Fourth Sunday of Advent (Lk. 1:39-45) “Can We Leap for Joy?”
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Lk. 1:39-45) “Can We Leap for Joy?”
Our Gospel today is from the stories of Jesus’s birth. People often will get distracted by the details in the infancy narratives of Jesus. In the stories there are obvious contradictions. In Matthew, for example, it seems as if Joseph and Mary lived in Bethlehem before Jesus’ birth. Only after the flight into Egypt do they move to Nazareth. In the Gospel of Luke, on the other hand, the Holy Family travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem because of a census. We have no story of a flight into Egypt in Luke. Only a few days after Jesus’ birth, Joseph, Mary and Jesus go to the temple for Jesus’ presentation. Of course, this would have been impossible if the Holy Family was living in Egypt.
The key to reading the infancy stories is to do it with a mature faith. We can spend a lot of time trying to reconcile all the incongruities in the childhood stories of Jesus in Matthew and Luke. The authors share traditional material about Jesus’ birth, but like all stories, the Gospels are told from the perspective of each writer. The printed word is always limited in how it can describe things. Matthew and Luke are trying to share what they have come to believe about Jesus.
We might draw parallels with news that we find in our morning papers. We have news that is what we might call hard news. We usually find that on the front page. The reporters try to describe the facts of what has happened recently. We hope that what is written is accurate. We hope that it is unbiased.
We also have what we find on the editorial page. Our expectations are different. We know what we find there is based on the news, but almost all of what we read there is theory. Columnists will use facts in ways that support what they believe already. If we compare editorial pages, we might wonder if the people writing have witnessed the same events. We don’t turn to the editorial page to get hard news. Unfortunately, news outlets often seem to create news rather than report it. The editorial page bleeds into the front page.
What we have in the Gospel accounts is more of like editorial writing blending fact with opinion. Reporters weren’t following Mary and Joseph around at the time of Jesus’ birth. The stories of Jesus’ birth were written many years later. The facts we know for are rudimentary.
Jesus’ mother was named Mary. His Father was Joseph. Jesus was born at the beginning of the first century. Jesus grew up in Galilee. Joseph was a carpenter. Most other details are filled in by the writers of Matthew and Luke. Matthew and Luke had a theological agenda as they wrote the stories of Jesus’ birth. The stories are a precursor to the rest of the Gospel narrative. Jesus’ life as a child reflected his later life. He was a poor child. He was part of a persecuted population. His Jewish relatives based their hopes on the coming of a Messiah.
If we read the stories of Jesus’ birth always asking the question, “What theological truth is the writer trying to share with us in this passage?”, we will gain more from what we read. We will be less distracted by unimportant details.
What truths does the story of the Visitation reveal to us? for example. We have a story that describes the meeting of two women who are expecting. Elizabeth and Mary represent the end of one era of salvation history and the beginning of the next. Both become pregnant in improbable ways. Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah’s story is similar to others in the Old Testament. A barren pious elderly couple prays for a child. The prayer is answered with the birth of a boy that becomes an important figure in the history of Israel.
Luke, the Evangelist, shows that Mary’s pregnancy is very different. She is a young unwed virgin. Her child isn’t the result of sex with her husband. No, her pregnancy is the product of God’s direct action. The baby she bears is divine. Other powerful leaders were said to be divine in the Greco Roman world. Gods would have intercourse with women. Caesar Augustus, for example, was said to have a God as his father which made him divine. Luke wanted to proclaim that Jesus’ birth was unlike any other person who has ever lived. God became flesh. God came as a savior. Jesus’ birth was planned from the beginning of time. Jesus wasn’t claiming to be divine. He was God. Luke was confident of this.
Jesus always was and he always will be. His birth was a step towards his resurrection. We believe Jesus lives. He has conquered sin and death. And the good news for us is that our birth opens our path to eternal life with Jesus. To paraphrase Elizabeth, “Blessed are they who believe that the Lord’s words will be fulfilled.” Truly blessed are we if we believe the big truth that Luke proclaims in the Gospel which is that with the advent of Jesus all of us are redeemed. We are one with Jesus. We have a life that will never end. And that life will culminate in eternal bliss with God.
Reflection Questions:
- Is it realistic to think that we have an exact account of the details of Jesus’ birth? Does my faith waver if that is not the case?
- What are the proofs I have that Jesus lives? What do I see and hear?
Dear Parishioners,
The Christmas celebration leads all of us towards a lot of introspection. What is it about this holiday that causes so much nostalgia? Very often we do not remember the joyful Christmases, but we recall the sad Christmases.
When I remember Christmases past, I recall the Christmas my aunt died. She was making Christmas pies, preparing for dinner the next day. She fell over backwards and died of a massive heart attack. She had thirteen children and most of them were still at home. It was a tragedy and many people reached out to try to console my uncle and my cousins.
My family decided to go ahead and have Christmas dinner together that sad day. It was thought that a sense of normalcy was needed. The dinner was not joyful but eating together as a family brought calm and there was a sense of peace in all the turmoil. It was helpful for all of us as we processed the grief we felt. We were less afraid because we had each other.
Hopefully, the message of Christmas is a message of hope. We face many struggles, but we have two great gifts that we need to remember. We have the gift of faith and the gift of the church. These two gifts can stabilize our lives in periods of struggle. Sacred Heart is a place for us to gather for Eucharist in times of joy and difficulty. When we need support, often, we find it as we pray with our brothers and sisters in Christ at church. Thank you to all of you who help our parish minister to others. Let’s pray for each other as the New Year approaches.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Fr. Matthew and I would like to thank all those who have sent cards and gifts to the rectory. We hope that you enjoy this special time and that your family celebrations are richly blessed.