The Real Meaning of Christmas

The Catholic Liturgy for Christmas Eve Mass. Gospel of St. Matthew 1:18-25.  Theme: The Real Meaning of Christmas

As both a father and a grandfather, I know that one of the biggest decisions to be made concerning the approaching birth of a child is the choice of a name.   A name is so significant, typically representing something hopeful for the child;  It’s something specially chosen since it is so much more than just a tag for identification. The same was true of Jesus and the choosing of his name.

God himself selected Jesus’ name and revealed it to both Mary and Joseph beforehand. An angel said to both of them at different times, “His name will be JESUS.”  Actually, it would be Yeshua in their native language and that's how Mary & Joseph called him (we would say Joshua in modern English). But we Christians have preserved the Latin form of his name as Jesus, in order to distinguish him from many others called Joshua, which was an extremely popular name in his day. But in any case and in every language the name means “God saves” and that was and still is that holy child's mission on planet Earth.

But the gospel also gives us what we might call Jesus' nickname. A nickname typically expresses some trait or characteristic that really stands out in a person and Jesus' nickname was EMMANUEL which means, "God is with us". And when we put the two names together we get the full picture of who he is and why he came among us. When we put those two names together we arrive at the true meaning and uniqueness of Christmas: Jesus-Emmanuel or in English: God saves-God is among us.

He is our Savior precisely because he is God-with-us; a god who is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get dirty with us in the messiness and busy-ness of being human. And it is precisely through this union of the human and the divine in Jesus that God embraces, kisses and transforms human nature, elevating our dignity and status from that of simply creatures to adoption as the children of God with heaven as our inheritance. Through this union he injects within our humanity the supernatural power – called grace – to rise above our selfishness and sinfulness, to become people of mercy, compassion, justice and peace.

But we need to remember that the possibility of living out this transformation of our humanity which we call salvation is a partnership, a two way street, which respects our free will. Jesus never violates our freedom by forcing himself upon us because the decision to reach out to him as Savior is an act of love, and love demands free choice.

And so it seems to me that the big question this raises is: how? How do I enter into this personal bond with Jesus as Savior who can heals me from sin and transform me?  How do I personally participate in the gift of God-with-us so that I can live with him as his child?

First, we must know Jesus and this starts by learning about him. Pope Francis repeats to us over and over again that it is extremely necessary for us to encounter  Jesus in the gospels daily. There can be no such thing as truy knowing and experiencing  Jesus Christ without becoming familiar with him, with his words and deeds. The gospels tell us what Jesus, the God who saves, the God who is with us, really did and said when he lived among us.

Second, if we want Jesus-Emmanuel as a friend and companion in life then we must treat him as one. What would happen if we rarely thought of our friends? If we  never called or texted them? If we never go together with them? The friendship would go nowhere.  It would wither and die.  And the same holds true for our spiritual friendship with Christ. We need to spend time with Jesus in the quiet and conversation that we call prayer. Prayer is simply speaking with him heart to heart. Talk with Jesus about your day, your fears, your hopes, your dreams. Invite him to become part of your every day life.

Finally, nothing can take the place of our regular attendance at Mass because it is here that we most truly and fully experience Jesus Savior who transform us; as Emmanuel who is God-with-us.  Because it is only through the Mass that the Risen Lord Jesus becomes actually present among us in the Holy Eucharist. He comes as the heavenly flood for our spiritual hunger and makes his dwelling within us through the gift of Holy Communion. You can’t get much closer than that to a friend!

Christmas holds such a special warm place in our holidays and celebrations because the human heart cannot ignore an almighty God has chosen to give up his power and glory to become little and live among us as one of us.  That’s why he began life on planet Earth as an infant Savior, a newborn baby laying helpless and vulnerable in a manger.  Who could refuse to reach out  to hold such a Savior in their arms?  Who could refuse whispering, "Yes, I accept your gift of salvation" into those tiny ears and entering into his  friendship? That's what it means to have a Savior who is God-with-us. That’s the real meaning of Christmas.

Joseph's Angel Dream

The Catholic Liturgy for the 4^th Sunday of Advent, Dec. 22, 2019. Gospel of St. Matthew 2:18-24.  Theme: Joseph’s Angel Dream

In the years before I started studying Scripture and learning about Jewish customs in Biblical times, I always found this passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel that we heard today to be a bit odd and even confusing. I mean it says right there in the story that Mary is Joseph’s wife so what’s the problem with her being pregnant? I mean from the point of view of the people. Of course, I totally get it that Joseph was troubled and wanted some answers.

So, it seems to me that to really grasp what Mary’s pregnancy said to the people and demanded of Joseph, we need to know a bit about what it meant in their day to be “engaged” and to be “married”.  According to ancient Jewish custom, an engagement or betrothal was as solemn and binding as the marriage itself.  Even though the couple did not live together nor enjoy physical intimacy, their promised relationship could end only in either divorce or death.  So, for a woman to become pregnant before the actual wedding day meant one of two things for her:  at best, she would be shunned by family and villagers and at worst, she could be stoned to death.

And thus, we arrive at the dilemma. For Joseph, it meant trusting Mary’s word and believing in the unbelievable. For the people, it meant that Mary was an unfaithful fiancé-bride who should be publicly rejected by Joseph to preserve his own dignity and reputation.

But Joseph knew Mary better than anyone.  He knew her virtue, her integrity, her deep love for God and his Law.  It just could not be possible that she had either been unfaithful or that she had lied to him. There had to be another answer. Poor Joseph! We can imagine the tossing and turning, the sweating and kicking of blankets that accompanied his fits of sleep that night!

And then God, through the angel dream, showed Joseph a third way. A way that saved Mary from gossip or death, but would instead cast a dark shadow upon his own goodness and reputation.  Joseph’s plan was this: He would go ahead and marry her, take Mary into his home and care for and raise her Child as his very own. 

You see, if he did this without public explanation, then people would assume the he, Joseph, was the one at fault.  They would assume that he was the one who could not wait until the wedding day, but had jumped the gun with disregard for God’s commandments and Jewish custom. They would assume him to be the father of the child. And Mary would remain safe innocent, and even pitied instead of shunned, for they would see her as simply one more engaged girl whose fiancée had coerced her into pre-marital intimacy.

It was Joseph’s perfect solution.  Or rather, it was God’s perfect solution! joseph awoke with a new way of thinking, a new way of embracing the situation as God’s will for his life, ready and eager to take Mary into his home as his wife and be father to her holy Child.  As one of our popular Christmas carols puts it, this message was indeed for St. Joseph tidings of comfort and joy.

This passage shows us that Joseph was a man who lived and loved for others. He is such an example of real love, a love so unselfish, so great and deep, that it will take the fall for the sake of the one he loves.  He gave flesh and bone beforehand to the teachings that his adopted Son would grow up to proclaim:  Seek first God’s will for your life and then everything else shall be given to you;  Die to yourself so that others may have life.  Love one another and wash each other’s feet. 

This story of Joseph’s Angel Dream gives us the best example of how we should live, not just now in Advent as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Mary’s Child, but every day as Christians: Keeping God first in our lives, putting others second, and then giving ourselves last place, remembering that Jesus said those who make put themselves last shall be first in the Kingdom of God.

Becoming Part of the Magi's Journey

ADVENT FESTIVAL OF LESSONS & CAROLS, December 19, 2019, Fourth Lesson - Gospel of St. Matthew 2:1-12; Theme: Becoming Part of the Magi’s Journey

Our Fourth Lesson tonight tells us about the experience of the Magi and the revelation that they were given about Who and What this Little Child of Bethlehem really was. In reflecting over this story, a few highlights jump off the pages of Matthew’s Gospel that I think can help us evaluate and grow in our own relationship with Christ. Rather than letting their experience remain just a story in the Bible, we can learn from them and become a part of their journey.

First, we see that the Magi are sincere seekers, who leave the comfort zones of their lives to follow the miraculous star.  They experience an unmistakable sign that God is communicating with them and they set out to discover what this means.  They are willing to go wherever it leads and do whatever it takes to find the Newborn King. I wonder…do we have this same sincere and eager desire to seek and encounter God in our lives? Are we willing to go to any length for the sake of deepening our relationship with Him?

Second, The Magi are inquirers who act upon what they have learned.  They are humble and ask others to tell them how they can find the Lord’s Messiah. Notice that Herod and the religious leaders know exactly where the Messiah is to be born, but they make no move to go there. They had the Scriptures to guide them, however, they allow those words to remain just ink on a page.

But the Magi give life to the Scriptures by hearing and doing. So, this might move us to ask ourselves: what is my response to the Word of God? Am I like the Magi who allow the Scriptures to give direction to my life and nourish my relationship with God? Or am I like Herod and his cohort who have grown accustomed to hearing the Scriptures and are unmoved by them?

Third, the Magi cherish and protect their experience of Christ. In return for their sincerity and eagerness to find Him, the Newborn King blesses the wise-men with the Epiphany of Who He really is, and they prostrate themselves before Him. They choose to not reveal the whereabouts of the Holy Child to Herod. Do we cherish our experience of Jesus like they did? Do we refuse to expose this relationship to danger? To people, places or things that can harm it by drawing us away from Christ or leading us into sin?

And finally, the Magi offer the Holy Child their precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The offering of gold is a gift fit for the Newborn King. Frankincense is used in the worship of the Son of God. And myrrh was a burial spice and ointment, affirming the Holy Savior’s humanity and foreshadowing His saving death. Am I living out the gift of gold, which is a symbol of my love for Christ the King? Am I living out the gift of frankincense, which is the offering of my worship to Him as God? And am I willing to live out the gift of myrrh, that is, to suffer if needs be, for my relationship with Jesus our Savior?

The Magi’s journey began with the miraculous Bethlehem Star, which is a symbol of the Light of Faith. Our journey to Jesus also began with the supernatural light of faith given to each one of us at Baptism and symbolized by the baptismal candle we received.   Like the Magi, we are called to follow this light wherever it leads us, confident that, despite the ups and downs of life, our baptismal star will guide us into the presence of Christ, our God, our Savior and our King.