER 18, n.d.)

George Butterfield notes how local Christians tended to welcome them into their home and give them food and a place to rest before moving on. St. John encourages them to help and support them, not only with food and shelter, but with the finances they need to continue their journey.

This is a beautiful teaching, but would you be surprised that people took advantage of it? Hey, people will pay my way to travel, wine and dine me at each stop, and I don’t have to really be a prophet at all. This became a real problem in the early Church.

There are people who take advantage of the generosity of others. However, St. John and the psalmist encourage us to be generous. No matter what the motives are of those who ask for help, we will not be judged based on their motives but on whether or not we are kind and generous. The writer to the Hebrews says that we should practice hospitality. Who knows – it could be an angel that we are ministering to. (Butterfield, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Persistent prayer transforms iniquity and wickedness into mercy,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).

"How was that unjust judge immoral and wicked? How was the upright judge gracious and just? The first in his iniquity was not willing to vindicate the widow, and in his wickedness, he was not willing to put her mind at rest. The justice of God knows how to vindicate, and his grace discerns how to give life. The iniquity of this wicked judge was contrary to the justice of God, and the wickedness of this rebel was in opposition to the grace of the gentle One. His wickedness therefore was stubbornness, for it dared to go against the fear of God. His boldness was stubborn, for it refused the lowly person."

"These two were stubborn, but persistent prayer was even more stubborn. The persistence of the widow humiliated both the iniquity that was rebelling against God and the boldness that was behaving arrogantly towards human beings. She subjected them to her will, so that they might provide her with a vindication over her adversary. Persistence transformed these two bitter branches, and they bore sweet fruit that was against their nature. The iniquity of the judge brought about a righteous judgment and a just retribution for the falsely accused woman. His wickedness gave peace to the afflicted one, although iniquity does not know how to judge, and wickedness does not know how to give refreshment. Persistence forced these two evil and bitter branches to give good fruit against their nature. If we persist in prayer, we should be even more able to prevail on the grace and justice of God to give us fruit that agrees with their nature. Let justice vindicate us, and let grace refresh us. Accordingly, the fruit of justice is the just reward of the oppressed, while the giving of refreshment to the afflicted is the fruit of grace." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 16.16.6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 18:1-8 comments that our heavenly Father treasures persistence because he knows what it can produce in his children. Persistence keeps our eyes fixed on him, and it helps us open our hearts to his will.

Your Father loves persistence because he can do great things in you when you persist in prayer. So take a moment now to bring your needs to him. Start with some words of thanks for who he is. Recall that he is the Lord who created you and loves you. Let him know your heart is open to receive whatever he has for you. And don’t give up!

“Lord God, hear my prayer! I trust in you, my loving Father.” (Meditation on Luke 18:1-8, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the message of the Third Letter of John encouraging communities to accept strangers and show hospitality. In the Didache, from the first century, the disciple who stays for two days is true, but after three days, kick him out. Friar Jude reminds us to pray insistently for the things we really need and accept the response that God gives us.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces James Finley who suggests that to put on the “mind of Christ” is to experience our connection to God and others, and to act accordingly.

 

To enter the mind of Christ is to realize our oneness with the faces we see on television in the evening news. It is to realize we are one with that homeless person we saw going through the trash receptacle. The woman at the local market, the man who comes to check our gas meter, and all who have hurt us, abandoned us, and have otherwise wronged us, along with all the women and men we have never met—we are to realize that we are equally, fully one with every blessed one of them. We are to give witness to this awareness … and we are to put this love into action by the ways in which we treat others, and by what we are willing to do for them as expressions of our love for them.  (Rohr, n.d.) 

We seek enlightenment of the Spirit to be responsive to the persistence of our fellow humans to achieve justice and support in their struggles.

References

Butterfield, G. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111624.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 18. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/18? 

Meditation on Luke 18:1-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/11/16/1130594/ 

Psalms, PSALM 112. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Reconnecting to Our Source: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/we-are-not-separate-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=nov16 

3 John, THE THIRD LETTER OF JOHN | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/3john/1?5