Monthly Archives: December 2022

There are many parallels between yesterday’ Gospel from Matthew and today’s Gospel from Luke. 

In yesterday’s Gospel of Matthew, the annunciation of Jesus’ conception is given to Joseph rather than to Mary.  In today’s Gospel of Luke, the annunciation of John the Baptist’s conception is given to Zechariah instead of Elizabeth. 

The major difference is the age of the couples.  Joseph and Mary are young and ready to raise a family.  Zechariah and Elizabeth are old and beyond the age of bearing children. 

Even though they are old they prayed for a child.  The Gospel tells us “Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.”  Observing the commandments was a moral obligation and observing the ordinances was a ceremonial or liturgical obligation. 

Zechariah was serving in the Temple and was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.  An angel appeared and said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard.”  Zechariah had obviously been praying for a child because the angel tell him that his prayer was heard and proceeds to tell him that Elizabeth will bear a son and they will name him John. 

The angel continues to tell Zechariah “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.”  The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible explains that this last phrase means that the baby will be greater than all the prophets of the Old Testament before him. 

In the Gospel of Mathew Jesus confirms this when he said “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist” 

The angel also tells Zechariah that John will “drink neither wine nor strong drink.  He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.  The commentary explains that means he shall be a Nazarite, or “a separated one”. …. the Nazarite was a symbol of holiness; nothing inflaming was to cross his lips; no razor to come on his head; no ceremonial defilement to be contracted. Thus was he to be “holy to the Lord [ceremonially] all the days of his separation.” This separation was in ordinary cases temporary and voluntary: only Samson, Samuel, and John Baptist were Nazarites from the womb. 

Zechariah doesn’t believe the angel because of their age when he asks ““How shall I know this?   For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”  It’s so like our mortal nature that we pray for a miracle and then question it when it happens.  Zechariah prayed for a child even though they were past the age of bearing children and then doubts that the miracle he prayed for can happen. 

But God did provide the miracle in spite of Zechariah’s unbelief and John the Baptist was born to point all of us to the One who is to come.  John said “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming.  I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.” 

John was a messenger who pointed others to Christ.  Do we do the same in our lives?  Do we point others to Christ by the way we live our lives? 

This is the Fourth Sunday of Advent.  We are in the final week of Advent preparing for the birth of Christ.  One concept in today’s Gospel stands out. 

Kindness

How did that Kindness come about? 

Matthew tells us that “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.  When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.  Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” 

It’s hard for us to understand the culture of that time.  In our society, it’s acceptable to have sex with many partners and living together instead of marrying your partner is the norm.  Sex between engaged couples is commonplace.  Today, those who hold to the sanctity of marriage believe it is right to be a virgin on your wedding night are scoffed at and ridiculed. 

Father Ron Rolheiser explains “The Jewish law was especially strict as to the couple remaining celibate while in the betrothal period.  During this time, the young woman would continue to live with her parents and the young man would go about setting up a house and an occupation so as to be able to support his wife once they began to live together.” 

John Pilch gives us a better understanding of the marriage process in the ancient Mediterranean culture. 

“Though a betrothed couple did not live together, a formal divorce was required to break the public establishment of the betrothal.  Sex with a betrothed woman was considered adultery. 

In the ancient Mediterranean world, marriages were arranged by parents to join extended families and not individuals.  The bride did not expect love, companionship, or comfort.  In this rigidly gender-divided world, men and women had very little contact.  Both partners realized that their union was arranged for the political or economic advantage of their families. 

The entire marriage process is a ritualized removal of a woman from her family.  The groom’s father offers gifts or services to the bride’s father to win the wife he wants for his son.  The bride’s father makes the final decision. 

The women of both families negotiate the contract to be certain neither family is shortchanged, but the patriarch of each family ratifies the contract publicly.  When the groom takes the bride into his home, the marriage process is completed.” 

We often think of the Old Testament culture being dominated by men, yet John Pilch tells us that the mothers negotiate the contract to protect their interests even though the fathers ratify it publicly. 

Ron Rolheiser writes “Joseph and Mary were at this stage of their relationship, legally married but not yet living together, when Mary became pregnant. Joseph, knowing that the child was not his, had a dilemma: if he wasn’t the father, who was? In order to save his own reputation, he could have demanded a public inquiry and, indeed, had Mary been accused of adultery, it might have meant her death. However, he decided to “divorce her quietly,” that is, to avoid a public inquiry which would leave her in an awkward and vulnerable situation.”  

Matthew tells us that “since he (Joseph) was a righteous man” he acted with Kindness. 

What did it mean to be a righteous person for Joseph?  Ron Rolheiser tells us that “the Joseph of the Christmas story writes his own history: he is presented to us as an “upright” man, a designation that scholars say implies that he has conformed himself to the Law of God, the supreme Jewish standard of holiness.  In every way he is blameless, a paradigm of goodness …” 

Joseph conformed himself to the Law of God.  That is an accomplishment that very few people attain.  Each of us here today are following in St Joseph’s footsteps.  We are striving to live a life of holiness as we worship in this holy place. 

God is always described in the Bible as full of Love and Mercy; in the Old Testament for the Children of Israel and in the New Testament for all people including us today.  The final prayer in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy ends with “but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.” 

If Joseph conformed himself to the Law of God, he would have lived a life of love and mercy toward everyone he met.  This love and mercy revealed itself as kindness toward Mary.  He did not want to cause Mary any undue stress even though he had every right. 

Both Mary and Joseph had a lot that could go very wrong, but they trusted in the message the angel gave them from God.  Mary knew that she could be accused of adultery and stoned to death.  And yet she said “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.^” 

Joseph could have publicly shamed Mary to defend his own reputation.  John Pilch writes “The honor code of the Mediterranean world demands that no one take what properly belongs to another.  Mary’s child is not Joseph’s, so he hesitates to take the child.  But if he doesn’t act quickly, he will be shamed.  His sense of honor hopes that the rightful father will seize this opportunity to claim the child and marry the woman, Mary.  In all of his decisions, Joseph acts very honorably.” 

By law, Joseph is entitled to return Mary to her father and expose her to death.  He decided to quietly divorce her because he is a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to shame.  

Joseph acted with kindness. 

Kindness

It’s something we see so little of today.  It’s so easy to be upset and angry with people we meet.  The rude person in the grocery store, the person who cut us off on the highway, the relative who knows how to hit not just one but all our buttons, or the homeless person on the corner. 

Despite all the anger, hatred, hurtful people out there we must act with kindness toward everyone we meet. 

As we come to receive Christ in the Eucharist, we must open our hearts and lives to Christ so his Love and Mercy flows through us to others. 

Kindness 

Will I strive to follow the example of St Joseph in my life?  Who will I be kind to this week? 

The Gospel of Matthew is the first of the four Gospels.  The early church believed that it was written first.  It also begins with the genealogy of Jesus starting with Abraham coming through the centuries to the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, so it is in the logical sequence for it to be first.  Later studies indicate that the Gospel of Mark was written first.

The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the visit by the Magi, the massacre of the Holy Innocents, the flight to Egypt and the return are all covered by the end of the second chapter. 

The Gospel of Matthew makes this transition from the start of John the Baptist’s ministry to the start of Jesus’ ministry very quickly.  After Jesus is tempted by the devil and John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus moves to Capernaum by the sea and begins his ministry. 

We know from the Gospels that there was a very close connection between John the Baptist and Jesus from the very beginning.  Elizabeth and the infant John both recognized the Divinity of Christ in the womb of Mary. 

In the Gospel of Luke, we read: “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord^* should come to me?” 

After the end of today’s Gospel reading, Jesus comes to John the Baptist in the Jordan River to be baptized.  At first John is reluctant because he recognizes Jesus as the one who is mightier than he.  Jesus tells John that it needs to be accomplished for the glory of God.  This makes the bond between them even stronger. 

In the Gospel reading for today, John the Baptist appeared in the desert of Judea preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” In the next chapter, Jesus starts his ministry with the same words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  

This phrase “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” will be heard frequently in the coming liturgical year.  Sometimes it will be “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”, depending on the Gospel.  These two phrases are used over one hundred times in the Gospels. 

It is interesting that this phrase, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” which only appears in the Jewish based Gospel of Matthew, is used over thirty times.  What is so unique and so important about this phrase that it is used so many times? 

In Jesus’ time, the people knew about kingdoms and authority.  Caesar was in Rome but ruled with absolute force.  Anyone who opposed Rome was brutally dealt with in the public view so that all would see what happens to those who dare oppose Caesar. 

The Jewish people also understood the Kingdoms could be good like King David who ruled the people with fairness and love.  Much of the Old and New Testaments refer to Christ as King, coming in his glory as King of all the earth. 

The people of Jesus’ time wanted a political kingdom like their father David who would overthrow the Roman Empire and free the people from the bondage and oppression they experienced every day. 

It’s amazing that neither Jesus nor Gospel writers explain what is meant by the phrase, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”.  It is one of those things that all the listeners of that time would have known what is meant, so there was no need to explain.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t help us two thousand years later.

So, what is really meant by “the kingdom of heaven”? 

Deacon Donald Cox wrote about the kingdom of heaven in the Catholic Journal:

“Simply stated, the Kingdom of Heaven is a Kingdom that exists within and among the people of God.  If we look at and combine all of the various statements made in Scripture regarding the Kingdom of Heaven, we find the following:

It is a Kingdom that is approached only through understanding. 

You have to enter into this understanding only by acceptance, like that of a little child. 

Entrance into this Kingdom is a spiritual rebirth. 

This kingdom is populated by souls who devote themselves to doing the will of God. 

This Kingdom, therefore, is not defined by geographic territory, but rather by dominion. 

Think of the Kingdom of Heaven as God’s intentions for the universe.  Citizens of this kingdom are, therefore, called to live the way that Christ lived and think the way that Christ thought.” 

The kingdom of heaven takes us back to the very beginning of Genesis before we sinned and lost favor with God.  Everything was working in accord with God’s intention for the universe.  Then we succumbed to the temptation to be like God. 

Think about the last sentence that Deacon Cox wrote.  We are called to live the way that Christ lived and think the way that Christ thought.

When I look at my own life to see how I compare to the standard that Christ lived, I fail miserably. 

But there is hope! 

St Thomas Aquinas wrote: “No man is able of himself to grasp the supreme good of eternal life; he needs divine help. Hence, there is here a two-fold object, the eternal life we hope for, and the divine help we hope for.” 

God understood that we are unable to enter the kingdom of heaven and achieve eternal life on our own.  That’s why he sent his Son; to live as we live, to be tempted as we are tempted, to suffer pain and agony as we suffer; so that through his passion, death, and resurrection we have the hope of entering the kingdom of heaven. 

The kingdom of heaven is the central theme of Jesus’ life and ministry.  Are we going to be a part of it?  Are we willing to repent, and change the way we live our lives?  Are we willing to repent of our past sins and open our hearts for a spiritual rebirth to think and live like Christ? 

If we are willing to do that, the world will be a radically different place. 

O Come, O Come Emmanuel; and give us strength and courage to think as you thought and live as you lived.