Servant of the Word: Friday of the Third Week of Advent

“The Nativity” by Jacob de Backer, 1580’s

Commentary:

Commentary on Jer 23:5-8

This passage is part of the “Booklet on Kings.” In it, the prophet exhorts the Hebrew leaders to rule with justice, with special attention to the poor. The last two verses of this passage were probably written during the exile, looking forward to the return to the land. We see in this passage the Prophet Jeremiah predicting the coming of the Messiah who will rule with justice for all time.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19

R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19

Psalm 72 is one of the Royal Psalms sung by the king. It is a prayer that the civil leader may rule with the justice of God. In doing so compassion will be shown to the poor and the wealth of the kingdom will be shared with the poor. In the Advent season, we see this song sung by the Messiah who comes with justice for the poor. The final strophe is concluded with praise for a God who, while unseen, makes his presence known through his creation.

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Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

Commentary on Mt 1:18-25

This passage is the beginning of St. Matthew’s story of the nativity of Jesus. Joseph is being told by the angel that he should bring Mary into his home as wife and the paternity of the child is the Holy Spirit.

"The angel's message is urgent: Joseph must maintain his marriage in order to be the foster-father of Jesus. As a descendant of King David, he imparts to Jesus Davidic (royal) rights of inheritance. Matthew's portrait of Joseph recalls the OT patriarch Joseph. (1) Both share the same name ([Mt] 1:18; Gen 30:24); (2) both have fathers named Jacob ([Mt] 1:16; Gen 30:19-24); (3) God spoke to both of them through dreams ([Mt] 1:20-21; [Mt] 2:13, 19-20, 22; Gen 37:5-11); (4) both were righteous and chaste ([Mt] 1:19; Gen 39:7-18); (5) both saved their families by bringing them to Egypt ([Mt] 2:13; Gen 45 16-20)."[4]

He is also told the name the child is Emmanuel ("God with us"). The story ends with Joseph accepting the role and the command of the angel. “The natural genealogical line is broken but the promises to David are fulfilled; through Joseph's adoption the child belongs to the family of David. Matthew sees the virginal conception as the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14.”[5]

CCC: Mt 1:16 437; Mt 1:18-25 497; Mt 1:20 333, 437, 486, 497; Mt 1:21 430, 437, 452, 1507, 1846, 2666, 2812; Mt 1:23 497, 744

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Reflection:

The Church teaches that God reveals himself to mankind gradually –

The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously "by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other" and shed light on each another [sic]. It involves a specific divine pedagogy [teaching]: God communicates himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.[6]

This statement from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is demonstrated in sacred scripture as we see two stages of revelation recalled in the reading from Jeremiah. Then, in St. Matthew’s Gospel, the final stage of God’s revelation is shown to St. Joseph in a dream as the Father’s plan unfolds before us.

His divine plan, the whole idea of God setting in motion the events leading to complete revelation, surpasses human understanding. We see indistinctly the touch points God has had with humankind since the beginning as recorded in the Bible. Those direct interactions are indistinct because the events were recorded and passed down through human authors and chroniclers who were limited by language and understanding, being the tools they were meant to be. But what they do show us is a dawning understanding of the Lord’s intent toward us.

While God’s revelation was completed in Christ, and no new divine revelation followed his Only Begotten Son, our understanding of these events is incomplete. Starting with those people closest to Jesus, the body of human understanding has grown over the years.

In the Gospel today we see a reference to an ancient prediction: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” Isaiah announced this event even before the great Babylonian Exile, half a millennia before Joseph’s dream. Would Joseph have made the connection to Isaiah’s oracle about the Messiah had that dream not painted the picture? Would Joseph have awakened from that dream and wondered: “Where have I heard those words before?”

It is good that God does not overestimate our ability to take in all that he has planned for us. We come to faith so slowly sometimes, and the sheer magnitude of his love for us continues to be revealed to us as we grasp through faith the reality of Christ. Each time the story plays through, we get a clearer picture, come to a personal revelation that is more complete. Awe at God’s plan once more fills us and our anticipation of the great feast grows.

Pax

[1] S.S. Commemoratio

[2] The picture is “The Nativity” by Jacob de Backer, 1580’s