Epiphany

Epiphany A B C

Readings: Isaiah 60:1‑6   Ephesians 3:2‑3,5‑6  Matthew 2:1‑12

Beginning with the call of Abraham, God's plan for salvation history extends his blessing from Israel to all the nations (Gen 12:1‑3).  Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, the manifestation of God's salvation to all peoples.  In the words of the responsorial psalm, we pray: "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you" (Ps 72:11).

The Isaiah reading looks forward to the time when nations will walk by the light of God's blessing shed upon Jerusalem.   Speaking to exiles recently returned from Babylon, the prophet  commands them to see their efforts to rebuild Jerusalem's walls and Temple as the beginnings of the epiphany of the Lord's light and glory piercing through the darkness of the whole earth. “Nations shall walk by your light,/ and kings by your shining radiance/. . . . For the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,/ the wealth of nations shall be brought to you/ . . . All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense,/ and proclaiming the praises of the Lord”  (Is 60:3,5‑6).

Ephesians announces the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy by proclaiming “that the Gentiles are now coheirs with the Jews, members of the same body and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the preaching of the gospel."  Paul had to fight for the Gentiles’ right to be part of the new Messianic community without the duty of becoming observant Jews.  According to Paul, Jesus' death and resurrection is the saving event, long anticipated by the prophets, which has opened the way for the Gentiles to become members of the people of God.  This good news also calls Christians to a new way of living together in a love, rooted in Christ's own love for us.  Our epiphany prayer for one another should be Paul's. “I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner-self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you may be rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:14‑19).

Matthew's story of the adoration of the magi foreshadows that the Gentiles will receive the gospel but also that Jesus' own people will paradoxically reject it.  Many of the details of the Epiphany story‑‑ the character of Herod, the mysterious star, the magi‑‑ have their background in the traditions of the Old Testament. 

Herod's character is modeled on previous wicked kings who attempt to thwart God's promises, only to bring them to fulfillment.  Like the Pharaoh in versions of the Exodus story, Herod becomes "greatly troubled" by the birth of "the newborn king of the Jews" and attempts to kill the child by ordering the massacre of the infant boys in Bethlehem.  As a result Jesus, as God's son, must descend into Egypt, like his ancestors, and then be called out in fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy: "Out of Egypt I have called my son" (Hos 11:1; Mt 2:13‑23).

The star that the magi follow is also associated with an Old Testament story about another king who tried unsuccessfully to frustrate God's plan.  When the Moabite king Balak confronts the Israelites in their march through the wilderness, he summons Balaam, a pagan seer (a magus), to curse them, but he can only pronounce blessing on God's people (see Numbers 22‑24).   Among the blessings is the foreshadowing of a Messiah arising like "a star" out of Jacob. “There shall come a man out of Israel's seed,/ and he shall rule many nations/. . . . I see him, but not now;/ I behold him, but not close;/ a star shall rise from Jacob,/ and a man (scepter) shall come forth from Israel” (Num 24:7,17‑‑partially from Greek Septuagint).     

In contrast to Herod, the magi are sincere Gentiles who cooperate with God's plan and, in fulfillment of the Isaiah text, come to "walk by (Israel's) light."  Although they only have the astrological revelation provided by nature, the magi humbly come to Israel seeking fuller knowledge of where the child is to be born so that they may do him homage.  When they learn from the Scriptures that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, they continue their journey, again guided by the star.  And when they see the child with Mary his mother, they respond with joy and in homage offer their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God A B C

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God A B C 

Readings: Numbers 6:22‑27  Galatians 4:4‑7  Luke 2:16‑21

            Today's feast celebrates the merciful God, whose name has been fully revealed in Jesus, and Mary, the mother of God, who is our model for pondering the mysteries of the Christmas season. As we wish for others the blessings of the Christmas season, let us pray today's psalm: "May God bless us in his mercy" (Ps 67:2a).

            In the Numbers reading the Lord instructs Aaron and his sons in the way they are to bless the children of Israel.  The actual words of the blessing are three parallel poetic lines petitioning the Lord's protection associated with his presence or "face." “The Lord bless you and keep you!/

The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!/  The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” The first half of each line requests the Lord's attentive care, and the second half elaborates its consequence for the individual.  God's blessing culminates in shalom, "peace" or "well‑being," material and spiritual prosperity in all its fullness (see Deut 28:3‑6).      

            In the Galatians reading Paul is describing the consequences of belief in Christ through a contrast between the state of Jews and Gentiles before and after his coming.  Until Christ came, both groups were in a state of slavery, but now they have become free children and fully adopted heirs of God's kingdom.  In today's selection Paul is describing the Messiah's liberation of the Jews, like himself, who were living under the law; he therefore uses the first person plural. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons.” The proof of this new status for both Jews and Gentiles is the new, intimate way that they may address God as "Abba, Father!”.  Paul then concludes by reiterating the new status of Christians as fully adopted children and heirs. “So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.”                

            The Gospel reading completes Luke's nativity narrative with three scenes.  In the first, the shepherds, most unlikely candidates for God's revelation, become the first apostles of the Christian message.  After deciding to go to David's city to verify the message that the angels have given them, they find "Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger," just as the angels had announced.  They now understand "what had been told them concerning this child," namely that he is destined to be "a Savior . . . the Messiah and Lord."  Not content with keeping this news concealed, they report it to others, and "all who heard of it were astonished."  As the shepherds return, they glorify and praise God "for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them."

            In the second scene, Mary's reaction is distinguished from the others.  Luke notes that she "kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart."  The verb is the same one used by Luke to describe Mary’s reaction to Gabriel's initial greeting in the annunciation (1:29) and later of her response in the story of Jesus' remaining behind in the Temple at Passover when he was age twelve (2:51).  It has the sense of intense thought which returns to the subject time and again.  In Luke's theology Mary is a model of discipleship.  She hears God's word, reflects deeply upon it, and then acts in accord with it. 

The concluding scene of today's Gospel narrates the circumcision and naming of the child, as "Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb."  Luke deliberately harkens back to the annunciation where the name "Jesus" ("the Lord saves") was associated with the child's destiny to become the Messiah with his heavenly exaltation after his crucifixion and death (1:31‑33; see Acts 2:22‑36).  At the end of Luke's Gospel, Jesus will commission his disciples to preach forgiveness of sins in this sacred name. "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all the nations beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things" (Lk 24:46‑48).

Holy Family C

The Feast of the Holy Family C

Readings: Sirach 3:2‑6,12‑14  Colossians 3:12‑21  Luke 2:41‑52

            During the Christmas season the Church celebrates the Incarnation by dwelling on various aspects of this mystery.  Holy Family Sunday reminds us that Jesus, although called to a unique mission by his Father, fully shared our experience of living in family with all its confusion, pain and mystery.  As we struggle with the obligations of our commitments to God and family, let us pray in faith the words of the responsorial psalm: "Happy those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways" (Ps 128).

            The Sirach reading is a wisdom instruction based on the commandment to honor father and mother (Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16).   This obligation is concerned with caring for elderly parents when their health and minds fail and has much to say to our own culture where aged parents are often neglected by their children.  “My son, take care of your father when he is old/ . . .  Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;/ revile him not in the fullness of your strength” (3:12‑13).  According to Sirach, care for elderly parents will be reciprocated by God.  "He who honors his father atones for sins;/  he stores up riches who reveres his mother" (3:3).

            Paul's instructions to the Colossians put family obligations in a Christian context.  Christians are to divest themselves of their old lives of sin (see Col 3:5‑9) and clothe themselves with Christian virtues: heartfelt mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and especially love "which binds the rest together and makes them perfect" (3:12‑14).  Paul's instruction to husbands and fathers is animated by a spirit of Christian charity. “Husbands, love your wives.  Avoid any bitterness toward them. . . . And fathers, do not nag your children lest they lose heart.”

            Luke's story of the boy Jesus in the Temple takes us from the general realm of ethical instruction about familial obligations to the often painful and confusing mystery of real family living.   He narrates the event from the perspective of Jesus' parents, especially Mary, his mother.  Although Mary and Joseph dutifully do all the right things, they are plunged into the nightmare all parents dread ‑‑ the loss of their child.  Having fulfilled the obligations of going to Jerusalem for Passover, the parents assume Jesus is in the party of returning pilgrims, as they continue to "look for him among their relatives and acquaintances."  When after three days of searching they discover Jesus in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, Mary expresses the pain and exasperation felt by every parent who has lost and found a child: “Son, why have you done this to us?  You see that your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow.”  Jesus' enigmatic words about the necessity of being in his “Father's house” do not relieve the pain; as Luke tells us: "They did not grasp what he said to them."  His mother, the model of the suffering and obedient believer in Luke, can only keep "all these things in her heart" (see Lk 1:26‑38; 2:19; 2:34‑35; 8:19‑21; 11:27‑29; Acts 1:14).

            Although Luke attempts to depict the twelve year old Jesus as both committed to the destiny given by his Father and, at the same time, dutifully obedient to his parents, he is aware that the two may come into painful tension and that ultimately Jesus must be faithful to his Father's mission.  Without any explanation, Jesus remains behind in the Temple where he will journey as an adult to issue his final challenge to his people (see Lk 9:51‑20:19).  His discussion with the teachers in the Temple is a foreshadowing of his final harsh confrontation of the Temple leaders that will culminate in his death (see Luke 20‑23).   When his mother questions him, Jesus' first spoken words in the gospel speak of his unwavering commitment to his destiny: “Why did you search for me?  Did you not know I had to be in my Father's house?”  Having foreshadowed his future work, Jesus is now free to return in obedience with his parents to Nazareth where, Luke tells us, he "progressed steadily in wisdom and age and grace before God and men." 

Christmas Mass during the Day

Illustration from the St. John's Bible

Christmas Mass During the Day A B C

Readings: Isaiah 52:7-10        Hebrews 1:1-6             John 1:1-18

            The readings for Christmas Mass during the day have a note of unrestrained joy over God’s final act of salvation in the coming of Christ, the very word of God, who has come in the flesh to share and redeem our fallen humanity.  This mood is most evident in the lyrics of the responsorial psalm. R. “All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.” (Ps 98) 

            The Isaiah reading is a joyful poem addressed to the Jewish exiles living in Babylon whose situation appears to be hopeless.  Their homeland is in ruins; the Temple has been destroyed, and they have been living in bondage for several years.  Despite the bleakness of their situation, the prophet announces the joyous, good news of the restoration of Jerusalem.  The artful poem moves through three stages.  First, the prophet rejoices over the arrival of the messenger who brings “the glad tidings” of peace (shalom) for Zion as the God returns to the city in triumph as their “king.”  “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,/ announcing peace, bearing good news,/ announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,’Your God is king!’”  Secondly, he envisions Jerusalem’s watchmen raising a cry and shouting for joy as the Lord begins to restore Zion.  “Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry,/ together they shout for joy,/ for they see directly, before their eyes, the Lord restoring Zion.”  Finally, he invites the “ruins of Jerusalem” to “break out together in song” because the Lord “comforts his people” and “redeems Jerusalem.”  The prophet’s vision is not limited to a narrow nationalism.  Jerusalem’s salvation is meant as a revelation to “all the nations.”  “The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations;/ all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.”

            The second reading from the beginning of Hebrews emphasizes the completeness and finality of God’s spoken word through the son (Jesus), in contrast to the “partial and various ways” of revelation “in times past . . . to our ancestors through the prophets.”  Hebrews is more of a homily than a letter, and it asserts that with the coming of Jesus, “the final age” has arrived in which God’s saving acts have come to their completion.

            In this opening section, Hebrews insists on Jesus’ superiority to the angels, whom some were tempted to revere above Jesus because they had not been contaminated by descending into this material world of impermanence and change.  Using many of the same concepts as the evangelist John, the author of Hebrews stresses the son’s unique greatness, power, and closeness to God.  Like Lady Wisdom in the Old Testament, the Son is the agent of creation (Prv 8:30; Wis 7:22), “the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being” (Wis 7:26), and the “mighty word” which sustains all things.  Although Jesus did descend into the world and “accomplished purification from sins,” he now has taken “his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high” where he has received the titles “Son” and “heir” which make him superior to the angels who are commanded to worship him.

            The Gospel reading is the prologue of John which is a hymn to Jesus as the incarnate Word (Logos) of God and the Light that has come into a darkened world.  It celebrates the whole sweep of salvation from creation to the coming of the Word in the flesh.  Periodically, it is punctuated with asides about the role of John the Baptist as witness to Jesus, the light (1:6, 7, 15).  The first two strophes speak of the Word’s relation to God (1:1-2) and to creation (1:3-5).  John uses several allusions to the first creation story in Genesis: the opening words, “In the beginning,” creation through a word of command, and the references to light and darkness (Gen 1:1-5).  Just as in the initial act of creation light entered a darkened world, so in the re-creation of the world darkened by sin, the Word as “the light shines in the darkness,/ and darkness has not overcome it.”  The third strophe (1:9-13) speaks of the Word’s relation to humans in the world.  It evokes rejection and acceptance, death and rebirth.  Although the Word is “the true light, which enlightens everyone,” and “all things came to be through him,” the world did not know him and “his own people did not accept him.”  But to those who do accept him, the Word gives the power “to become children of God.”  The final strophe (1:14, 16-18) concentrates on the Word’s relation to believers.  Like God’s presence through the Tabernacle and the Law in the Old Testament (Ex 25:8-9; Sir 24:4-8), the Word has “made his dwelling among us” and revealed “his glory.”  But this presence in the Word become flesh is superior to the law given through Moses.  It is a revelation of “grace (love) and truth.”  The law was inscribed on tablets of stone (Ex 31:18), and Moses was not allowed to see God (Ex 33:18-23), but now the Son, who has been with God from all eternity, has revealed him.  “From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace,  because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God.  The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.”

            On this feast of the Incarnation, let us rejoice in God’s coming to us in our humanity with all its pain and suffering, joys and delights, sin and hatred.  And let us take hope in the continued presence of God with us through the incarnate Son.

Christmas Mass at Dawn

Christmas Mass at Dawn A B C

Readings: Isaiah 62:11-12      Titus 3:4-7       Luke 2:15-20

            The Christmas Mass at dawn has a special character.  It is meant to be celebrated only at or near dawn because its theme is Christ the sun of justice and the light to the nations.  The words of the responsorial psalm best express the uniqueness of this special liturgy.

                        R. “A light will shine on this day: the Lord is born for us. The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice;/ let the many isles be glad.  The heavens proclaim his justice,/ and all the peoples see his glory.  Light dawns for the just;/ and gladness, for the upright of heart.  Be glad in the Lord, you just,/ and give thanks to his holy name.” (Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12)

            The Isaiah reading is from the conclusion of a larger song (Is 62:1-12) which celebrates the restoration of Jerusalem, or Zion, after the Babylonian exile.  Combining images associated with Jewish wedding customs and the celebration of the grain and grape harvest at the joyous feast of Tabernacles, the prophet envisions daughter Zion being visited by her savior God who remarries his forsaken bride and repopulates the once abandoned city.  “Say to daughter Zion, your savior comes!  Here is his reward with him,/ his recompense before him.  They shall be called the holy people,/ the redeemed of the Lord,/ and you shall be called ‘Frequented,’/ a city that is not forsaken.”

            The short reading from Titus is a succinct summary of the central tenants of Paul’s gospel.  Like the reading from Titus for the Mass at Midnight, it is a joyful proclamation of the full Christian mystery. In the course of reminding Titus that Christians are to be responsible citizens, the Pauline author speaks of the change effected in them by the coming of Christ and their baptism.  Formerly, he says, “we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another” (3:5).  But now through “the kindness and generous love of God our savior” and without any merit on our part, we have been saved “through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” that was poured out on us “through Jesus Christ our savior.”  The next section insists that this transforming “bath of rebirth” should make Christians “devote themselves to good works.”

            The Gospel reading for the Mass at Dawn is the continuation of the Gospel for the Mass at Midnight.  The shepherds, most unlikely candidates for God’s revelation, become the first apostles of the Christian message.  They decide to go to David’s city to verify the message that the angels have given them.  “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”  When they find “Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger,” just as the angels had announced, they understand “what had been told them concerning this child,” namely that he is destined to be “a savior . . . the messiah and Lord.”  Not content with keeping this news as a private revelation, the shepherds report it to others, and we are told “all who heard of it were amazed.”  As the shepherds return, they glorify and praise God “for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.”

            Mary’s reaction is singled out and distinguished from the others.  Luke notes that she “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”  The verb translated “reflected” is dielogizeto which is also used by Luke to describe Mary’s reaction to Gabriel’s initial greeting in the annunciation scene (1:29) and later her response to Jesus’ saying that he must be in his Father’s house in the story of his remaining behind in the Temple at the Passover festival when he was age 12 (2:51).  It has the sense of intense deep thought which returns to the subject time and again.  In Luke’s theology Mary is a model of discipleship.  She hears God’s word, reflects deeply upon it, and then acts in accord with it.  This is most clear in her acceptance of Gabriel’s message at the annunciation where she responds by saying, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word” (1:38).  Later in the Gospel, Jesus also says, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it” (8:21).  Mary is our model for following the savior who has been born on Christmas day.

Christmas Mass in the Night

Christmas Midnight A B C

Readings: Isaiah 9:1-6   Titus 2:11-14  Luke 2:1-14

            The readings for Christmas at midnight proclaim the joyous, yet humble, arrival of Jesus as the light of the world.  He comes to bring peace to all and calls Christians to live temperate and just lives as they await his return in glory.  Let us rejoice as we hear the angel’s proclamation to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.”

Isaiah’s messianic oracle expresses the hope for a king in the Davidic line who will bring peace in the aftermath of an Assyrian invasion of Israel.  The prophet prefaces his description of the king’s just rule by praising the Lord for delivering the nation from the Assyrian yoke.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;/ Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone./ You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing./  For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder,/ And the rod of their taskmaster/

You have smashed, as on the day of Midian.  Isaiah believes this liberation is only the initial act of a two part drama.  He expects that “the zeal of the Lord of hosts” will raise to the Davidic throne a king who will rule with wisdom, power, paternal care and peace.  Although Jesus did not assume a worldly throne, we Christians believe he is the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah’s oracle though his life, preaching, death and resurrection, and return in glory (see Peter’s sermon in Acts 2).  Jesus has begun the Kingdom of God that will ultimately triumph in the peace and justice Isaiah so urgently awaited.

The Titus reading presents us with the whole mystery of salvation: the appearance of God’s grace in Christ’s offering salvation to all, the challenge of the Christian life, and our hope for the final appearance of God’s glory and our savior Jesus Christ.  Even on the feast of Christmas, the Church does not lose sight of the demands of our renewed life and the urgent expectation of the second coming.  As the letter to Titus proclaims, all have been cleansed and redeemed in Christ, but we still wait in hope, as did Isaiah, for the appearance of the full glory of God’s kingdom.  In the interim, we are called to reject godless ways and to live temperately and justly.

Luke’s beautiful nativity story is best understood in relation to the major themes of his gospel, especially his insistence that Jesus is a universal savior, who was prophesied in the Scriptures and will overturn worldly expectations for greatness.  This universality is most explicit in the angel’s greeting to the shepherds which is the center piece of his entire narrative. “I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people.For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord.”

By dating Jesus’ birth in the reign of Caesar Augustus, Luke contrasts the powerful Roman emperor with the lowly Jesus who is born as an exile.  Luke’s initial readers were aware that Augustus had inaugurated the Pax Romana and that many entertained messianic expectations about his rule.  For Luke, however, Jesus’ humble birth is the joyous beginning of the long-awaited fulfillment of God’s promises of salvation in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Salvation and peace will not come from the emperor who has the power to order a census of the whole world, but from Jesus whose parents must obey the emperor’s commands.

Luke’s special emphasis on the fact that Jesus has come for the lowly is evident in the role of the shepherds.  In Jewish tradition, they were considered disreputable and their testimony was invalid.  Yet in Luke’s account they receive the initial annunciation of Jesus’ birth and even function as evangelists.  When they proceed to Bethlehem, they witness the truth of the angel’s message and then make it known to others.  Likewise, when they return, they glorify and praise God “for all they have heard and seen.”

Other details of Luke’s story make symbolic allusion to Jesus as the unexpected fulfillment of the Scriptures.  The swaddling clothes recall a saying associated with King Solomon who says: “I was nurtured in swaddling clothes, with every care./  No king has known any other beginning of existence” (Wis 7:4-5).  Despite the lowly circumstances of Jesus’ birth, he is already a king like the great Solomon.  The manger (feeding trough) also has more that literal significance.  Isaiah had criticized his generation’s failure to understand the Lord in the following oracle: “An ox knows its owner,/ and an ass its master’s manger./  But Israel does not know, my people has not understood” (Is 1:2-3).  In contrast to the senseless people of Isaiah’s time, the humble shepherds, representative of a renewed people of God, go in haste to the infant lying in the manger who is food for the world.  Setting aside our pride, let us follow the shepherds to adore the Christ-child.

Advent IVC

4^th Sunday of Advent C

Readings: Micah 5:1‑4  Hebrews 10:5‑10  Luke 1:39‑45

In this Sunday's Gospel, Luke's Visitation scene present us  with the two expectant mothers who have indispensable roles in  the history of salvation: Mary, "who trusted that the Lord's words  to her would be fulfilled," and Elizabeth, who is moved by the  Holy Spirit to praise both Mary and her “Lord” (Jesus) who will be the fruit of Mary's womb.  Let us share these women's joyful expectation as we sing today's responsorial psalm: "Lord, make us turn to you,/let us see your face and we shall be saved" (Ps 80).

Micah's prophecy of the Messiah's birth in Bethlehem‑Ephrathah emphasizes both the unlikely birthplace and its continuity with the ancient promises connected with David's line.  Although Bethlehem‑Ephrathah is "too small to be among the clans of Judah," it is the ancient home of David, the shepherd boy whom God raised up to be "king after his own heart" (1 Samuel 16).  In a time when the mighty Assyrian Empire had already destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and was in the process of devastating the southern kingdom of Judah, Micah announces in the Lord's name that again from little Bethlehem "shall come forth for me/ one who is to be ruler in Israel."  Unlike David and the subsequent kings of Judah who often fell into sin, the Messiah will be the ideal shepherd who will act with the Lord's own strength. “He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord,/ in the majestic name of the Lord, his God./ . . . His greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth;/ he shall be peace.”

In the midst of the joy of Advent, the second reading is a sober reminder that Jesus' coming into the world involved his obedient submission to God's will, even to offering his "body" for our sanctification.  According to Hebrews, Jesus' life exemplifies the words of Psalm 40:7‑9.

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me.  Holocausts and sin offering you took no delight in. Then I have said, ‘as is written of me in the book, I have come to do your will, O God.”  In contrast to the various animal and grain sacrifices of the first covenant, Jesus' doing of God's will by offering his body has established the new covenant by which we are now sanctified.

            Mary's obedience to God's plan in Luke's Visitation scene mirrors Jesus' in the reading from Hebrews.  In Luke's annunciation scene (Lk 1:26‑38), a doubtful Mary receives word  from the angel Gabriel of Elizabeth's conception in her old age to confirm that “nothing is impossible for God” (Lk 1:37).  This sign led Mary to accept Gabriel's announcement that she would bear “the Son of God” by the power of the Holy Spirit.  After hearing of Elizabeth's conception, Mary proclaims: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord;/ may it be done to me according to your  word” (Lk 1:38).

            Now in the Visitation Luke brings together the two expectant mothers so that they may praise the God who is acting through them to bring salvation to the world.  When Elizabeth hears Mary's greeting, the Holy Spirit moves her to praise Mary as “blessed . . . among women” because she is bearing the Messiah.   John, the precursor of the Messiah, leaps in her womb and thereby indicates that he recognizes Jesus as his Lord.  Elizabeth then goes on to praise Mary, like Jael and Judith, two other Jewish heroines who were God's agents for saving their people (see Judg 5:24 and Jdt 13:18).  “Blessed is she who trusted that the Lord's words to her would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:45).

            As we await the feast of Jesus' birth, may Mary's trustful obedience and Elizabeth's responsive joy be our guides. 

Advent IIIC

3^rd Sunday of Advent C

Readings: Zephaniah 3:14‑18  Philippians 4:4‑7  Luke 3:10‑18

            "Cry out with joy and gladness;/ for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel."  This Sunday's responsorial (Isaiah 12) calls us to confidently rejoice in the approach of the "mighty savior" (Zeph 3:17).  Those who are willing to do the practical acts of repentance demanded by John the Baptist in today's Gospel selection can await the arrival of the Messiah in joyful peace and without frantic anxiety.

            Zephaniah was a prophet during a time of idolatry and apostasy from the covenant in seventh century B.C. Judah.  Most of his short book is filled with oracles of judgment describing the Lord's Day of doom and judgment against Judah and the nations.  But his prophecy ends on a note of hope and a promise of joy for the purified remnant left in Jerusalem/Zion (3:10‑11).  Once the judgment is over, Zion is commanded to "Shout for joy!", because the presence of "The King of Israel, the Lord" will guarantee her safety.  Jerusalem is even promised that "The Lord, your God" will himself sing a song in celebration of your salvation. “On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:/ fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!  The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior;/ he will rejoice over you with gladness/ and renew you in his love.  He will sing joyfully because of you,/ as one sings at festivals.”

            The second reading from Philippians continues the tone of confident joy as Paul exhorts his beloved community: "Rejoice in the Lord always!  I say it again.  Rejoice!"  Their perpetual gratitude to the Lord should lead to acts of kindness.  "Everyone should see how unselfish you are."  Despite the sufferings both he and they are enduring, Paul is convinced that "The Lord himself is near." Therefore, they can "dismiss all anxiety from (their) minds."  Paul ends his exhortation by encouraging the Philippians to present their "needs to God in every form of prayer and petitions full of gratitude."  He then assures them that "God's own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over (their) hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus."         

            In the Gospel from Luke, John the Baptist presents concrete ways of properly preparing in repentance for the arrival of the Messiah.  In the previous section of Luke, John warns the crowds who have come to be baptized: “produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance” (Lk 3:8).  Now various groups ask him, “What shall we do?”  John's advice is specific and within the means of each group.  He commands those who have extra goods to “share with the person who has none.”  He orders the tax collectors, who were notorious cheats, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”  Finally, he charges the soldiers, who were tempted to use their military might for their own advantage, “Do not bully anyone.  Denounce no one falsely.  Be content with your pay.”

                        John's duties also include pointing to the arrival of the Messiah.  His father Zechariah had sung of him at his birth: "And you, child, will be called/ prophet of the Most High,/   for you will go before the Lord/ to prepare his ways./ to give his people knowledge of salvation/

 through the forgiveness of their sins . . .’ (Lk 1:76).  So when the people, "full of anticipation," want to know if he "might be the Messiah," John fulfills his mission by saying: “I am baptizing you in water, but there is one to come who is mightier than I.  I am not fit to loosen his sandal strap.

 He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire” (Lk 3:16).

John's last warning announces the Messiah's coming as a harvester with “His winnowing‑fan . . . in his hand” about to  clear the threshing floor by gathering the wheat into his granary  and burning the chaff in unquenchable fire.  For those prepared to follow John's preaching this is not a threat but the "good news" of the arrival of God's long awaited justice.