FIRST READING: Isaiah 7:10-14. The Lord spoke to Ahaz, "Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test." And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)."
EXPLANATION: These words of Isaiah form one of his most descriptive and definite prophecies foretelling the future messianic king, Christ. Judah, separated from Israel (the northern part of Palestine), since the revolt of 931, was in dire straits when Isaiah uttered those words. King Ahaz, who ruled Judah from 736 to 716, was expecting an attack from the combined forces of Israel and Syria. Instead of trusting in God, he had asked for help from the pagan Assyrian king, a request which later led to the overthrow of the kingdom of Judah. The prophet tried to persuade Ahaz not to take this fatal step, but instead to put his trust in Yahweh, his God, who was ready to give him any proof, any sign, in the heavens or under the earth, "as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven," to convince him, the king, that Yahweh was on his side. Ahaz stubbornly refused---he had no faith in Yahweh---and then Isaiah gave him the following sign:
Hear . . . David: The mention of the dynasty of David, of whom Ahaz was a direct descendant, was a reminder to the king that the kingdom of Judah was always under Yahweh's protection, because of his messianic plan. The future king, whose reign would be universal and eternal, would descend from David, as God had promised through the prophet Nathan (2 Sm. 7: 12-16). Therefore, Judah would not be wiped out, Syria and Israel would not succeed.
weary men . . . God also: Ahaz distrusted his subjects, and wore out their patience, the prophet Isaiah included, but now he is clearly distrusting Yahweh, and "wearing out" his patience.
Therefore . . . himself: The sign to be given will indicate punishment for Ahaz, but encouragement and hope for the people. God's promise to David will be fulfilled. A son of David will yet come, but not through the male line, as the kingdom was handed down, but through a young virgin---here was the sign, the miracle---and this descendant of David would be more than a king of Judah, he would be God among us.
a young woman: The Hebrew word used here "Alma," means a girl of marriageable age, but in the circumstances of the time this would also imply virginity. Besides, the fact that this future event is to be a "sign," a miracle of God, indicates the virginity of the mother in question. A young married girl, bearing a child through normal intercourse with her husband, had nothing in the nature of a "sign" or miracle about it. Furthermore, the Greek translators of Isaiah 150 years B.C., translated Alma as "parthenes" meaning "virgin" and St. Matthew leaves no doubt as to the virginal conception of Christ, as the context (Mt. 1: 18-25) indicates, when he says this is the fulfillment of this prophecy of Isaiah (1: 22-23).
she shall . . . name: It was the father's privilege, and right, to name his son. The fact that it is the mother who will name her son here is another indication of the virginal conception. In St. Luke's account of the Annunciation, the Angel tells Mary she is to "name her child Jesus" (Lk. 1: 31). The fact, that Joseph, having been informed by an angel of the divine intervention in the case, is told to name the child to be born "Jesus," is not a contradiction of Isaiah and Luke, but an external sign of Joseph's acceptance of his role as foster-father.
Immanuel: That is, God with us. The prince of the house of David who was to come, was to be God living among us. As St. John puts it: "The Word (the Son of God) became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn. 1: 14).
APPLICATION: In today's prophecy, Isaiah gives us the most important detail concerning the Messiah, Christ. He was to be God as well as man. This is what Christ was, as he claimed and as he proved by his miracles and by his resurrection. What a stunning, and at the same time, what an inspiring fact this knowledge is for us! We call the Incarnation, the coming of the Son of God among us in human nature, a mystery. It is one of the basic mysteries of our Christian religion, but the mystery lies not so much in how it was done ("with God all things are possible"), but rather in the infinite, mysterious love of God for us, who are so much below him and so unworthy of his love.
It would be waste of time for us mortals, with our small, limited capacity for real love, even to try to fathom this depth of God's love. All we can do is to be grateful for it, while we wonder at its immensity. God loved man from all eternity and decided to give him gifts of intellect and will, far beyond the gifts given to all other earthly creatures. Because of these gifts, he made man capable of enjoying an eternity of happiness, and decreed to give this eternal enjoyment to him.
The Incarnation was the means chosen by God to attain this purpose of his. He would send his divine Son to live among us, for a short time, on earth. Because his Son became real man, he became our brother, and thereby we were raised to the dignity of sons of his heavenly Father.
Man had sinned in the meantime, and had refused the obedience and reverence his intellect told him he owed to his Creator and Benefactor. This, God had foreseen, of course, but the perfect obedience and reverence rendered to the Father by his incarnate Son, "an obedience even unto the death on the cross," made atonement and satisfaction for all the sins of all men that ever had lived or would live, and, therefore, removed the obstacle that could prevent man reaching the end God had planned for him.
Redemption from sin, in order to make man fit for heaven, was a necessary effect of the Incarnation, but the prime and principal purpose of this act of God's love was, precisely, to show love for us, and to give effect to his intention to make us his adopted sons, and thus heirs of heaven. Now can man ever forget this love which God has shown him? How can I forget that I am no longer a mere man but an adopted son of God, that every day that passes brings me a day nearer to my entry into the inheritance God has planned for me? I have difficulties and troubles during my years on this earth, but these are the very means God is putting at my disposal to enable me to prepare myself for the life of eternal happiness that awaits me.
Christmas, especially, should remind me that he who came on earth, to make me fit for heaven, had trials and troubles far greater and bigger than mine. He in no way deserved these trials; he bore them and accepted them gladly, so that I could, one day, enter into the life where troubles and trials will be no more, "because the Lamb of God who is at the throne . . . will lead me to springs of living water and God will wipe away all tears" (Rev. 7: 17).
SECOND READING: Romans 1: 1-7. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, set apart for the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace, to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
EXPLANATION: On St. Paul's letter to the Romans, see First Sunday of Advent. In today's reading, we have the opening verses of that Epistle. In it, he calls himself a servant of Christ, an Apostle, set apart (chosen) to preach the gospel of God. This gospel is the news of the Incarnation, through which and by which, all men are called to follow Christ and become his brothers, and thus sons of God destined to be saints in heaven.
called . . . Apostle: The story of Paul's (Saul then) conversion, and his call to the apostolate, is found in Acts 9: 1-19. He was the latest, but also one of the greatest, of Christ's Apostles.
promised beforehand: The coming of Christ was foretold in the Old Testament. In fact the whole history of the Chosen People, from Abraham (1800 B.C.) to John the Baptist, was a preparation and a foreshadowing of his coming.
from David . . . flesh: David, the second and greatest of Israel's kings, was promised by Nathan that he would have a descendant on his throne whose kingdom would be universal and eternal. This prophecy is here interpreted of Christ, and it was only in him that it was fulfilled.
Son . . . resurrection: It was by his resurrection from the dead that Christ, the man who died on the cross, was recognized for what he always was, the Son of God in human form, the Son who took his human nature from a descendant of David (Mary).
in power: Because he was divine---the Son of God---raised his human nature from the grave. The Father and Holy Spirit cooperated in this action, and from then on Christ reassumed both the divine glory, "of which he had emptied himself" during his earthly sojourn (see Phil. 2: 5-11), and the mission to sanctify all men with a new life through the sending of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus . . . Lord: Lord is a translation of Adonai, the name usually used by the Jews for Yahweh, a holy name that they did not dare to pronounce. There is no doubt in Paul's mind, nor among any of the early Christian writers, that the Christ who lived, died and rose from the dead in Palestine was God the Son.
obedience of faith: It was not enough, theoretically, to profess belief in Christ. His Gospel had to be lived.
for . . . name: Paul was chosen to call all nations to the knowledge of Christ and his gospel. It was on Christ's behalf that he labored ("we are ambassadors for Christ"---2 Cor. 5: 20).
peace . . . Christ: Again, he equates Jesus with God the Father.
APPLICATION: Paul opens his letter to the Jewish and Gentile converts of Rome, the first generation of Christians in the capital city of the empire, by stating that he is an Apostle chosen by Christ to spread the good news of the Incarnation. He calls this news the "Gospel of God," for it is an account of that almost incredible act of God's love for us. God sent his divine Son, as man, among us in this world, in order that we might be with the three divine Persons for all eternity in the next world.
God does not need us : the Blessed Trinity is all-perfect and all-glorious in itself He did not have to create the universe or its inhabitants: they add nothing to his internal perfection. But, as the nature of a burning coal is to spread its heat, so the nature of the God, who is love, is to distribute his love among others outside of him. Hence creation.
Having created the universe, God brought one species of its inhabitants, human beings, to the height of created perfection. He gave man the spiritual faculties of intelligence and free-will, faculties which he himself possesses in an infinite degree. Even though these powers are limited in man, because of his limited, created nature, yet because of them, man is somewhat "like unto God."
This was not the limit of God's goodness. As a result of the spiritual gifts he has received, man is capable of knowing and loving God. The benevolent God decided to give him the possibility of doing this, not only for his short spell on earth, but for all eternity. Hence the Incarnation. That God could have found other ways of doing this we can hardly doubt, but the way he did it cannot be surpassed as a demonstration of his infinite love for us.
The Son of God became man. The Creator became as one of his creatures. The master took on the form of his slave. Only supreme love and benevolence could invent such a humiliation for himself. Add to this, the sufferings, the insults, the hatreds, which culminated in the humiliating and most painful of deaths on the cross, which the sins and the ingratitude of those he had come to raise up brought on him during his earthly life among us, and we have some idea of the debt we owe the God of love.
We can never repay it, but God will accept the little gratitude we can render him. From the bottom of our hearts, let us all thank our Father in heaven, this Christmas, for sending us his Son, so that we could have God himself as our Father. And let our heartfelt thanks to God overflow into acts of love for our neighbor, for it's only thus that we can really prove to God that we love him. This is "the obedience of faith," the putting of the "Gospel of God" into practice, which St. Paul demands.
GOSPEL: Matt. 1: 18-24. The birth of Jesus, took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife.
EXPLANATION: St. Matthew begins his gospel in a typical Hebrew fashion, by giving the genealogical table of Jesus, who was born of Mary (1: 1-16). He does not mention the Annunciation, nor Mary's problem of preserving virginity while becoming a mother. But the revelation given to Joseph, Mary's betrothed, which Matthew here describes, brings out the fact of the virginal conception of Jesus, and his messianic mission of salvation. Matthew then adds that Christ was the Messiah, to be born of a virgin, of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke, seven centuries earlier.
Jesus Christ: This was the double name by which our Lord was known to all Christians, by the time Matthew's gospel was written.
betrothed to Joseph: She was engaged to Joseph. This may seem strange, when we realize her intention of preserving her virginity, but marriages were arranged by parents in those days, and Mary was an obedient daughter. Most likely she had not informed her parents of the unusual resolve, inspired by God, which she had taken.
before . . . together: The actual marriage took place when the groom took his betrothed to his own home. In Mary's case, this did not take place until some five or six months after the Annunciation.
she was found . . . child: Most probably it was Joseph himself who discovered this because Mary confided in him.
of the Holy Spirit: Mary alone knew this, and most probably she had told Joseph. Matthew adds this explanation of the virginal conception (Luke gives much more detail), for the benefit of his readers.
her husband Joseph: He is called husband even though the actual marriage had not yet taken place. The act of betrothal, which was a very solemn contract among the Jews, legally made the betrothed pair husband and wife, in all things, except the actual use of marriage. Should one of the betrothed pair die before the actual marriage took place, the other person was regarded as a widow or widower. Should a girl, who was betrothed, behave unchastely with another man, she was deemed guilty of adultery, just as a married woman would be. The man to whom she was betrothed was then bound to denounce her, and give her a bill of divorce.
Joseph . . . just man: As a just man Joseph would have been bound to denounce an unfaithful spouse. He did not, because he must have known of her innocence, and must have been aware of the Annunciation story. But he began to feel that he was unworthy to have any part in this divine plan, and therefore he was about to dissolve the betrothal contract, quietly and secretly, so that the good name of Mary would be saved.
behold an angel: Revelation given through dreams was fairly common in the Old Testament.
Joseph, son of David: Joseph is addressed as son of David, to remind him of the messianic prophecy, and that he was to have a part in God's messianic plans.
do not fear: This message of the angel confirms what was suggested above. Joseph was afraid. He felt himself utterly unworthy, but God now tells him to accept the honor offered to him.
you shall . . . Jesus: It was the father's right to name his child. Joseph is fully aware that he is not the real father of this child to be born, but he is ordered by the angel to adopt him as his own, by naming him.
all this took place: Matthew now goes on to show that the birth of Christ from a virgin mother, without human father, was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy (see the First Reading for today).
Joseph did . . . commanded him: He took Mary to his home, and humbly accepted the divine charge of foster-father of the Messiah, the Son of God made man.
APPLICATION: "How unsearchable are the judgments of God and how inscrutable his ways!" as St. Paul says to the Romans (11: 33). If God had preserved the kingdom of Judah (which he could so easily have done), and if the Messiah, the son of David, were to be born in the royal palace in Jerusalem, it would be natural and we would almost say, more fitting the dignity of the Messiah. Instead. God allowed the kingly line, and the throne of Judah, to disappear, and he chose a humble carpenter of Nazareth, a true descendant of David but a lowly one, to be the foster-father of his divine Son, when he took human nature and came on earth to "dwell among us." But God's ways are not our ways. It is not by their social standing, nor by their bank-accounts, that God values men. Virtue is the scale he uses when weighing men. In God's eyes, no king sat on the throne of Judah, not even David himself, who was more acceptable to God as foster-father for his Son, than the carpenter of Nazareth.
This is the last Sunday of our preparation for Christmas, the anniversary of Christ's birth. Like Joseph, we can all feel unworthy of the honor of welcoming him into our hearts and our homes. We are indeed unworthy, not because we have little of this world's goods, but because we have so little humility, so little charity, so little faith and trust in God's goodness. Let us try to imitate Joseph and Mary, the humblest of the humble, the kindliest of the kindly, and the greatest-ever believers in God's goodness and mercy. We can never hope to equal them, but we can follow them humbly, from afar.
The feast of Christmas should draw the hearts of every child of God towards the furnace of divine love. In the manger, the infinite love of God for us miserable sinners is dramatically and forcefully portrayed before our eyes. In that helpless Baby, represented by a statue, we know that the person, and the power, of the omnipotent Creator and sustainer of the universe lie hidden "He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave" for us. He became a creature, like ourselves, so that he would make us sharers in his divine nature. He came on earth to bring us to heaven. He hid his divine nature so that he could cover us with it.
"Unsearchable indeed are the judgments of God, and inscrutable his ways." But though we are unworthy of his infinite love, it nevertheless stands out as clear as the noonday sun in the Incarnation. We realize that we can never make ourselves worthy of this infinite love, but let us imitate Joseph and accept the honor which God is giving us, as we trust that he will continue to make us daily less unworthy.-a020
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