Homily Notes: Dec 22 2019

Readings:

The prophecy of the "young woman" giving birth.
The opening to Paul's letter to the Romans
Matthew's account of the Nativity

Homily: 806 Words
Estimated Time:  4.75 minutes




Today’s readings are one final preparation for the birth of our Lord.  As familiar as they are to us, there is almost no end to the discussions we could have about them.  Every phrase, every word is worth meditating upon – worth asking questions about.

Let’s begin by looking at the Old Testament reading for today.  What you’re hearing is the famous prophecy of the virgin birth.  The context of the prophecy was that in 700BC Jerusalem was under threat from kingdoms to the north.  Isaiah was sent to king Ahaz to assure him that Jerusalem would survive and he didn’t need to make any clever alliances with gentile nations.  As proof, King Ahaz was asked to name the sign that would convince him of this.  King Ahaz clearly isn’t buying it, so he gives a pious-sounding dismissal.  He says he wouldn’t dare ask the Lord for a sign, but what he really means is, “Get lost, you meddling prophet.”   In response, and out of frustration, Isaiah gave him the prophecy of the child named Emmanuel.

Here’s where the controversy picks up.  The prophecy goes on at some length past what we read today.  The description of this child has details specifically tying him to the events of Ahaz’s time.  Thus, critics of Christianity say it couldn’t be a true prophecy for Jesus.

What these critics don’t realize is that many times Biblical prophecy is fulfilled in lesser and greater ways.  Yes, Isaiah’s prophecy referred to a child born in their time, presumably by an ordinary pregnancy.  Some people believe it refers to King Hezekiah. But what Matthew’s gospel says is this prophecy has a second, greater, more literal fulfillment when a child came into our world who really is “God with us.”

So let’s turn to our reading from Matthew; the account of Joseph’s message from the angel.  Though it isn’t an official teaching which everyone has to believe, it is traditionally held among Catholics that Mary was a young woman who had pledged her virginity to the Lord at a young age.  This belief has a good basis in the inspired text.  You can see evidence for it in Luke’s Gospel when Gabriel comes to Mary and informs her she’s going to have a son.  Her response is, “How shall that be, I do not know man?”  Well, that response doesn’t make sense for any married woman to make.  Tell a married woman she’s going to have a son and she’ll reply, “Great!” – not, “How will that happen?!”

Correspondingly, Joseph was an older man who agreed to marry her for the sake of being her guardian and provider.  However, suddenly Joseph finds out this pious young woman is inexplicably pregnant.  That… to put it mildly… wasn’t part of his plan.  The text says he wanted to divorce her quietly because he was a righteous man.

People have always wondered what that means.  Some say he immediately knew this pregnancy was of God.  And his motive for seeking a divorce was that he thought this miraculous pregnancy meant he was supposed to back away from the marriage.  Other people think Joseph thought this was a natural pregnancy, but didn’t know what to make of it.

Whatever happened, he knew it wasn’t HIS child, so she couldn’t be his wife anymore.  What he could never have guessed, and thus had to be told by an angel, is that while this wasn’t part of his plan, it was part of God’s plan.  As Paul says in our second reading, this was all part of God’s intent to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of King David.

One thing we can draw from this is our sheer amazement at God’s providential guidance of history.  No detail is overlooked, no matter how obscure it may seem.  Likewise, we can draw comfort in our lives that even when we encounter something sudden and inexplicable, something which seems to have no upside... this is not outside of God’s providence.  We aren’t alone.  As Jesus says in Luke 12, “He has numbered the hairs on your head.”

The birth of the Son of God means that God is Immanuel, He is with us.  As Jesus grew, he had to work hard, to sweat.  He experienced the toil of life. He experienced poverty.  He knew what it was like to stub his toe.  He watched relatives die.  All of this is wrapped up in the mind-boggling affirmation that God became man.

That is what we celebrate every Christmas – God leaving the sanctuary of Mary’s womb and being with us.  In another way, we also celebrate it every time we have Mass – when Christ becomes present on the altar.  Jesus isn’t just with us back there in history.  As he says at the close of Mathew’s Gospel, “I am with you till the end of the age.”