Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

“The Nativity”
by Federico Fiori Barocci, 1597

 
Readings for December 20 [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Isaiah 7:10-14
 
The Lord spoke to Ahaz:
Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!”
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary men,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
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Commentary on Is 7:10-14
 
Jerusalem is being attacked by two neighboring kings when Isaiah is commanded by God to go and speak to the Jewish king, Ahaz, cautioning him to have faith that God will protect Jerusalem. Ahaz is hypocritical in both his faith and his response, which is interpreted as cynical when he says: “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!”
 
Isaiah follows with his prophetic vision. He does not realize the import of his prediction. Most scholars agree, he thinks he is merely speaking of the rescue of Judah. “The sign proposed by Isaiah was concerned with the preservation of Judah in the midst of distress (cf. Isaiah 7:15, 17), but more especially with the fulfillment of God's earlier promise to David (2 Samuel 7:12-16) in the coming of Immanuel (meaning, "With us is God") as the ideal king (cf. Isaiah 9:5-6; 11:1-5). The Church has always followed St. Matthew in seeing the transcendent fulfillment of this verse in Christ and his Virgin Mother.” [4]
 
"The child, the son, is the most significant part of the sign. If the prophecy refers to the son of Ahaz, the future King Hezekiah, it would be indicating that his birth will be a sign of divine protection, because it will mean that the dynasty will continue. If it refers to another child, not yet known, the prophet's words would mean that the child's birth could manifest hope that 'God was going to be with us,' and his reaching the age of discretion (v. 16) would indicate the advent of peace; the child's birth would, then, be the sign that 'God is with us.'" [5]
 
CCC: Is 7:14 497
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
 
R. (see 7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
 
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
 
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
 
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
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Commentary on Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
 
Psalm 24 is a processional song. It recalls that God is the great creator, and he calls his people to be faithful. It asks the question: "Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord?" The psalmist answers, only those who are sinless (completely reconciled to God). They who achieve that beatified state will receive the reward of eternal life from the Savior. It focuses on the character of the one who worthily seeks God, and the one who is worthy to come into God’s kingdom and stand before him. We are answered: “He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.”
 
This is part of a hymn of entrance, sung as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple at Jerusalem, followed by the faithful. Once again in this song, we find a reference borrowed by St. John’s Revelation (Revelations 14:5), and an image created in the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 10:22). Who are the ones allowed full access to God?
 
CCC: Ps 24:6 2582
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Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
 
In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
 
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
 
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
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Commentary on Lk 1:26-38
 
This passage, from St. Luke’s Gospel, is the story of Mary being informed by the archangel Gabriel that she has been chosen for the great privilege of bearing the Savior of the world. St. Mary graciously accepts this honor, although with very human fear, indicating that her free will is at play. This response makes her obedience to God’s will more powerful. It is proposed that, with this acceptance, Mary entered into a vow of perpetual virginity because of the demands of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."
 
In St. Luke’s story of the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she will bear a son and name him Jesus (the eternal implication of this statement is made clear in the greeting which presupposes knowledge of Mary’s entire existence). Mary confirms the title “Virgin” given by the author as she questions Gabriel saying: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Even though she does not understand, Mary accepts her role and is told that the Holy Spirit will be the agent of the life within her. She then utters those amazing words: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
 
This announcement is parallel to Zechariah’s news about John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-23), which is also delivered by the archangel Gabriel. This passage clearly identifies Jesus as Son of David and Son of God, thus linking it with the messianic predictions from the Old Testament.
 
CCC: Lk 1:26-38 497, 706, 723, 2571; Lk 1:26-27 488; Lk 1:26 332; Lk 1:28-37 494; Lk 1:28 490, 491; Lk 1:31 430, 2812; Lk 1:32-33 709; Lk 1:32 559; Lk 1:34 484, 497, 505; Lk 1:35 437, 484, 486, 697; Lk 1:37-38 494; Lk 1:37 148, 269, 273, 276; Lk 1:38 64, 148, 510, 2617, 2677, 2827, 2856
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Reflection:
 
We near the end of our spiritual preparation for the great feast of the Lord’s Nativity.  We have heard the Baptist’s cry and have been called to look to our hearts to see the place we have made for the Lord.  As the starter of a race says, we have already been told: “On your mark.”  With the proclamation once more of St. Luke’s story of the Annunciation, we find ourselves poised as the second warning, “get set,” brings us to a barely contained state of expectation. (Hold steady, it will be four more days before we hear: “Go.”  No false starts now.)
 
Even as we hold ourselves at readiness, we take one last look at our preparations. 
 
Have we cleaned our old hurts and hates in the sacrament of reconciliation?
 
Have we established a prayer regimen that includes an attitudinal reflection? (By this we are referring to that portion of our prayer that not only gives thanks to God for all he has done, but also expresses our joy in those gifts.)
 
Have we aligned our actions and planned actions with our prayer, and our Lord’s commandments to us?
 
Have we adjusted our own desires to better conform ourselves to what God would want for us and from us?
 
We could not help but be very moved by the psalm this morning. Look at what it says. First it asks the rhetorical questions: “Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord, or who may stand in his holy place?” Then in the very next strophe we are given the answer: “He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.” That’s where the questions asked above came from.
 
We know that on our own, we cannot become worthy to stand in the physical presence of the Lord. But, we can make a real effort to so transform our lives that we minimize our period of purification following this life, so we can stand sinless before him for eternity. That is our object this Advent season, and we don’t have much time left, a few short days more.
 
Pax
 
O Antiphon for this date: [6]
 
O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel,
controlling at your will the gate of heaven: Come,
break down the prison walls of death for those
who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death;
and lead your captive people into freedom.
 
O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel,
qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperuit:
veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris,
sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

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[1] The picture used today is “The Nativity” by Federico Fiori Barocci, 1597.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] NAB footnote on Isaiah 7:10ff.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Major Prophets,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p.73.
[6] The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. (USCCB)