Solemnity of the Theotokos: Mater Dei, Amantes Matrem Suam, Maria Lactans – Mother of God, Loving Mother, Breastfeeding Mary

 Catholics throughout the world begin a new year with the priestly benediction in Numbers 6:24-26, echoes in Psalm 67, responsorial Psalm, while solemnly honoring Mary as the Theotokos, the Mother of God. We begin a new year on the new year’s day in receiving this priestly blessings, invoking God three times. How nice it is, indeed, to begin a new year with such a benediction for God’s be kept in His love, mercy, and peace, facing our shining face to His, in glorifying Him, in our praises with raised hands. 

On this feast day to honor Mary as the mother of God, the Theotokos, the Gospel Reading (Luke 2:16-21) is about the latter half of the Nativity narrative and the description of Jesus’ Abrahamic covenant circumcision (brit milah) with the Father, reflecting Genesis 17, on the 8^th day from his birth. The ending verse of the Gospel Reading for this solemnity of Mary’s motherhood, Luke 2:21, reminds us that the incarnated Christ was circumcised and named as Jesus on the eighth day from his birth, as Abraham received this name as the new name, replacing his old name, Abram (Genesis 17:3-5), and was circumcised for the visible sign of God’s everlasting covenant in his flesh (Genesis 17:9-14, 23-27). The fact that baby Jesus was circumcised on his eighth day of life in accordance with the dictate of Genesis 17:12, reaffirms that he is a son of Abraham, as shown through Joseph’s lineage (Matthew 1:1-17) and as shown through Mary’s lineage (Luke 3:23-34).

Upon his birth, newborn baby Jesus, the incarnated Christ in theophany, was wrapped in a swaddling clothes and placed in a manger (Luke 2:7), reminding that God the Father sent His only begotten Son to poverty. In his homily for 2020 Christmas Midnight Mass, Pope Francis tells us that the Nativity of Christ is rich in love, with a focus on the manger in which newborn baby was placed, as God’s sign of His love in sending His Son (John 3:16) with these words in his homily:

The angel proclaims to the shepherds: “This will be a sign for you: a baby lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).  That sign, the Child in the manger, is also a sign for us, to guide us through life.  In Bethlehem, a name that means “House of Bread”, God lies in a manger, as if to remind us that, in order to live, we need him, like the bread we eat.  We need to be filled with his free, unfailing and concrete love.  …

….That manger, poor in everything yet rich in love, teaches that true nourishment in life comes from letting ourselves be loved by God and loving others in turn.

The manger is not just an indication of Jesus’ birth to poverty – God sending His Son to poverty but a clear sign of His love that works through poverty and darkness of humanity. And, this love of God, with a sign of its object in the manger, is reflected in the parental love of Mary and Joseph to Jesus.

Mary and Joseph pour their love on baby Jesus in their care for him to ensure that he grows healthy, wise and strong, as this baby born of Mary to poverty calls us to serve other (John 13:14) and love one another as he does (John 13:34-35; 15:12).

The reality at the Nativity scene is more than poverty, and as Pope Francis reminds, we need to focus on love in that scene of the Nativity in poverty, beyond what is written in Luke’s Gospel Nativity narrative. Perhaps, what is written in Luke’s Gospel – baby Jesus in a manger – is rather symbolic to allude to the fact that he came to this world by his birth from Mary’s womb is to become the Living Bread of Life (John 6:51), as a manger is a feeding trough for livestock animals. No, Jesus, as the Living Bread of Life, is not sent from heaven to feed animals but to feed the sheep of his Father, as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11a, 14). And he offers his whole body and flood not only to keep the sheep of his care alive but lead them to eternal life (John 6:51-58; 10:18). For us, this newborn baby, place in a manger, has been sent to us, in poverty, rich in God’s steadfast love, chesed, and enhanced with the parental love of Mary and Joseph. So, he has come to us to lay his own life for us (John 10:11b), to ransom us (Matthew 20:28), and to give himself to redeem us from all wickedness to purity so that we belong to him and serve one another with love as his disciples (Titus 2:14).

This is so well reflected in the Orthodox icons of the Nativity, as the manger in which Jesus is placed is described like a coffin, and the swaddling clothes that wrap Jesus’ bod looks like burial clothes for the dead. In the Orthodox tradition, the Nativity of Christ is directly linked to his Death and Resurrection. Therefore, it is not just a poor baby in a manger but to remind that the birth of Christ means the imminence of our salvation through his Death and Resurrection. To save us, Christ has to offer up his body and blood on the Cross and die once, so that he can show his victory over death, by his Resurrection.

Christ was born to die for us, because he is the embodiment of the ultimate love (John 10:18; 15:13), namely God (1 John 4:8, 16).

So, the Nativity is not only the first day of the incarnated Christ’s life outside Mary’s womb but the very first day leading up to his salvific suffering, death, and resurrection, revealing God, who is love, in Christ’s Paschal Mystery. For this reason, He sent Christ the Son out of love (John 3:16).

Now, how do we honor the motherhood of Mary to Jesus, the incarnated Christ, in recalling the Nativity, which exposes in the very love of God, which is coordinated with Mary’s maternal love? We need to go beyond what is written in the Lucan Nativity narrative by applying what David Tracy and Andrew Greeley call “Catholic imagination” in analogous correlation to the Gospel narrative text.

First, imagine the Nativity scene, as described in Luke 2:16-20….It is cold and dark as the sun has not risen yet. The incarnated Christ is already born. Joseph is busy keeping the fire for warmth and light, to ensure the safety and wellness of his wife, Mary, and baby Jesus.

As written in Luke 2:7, the incarnated Christ is wrapped with swaddling clothe and placed in a manger, reflecting his birth to poverty, the poor Holy Family, as well as his mission to fulfill Isaiah 52:13-53:12, through his Death and Resurrection, revealing the Paschal Mystery in him.

Wrapping baby Jesus in swaddling clothes and placing him in a manger was the best thing Mary and Joseph could do, in their given situation in poverty. Nevertheless, as Pope Francis reflected in his Christmas Midnight Mass homily in 2020, there is richness in love, and the love of Mary and Joseph to Jesus, as the Holy Family, is reflected in Colossians 3:12-17, as this narrative is in the Second Reading for the feast of the Holy Family.

So, focusing on love in our Catholic imagination in the scene of Luke 2:16-20, after the homage of the shepherds, who came and rejoiced in witnessing the newborn incarnated Christ at his Nativity left to share their testimony with others. Mary was lying to rest, as any mother upon giving birth does. And, she is casting her motherly eyes of love and care on the very baby, the incarnated Christ, whom she just gave birth to. She felt rachamim (compassion cf. splanchnon: innermost part of the body, seat of emotions) for her Son, placed in a manger, after coming out of her rechem – metra (womb). Though wrapped, it is not warm enough. And it is a pity that he is put in the manger, which is for food for livestock animals to be placed. So, though still tired due not only to giving birth but also to a long journey from Nazareth, Mary took baby Jesus out of the manger.  She now holds baby Jesus in her arms and brings him to her soft and warm breast for nacham-parakaleo (comfort). Her maternal instinct senses that her baby needs her breast milk. He cannot be left in the manger, which is not a place of comfort. Baby needs mother’s comfort and breast milk to survive and thrive. So, Mary exposes her breast filled with her love and milk to breastfeed her Son, who is the Son of God, baby Jesus.

The eyes of Jesus cannot see fully yet, as he was just born. Nevertheless, baby Jesus immediately recognizes his mother’s breast and begins sucking her warm milk. Now, Mary is providing another her feminine part of the body, breast and its milk, after providing him with her womb to grow until his birth. And, this is not a problem with Jesus’ divinity and purity because Mary is the Immaculate Conception, filled with grace imperviously against any corruptive effects of the Original Sin, from the moment of her own conception.

Holding this milk-sucking newborn baby Jesus, once again, Mary casts her motherly gaze upon him and contemplating all the things about the baby and things relating to him (Luke 2:18)….recalling what Angel Gabriel said about him at the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38)…what was all about the shepherd coming and overjoying over her baby boy (Luke 2:15-17).

It was before Mary was told by Simeon about her suffering because of this baby at presenting him to God in the Temple, fulfilling Exodus 13:12-15 (Luke 2:22-35). So, she must be just wondering how this special Son, the Son of God, just born of her, will grow up to become – just as any mother does in holding her newborn baby in her breast. And, while holding and breastfeeding him, keeping him comfortable and warmer with her motherly love, during that cold predawn hours, Mary gives benediction to him, perhaps, reflecting the priestly prayer in the First Reading (Numbers 6:22-27).

So imagine Mary holding and breastfeeding milk-sucking baby Jesus giving this priestly benediction (Birkat Kohahim) to him:

The Lord bless you and keep you!

The Lord let his face shine upon

you, and be gracious to you!

The Lord look upon you kindly and

give you peace.   (Numbers 6:22-24)

 Through this Aaronic benediction, Lord (יהוה‎ - Yahweh) is repeated three times, in wishing benefits of His blessings and keeping the beneficiary in His blessings. And, the spirit of this priestly benediction that Mary may have given to Jesus is reflected in the responsorial Psalm (Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8), with our response of praising Him, with our arms raised up, as the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:22-24 requires. But, as Mary’s hands are holding baby Jesus, perhaps, her husband, Joseph, is raising his hands, on her behalf, while she plays a priestly role in blessing in the name of Yahweh to His Son, who is also her Son.

 The Second Reading (Galatians 4:4-7) not only gives why God the Father, Yahweh, has sent His only begotten Son out of His love (John 3:16), through incarnating the Theos-Logos (John 1:1, 14), but also gives insights as to why Jesus has proclaimed his mother, Mary, also as our mother (John 19:27). As Paul succinctly writes in these verses, the Son born of Mary the Mother of God, is sent by the Father in heaven so that we also become His spiritually adopted children (Galatians 4:5-7). As we are being adopted by the Father through His only begotten Son, born of Mary, this Mother of God is certainly our mother, as well.

 Because Mary is also our mother, as spiritually adopted children of God through Christ, who is born of her, we can see that Mary is giving her priestly blessings upon us, as her dear children. Perhaps, on this day to start another year, Mary, out mother, is giving a priestly benediction, as she did to her firstborn son, Jesus, on the day of his Nativity. 

Let us also remember that the Holy Spirit on Pentecost makes us the body of Christ with many parts, representing many gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:1-6). And he is always with us, as our Emmanuel (Matthew 28:20), because he is also in this one body, one Church, as its head (Colossians 1:18).

As God the Father has sent His Son, who is Theos-Logos(John 1:1), incarnating  (John 1:14) through the Immaculate Conception, Mary, the Mother of God, we become God’s adopted children, forming one body of Christ, through the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Christ, who pre-existed before time and Creation, was sent out of God’s love, so that we also become one with His beloved Son, so that Mary, the Mother of God, also become our mother, as well.

So, let us be held in Mary’s arms, enjoy her motherly love, which represents Yahweh’s maternal love for comfort and consolation (nacham) (Isaiah 66:13, echoing Isaiah 12:1-2;49:13; 51:3,12; 52:9; 57:18; 61:2; cf. Jeremiah 31:13; Zechariah 1:17; 2 Corinthians 1:3).

The maternal love of Mary, pouring on baby Jesus, the firstborn of Mary, represents the חֶסֶד/ chesed with רַחֲמִים/rachamim of Yahweh, to bring תַּנְחוּם /nacham.

The chesed of Yaweh is His everlasting covenant love-kindness with mercy, which is masculine. And chesed has a strong component of rachamim, which is feminine and emotional, meaning compassion and mercy, to bring us nacham, which is feminine, meaning comfort and solace. Rachamim is, indeed, Yahweh’s motherly love for comfort, as this Hebrew biblical word is associated with rechem, which means womb of mother.  Mary’s rechem (womb) symbolically represents God’s rachamim (compassion and mercy) for her firstborn Son to enjoy nacham (comfort) until his birth. And, upon his birth, Mary’s breast serves as the primary source of nacham (comfort) for baby Jesus. Thus, through Mary’s womb and breast, the incarnated Christ enjoys all the benefits of his Father’s chesed with rachamim for him, as His beloved Son. And, as the Mother of God, Mary serves as Yahweh’s handmaid to let His will be done on to her – on to her womb and breast for baby Jesus, according to His Word (Luke 1:38).

As one with Christ, held in his mother’s arms to her warm breast, sucking her breast milk, let us also enjoy the same comfort that baby Jesus enjoys in his mother’s arms, through the maternal love of God the Father, embodied in Mary, the Mother of God, as well as our spiritual mother.

Mary is our spiritual mother, through the incarnated Christ. As baby Jesus needs her breast milk to live, we do need pure spiritual milk to grow in salvation (1 Peter 2:2) until we mature in Christ to fully understand his teaching (Hebrews 5:12-13). And, Mary, who is the mother of the incarnated Christ and of us, can always help us understand the teaching of her Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, through her spiritual milk. She points us to listen to and do what her Son, has to say (John 2:5) and has given us the Holy Rosary, to draw us closer to her Son. Through her apparitions, Mary, as the Mother of God, as well as our mother, calling us, “children”, to make sure we are one with him. In order to fully digest Christ’s teaching in our heart and action of love, we always need the spiritual milk through Mary’s spiritual breast.

May this new year, 2021, be graced with Mary’s motherly comfort (nachum) of the divine steadfast love (chesed) of Yahweh with His mercy (rachamim), as Mary the Mother of God is His blessed and favored handmaid to bring all of these through her firstborn Son, named Jesus.

Let Us Not Make Rachel Cry and Mourn in Her Grave as We Turn to Christ – the Feast of the Holy Innocent during Christmas Octave

While we are celebrating the mystery of the incarnation of the Theos-Logos (God-Word)(John 1:1, 14), coming out of Mary’s womb, as baby Jesus, we also have two bloody memorials for martyrs, who willingly died for Christ, St. Stephan (December 26), and who were killed because of Jesus, whom the Magi called the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2) (December 28), during Christmas Octave.

Though we regard St. Stephen (Acts 6:1-8:1a) as the proto-martyr, historically, the proto-martyrs are the children massacred by Herod the Great, in his rage of being fooled by the Magi, who were to tell him where the newborn King of the Jew was (Matthew 2:1-18). Nevertheless, St. Stephen is the first martyred apostle of Christ in the Church.

What led to the martyrdom of Stephen is how our sins, as represented with sin of the religious authorities, which also killed Jesus, rejecting Christ and his teaching. Stephen was put to death because his teaching of Christ and his teaching in the Gospel, infuriated the religious authorities, who continued to reject Christ and his teaching. And what killed these innocent children of age 2 and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity is sin of Herod the Great, who felt threatened of his power by the prospect of a rival king of the Jews, as he was recognized by Caesar to be king of the Jews.

These innocent children had to shed their blood to death because of Jesus the incarnated Christ, God the Word, who was regarded as the King of the Jews by the Magi. And nearly 33 years later, Jesus himself was killed under the charge: the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:11, 27; Mark 15:1, 12, 18, 26, 31-32; Luke 23:2-3; John 18:33-37;19:2-3,14,19-22), a threat to Caesar (John 11:45-52; 19:12,15). Furthermore, the religious authorities, who wanted to kill Jesus by conspiring the Roman authority, because of their envy (Matthew 27:18), also killed Stephen, who eloquently spoke of Christ and his Gospel with unparalleled wisdom (Acts 6:5, 8-10; 7:1-60). And the way Stephen by them was killed resembled the way Jesus was killed by them, as false accusation is behind both of these deaths (Acts 6:11-14 cf.  Matthew 26:59-68; Mark 14:55-65; Luke 23:2, 13-25).

We honor and commemorate the St. Stephan’s life of steadfast faith, as he was filled with the Holy Spirit, on the day after the Nativity of the Lord. Then, two days later, still in Christmas Octave, we memorialize these children killed by Herod the Great in place of little Jesus, whom the Magi regarded as the newborn King of Israel. Stephen was killed because he spoke like Christ as him and his teaching. So, he became subject to false accusation, just as Christ was subjected to it, too. Being truly Christ-like, Stephen did not hold nothing against those who killed him and killed Christ (Acts 7:60), as Jesus forgave those who killed him (Luke 23:34). The children of age 2 and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity were massacred because Herod wanted to find and kill Jesus but could not find him, as the Magi did not tell where they met Jesus. Though Herod could not find and kill Jesus, these children were killed as “collateral damages” by Herod’s sinful fear of the King of the Jews (as he was king of the Jews under Caesar’s authority, while Jesus is the King, not only of the Jews but of all, by God’s authority).

Both of these martyrs, whose lives are honored during Christmas Octave, St. Stephen and the Holy Innocent, were killed because of human sin, as it also killed Jesus, the incarnated Christ.

For the Feast of the Holy Innocent, the martyrs, on December 28, the Gospel Reading (Matthew 2:13-18) comes with a heavy tone of mourning for the great loss of unknown multitudes of innocent lives due to one man’s sin, in reaction to the incarnated Christ the King, even before he began his public ministry at age 30. This bloody tragedy happened when Jesus was no older than age 2.

Though the real target of Herod’s killing rage was Jesus himself, it was not time for him to die. Therefore, God the Father, through angel, told Joseph to take Jesus and his mother, Mary, altogether, to Egypt for Jesus’ safety, as if to reverse Exodus. In Exodus, the Israelites escaped from Egypt as delivered by God. But, in response to Herod the Great’s threat, the Holy Family escaped to Egypt – until God the Father calls His Son out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15), for which Matthew cites Hosea 11:1, which recalls God calling Pharaoh to let His firstborn son, Israel, go free out of Egypt (Exodus 4:22-23). And, Jesus is, indeed, God’s real firstborn Son (Luke 2:7), as presented by Mary and Joseph in the Temple (Luke 2:22-24) in accordance with Exodus 13:11-15, along with Leviticus 12:1-8. Thus, Jesus, within his Holy Family, stayed in Egypt until God called to return to Nazareth upon the death of Herod the Great so that he can grow strong to begin his public ministry – and to die and resurrect, as the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18) to redeem and save us.

Jesus, the Savior, was saved from the evil murderous snare of Herod, it cost so many lives of innocent children of and near his age at that time. Imagine what it was like to see their children slaughtered in Herod’s madness rage to find and kill little Jesus boy, who was regarded as the King of the Jews by the Magi, as their parents. So, to poetically reflect their mourning over loss of children, Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15 in Matthew 2:18:

A voice was heard in Ramah,

sobbing and loud lamentation;

Rachel weeping for her children,

and she would not be consoled,

since they were no more.

 In his book of prophecy, Jeremiah considered the mourning of the loss of Jerusalem to the Babylonian seize analogous to the intense morning of Rachel, who grieved just as her husband, Jacob did, to an extent to refuse to be comforted, when Jacob was told Joseph, who is Rachel’s first son with Jacob (Genesis 30:22-24), was killed (Genesis 37:34-35), though Rachel was dead at that time (Genesis 35:16-20) and Joseph was not killed but actually sold as a slave to Pharaoh’s official (Genesis 37:36; cf. Genesis 37:12-33).

 Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife (Genesis 29:16-30) but struggled with her infertility and even felt jealous of her sister, Leah, another wife of Jacob, who had more children with him (Genesis 30:1). As she was on her way to Ephrath, where Bethlehem is, she had labor and began to give birth to Benjamin, her second son with Jacob and the youngest son of Jacob, fulfilling her wish for another son upon Joseph (Genesis 30:24), with great difficulty and died upon giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-20).

 Jeremiah may also refer Rachel’s lost children, for whom she mourns, actually to her grandchildren, sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh(Genesis 48:1-2; cf Genesis 30:22-24). They became powerful tribes among the northern ten tribes of Israel but became lost upon Assyrian seize of the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) in 722-721 BC. So, from her grave, Rachel mourns over the loss of these two tribes of Israel upon having them wiped out by the Assyrians. After more than 140 years from the loss of these Rachel’s grandchildren tribes of Israel, Jeremiah witnesses great loss of Jerusalem upon the Babylonians seize in 587-58 BC. Many in Jerusalem were killed and those who survived were taken to Babylon, and Jeremiah saw them, being chained to be taken by Babylonians in Ramah, near Jerusalem (Jeremiah 40:1-6). Seeing sad people of Jerusalem taken to Babylon, leaving Jerusalem, which was reduced to rubbles, Jeremiah mourned a great loss not only over Jerusalem but its people, being killed and taken in exile to Babylon. And, he juxtaposed it to Rachel’s mourning from her grave.  Then, Matthew cited this line from Jeremiah to tell us what the mourning of the parents who lost their little children to the murderous rage of Herod the Great, because little Jesus boy was thought to be the King of the Jews, a threat to Herod.

Remember, what made Rachel cry and mourn in her grave, over the loss of her children, as Jeremiah poetically put in Jeremiah 31:15 and cited by Matthew to analogously express the mourning of great loss of the Holy Innocent in Matthew 2:18, is sin – sin of Israel, the northern ten tribes, resulting in the loss of the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern Kingdom). And, the loss of Jerusalem, which Jeremiah mourned in citing the mourning of Rachel from her grave, is also due to sin – sin of Judah, who did not learn a lesson well from Israel, their northern brothers. And, what resulted in the mourning over the loss of the Holy Innocent is also sin – sin of Herod the Great.

After the massacre of the Holy Innocent, sin further killed Christ and Stephen and many more. And, those who have been killed because of Christ and for Christ, giving their powerful testimony to their witness (encounter) of Christ, starting with St. Stephen, are literally martyrs.

 Because sin brings mourning after mourning over loss after loss, on the feast of the Holy Innocent, the First Reading (1 John 1:5–2:2) reminds us of our need of Christ so that sin cannot overcome us – so that we do not keep Rachel crying and mourning from her grave. Christ was incarnated in the human flesh upon being conceived in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of her so that his blood can cleanse us – to deliver us from the snare of Satan and to atone us with God.

Though Rachel died on her way to Ephrath, where Bethlehem is, upon giving birth to her youngest son, Benjamin, with difficulties (Genesis 35:16-20), Mary, who was also on her way to Bethlehem, gave birth to the incarnated Christ (Luke 2:1-7), and did not die as she was protected by God’s overshadowing power (Luke 1:35), though the condition of the place to give birth was rather horrible. And, the birth of the incarnated Christ of Mary was prophesized by Micah:

But you, Bethlehem-Ephrath least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from old, from ancient times.

Therefore the Lord will give them up until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel.

He shall take his place as shepherd by the strength of the Lord, by the majestic name of the Lord, his God; and they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth: he shall be peace  (Micah 5:1-3).

But, isn’t it an irony that the religious leaders, who later killed the incarnated Christ and Stephen, was consulted by Herod the Great, cited Micah 5:1, to tell the newborn King of the Jews is to be born in Bethlehem?, helping this evil puppet king of the Jews’ intent to kill baby Jesus, resulting in the slaughter of the Holy Innocent?

Let us turn to Christ, the Son born of Mary in Bethlehem, toward which Rachel gave her last birth and died, so that Rachel will not represent mourning mothers any more.

The Redemptive Firstborn Son and His Holy Family: Characterized with Reverence from God-Centered Life – Feast of the Holy Family, Cycle B

Though they may live in nice houses and even appear as “happy families” to the public, so many families today are, indeed, plagued with discord due to a plethora of problems.  Inside their nice houses, father, mother, and children are not happy with each other. They do not share common values. They go with their own preferences, asserting their own individual rights, while disregarding others’ values and needs, as well as their need of common value to hold the family together. Distrust, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, including incest, separation, divorce, and so forth. And, these further contribute to a host of social problems, including juvenile delinquency and school problems.

So, we ask: Is there a solution to all this?

We know that it all boils down to the quality of families, and you do not necessarily need to be a sociologist or a psychologist to understand the importance of the stability and harmony of family.

The Sunday during Christmas Octave has been designated as the Feast of the Holy Family, which is composed of Jesus, the Son, Mary, and Joseph.  And, on this feast to honor the Holy Family, we can learn something toward healing all of these ills of today’s families, leading to achieve better society.

Given how Mary and Joseph were even before they consummated their marriage. The both lived a life centered in God. Thus, they did not even let their betrothal affect their lives centered in God, as Mary responded with her fiat to her surprise virgin pregnancy not with a son of Joseph but the Son of almighty God (Luke 1:38), and as Joseph took Mary, though the Son in her womb was not his but God’s, as his beloved legal wife (Matthew 1:24). Mary was thinking to bear a child of Joseph upon consummation of her marriage to him upon betrothal, while Joseph was thinking to have his child be conceived in Mar’s womb upon consummation of his marriage to her, during their betrothal to each other. But, it was when God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, have His only begotten Son, be conceived in Mary’s virgin womb. Unbeknownst to him that it was God’s will, Joseph was thinking to cancel his betrothal with Mary because of her pregnancy, he did not as he learned that the child in Mary’s womb was the Son of God. And this is an exemplary act of a person, whose faith is steadfast, therefore, lives a life firmly centered in God. Otherwise, even Mary alone had accepted God’s will on her to keep the baby in her womb, Joseph might not have accepted her as his wife. Then, we would not have had the Holy Family as we celebrate on this feast day.

What characterize the Holy Family as our model family is reflected both in the First Reading (Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 or Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3) and the Second Reading (Colossians 3:12-21 or Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19). 

Wisdom of Ben Sirach reminds us, “God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons”(Sirach 3:2). This is why God commissioned both Mary and Joseph to serve Him as the parents of His Son on earth. And it had to be Mary and Joseph because their steadfast faith, which made them righteous in His eyes, enabled them to live a God-centered life. So, God chose Mary and Joseph to set a perfect human family, suitable for His only begotten Son, Christ, to dwell among us, as Jesus, who is also Emmanuel.

Another First Reading option, Genesis 15:1-6;21:1-3, is about how God chose Abram to be the father of a multitude, many nations, all faithful, thus calling him Abraham (Genesis 17:4-5). Abram, which means “exalted father”, was made as Abraham, which means “father of all nations, a great multitude”, through God’s everlasting covenant with him, with its sign of circumcision (Genesis 17). So, in Genesis 21:1-3, God told Abraham how He will begin fulfilling the everlasting covenant to make Abraham as his new given name means: father of a great multitude from all nations.  And it had to be Abraham for God to let him be the father of a great multitude of all faithful, because, “Abram put his faith in the Lord, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness”(Genesis 15:6). So, the Second Reading (Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19) further reflect the unparalleled faithfulness of Abraham to deserve his name, “father of a great multitude of all nations”.

Thus, God commissions father to set a family with his wife, as mother, who affirms her husband’s paternal authority, for their children to honor them (Siarch 3:2), namely as the 5^th Commandment of God’s Decalogue (Exodus 20:12; Leviticus 19:3) dictates. In fact, God the Father had planned  for His only begotten Son, who was with Him, before the time and the Creation (John 1:1; Proverbs 8:22-31), to be incarnated in Mary’s womb, thus, planning to make Mary the Immaculate Conception (Ineffabilis Deus, Pius IX), as announced to Mary (Luke 1:26-38) and to Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25), to have Joseph the earthly father and to have Mary as the mother for His Son, the Christ, named Jesus, which means “God saves”, because both Mary and Joseph were as righteous as Abraham, in His eyes.

The First Reading tells that parents must demonstrate the kind of righteousness of Abraham, Mary, and Joseph, for children to grown and honor them, as in the 5^th Commandment.  The righteousness of Mary and Joseph, fitting to be perfect parents, is well reflected in the God-centered life of faith, according to the Law, as joyfully sung in Psalm 119.

With Jesus, the Son, Mary and Joseph walk according to the Law of the Lord (Psalm 119:1), living according to the Word of God (Psalm 119:9), being delighted in God’s commandments (Psalm 119:47) and in His Law (Psalm 119:174).

As Abraham was so, both Mary and Joseph are absolutely obedient and faithful to God, as they are able to set aside all their own thoughts and desires for the sake of God’s will and Word upon them, even before they became the parents of Jesus, the Christ. So, Mary demonstrated this in her fiat (Luke 1:38) and Joseph, too, in his silent consent to accept Mary, who was already pregnant with the incarnated Christ, as his legal wife (Matthew 1:24), even though Mary’s virgin pregnancy with the Son of God was totally unbeknownst to them – until Angel Gabriel came to tell. Mary and Joseph were already betrothed to prepare themselves to live together upon their marriage’s consummation. But, before being told by Angel Gabriel in his dream, Joseph was thinking to quietly divorce Mary, as he just could not take her as his wife, made pregnant by someone other than him before the consummation of their marriage (Matthew 1:19). However, upon being assure that it was done by the power of God to fulfill Messianic prophecies, such as Isaiah 7:14, he scrapped his own plan to divorce her and took Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24), reminding that a man to be father makes his decision based not on his own will but on the will of God – just as Abraham did so.

So, the Gospel Reading (Luke 2:22-40) describes how Mary and Joseph served God, remaining steadfastly obedient to His Law, after giving birth to the Son.

First, Mary had to literally quarantine herself from sacred objects and the sanctuary upon giving birth to Jesus, in accordance with Leviticus 12:1-5. So, when she was over with this Torah-requirement of postpartum purification quarantine, together with her husband, Joseph, Mary brought 40-day-old baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for firstborn son dedication to God, which is also known as “pidyon haben” , with a belief of God’s redemption through the dedication of firstborn Jewish male babies, in response to killing all firstborns of houses not marked with the lamb’s blood, for Passover, and thus, made into the commandment in Exodus 13:12-15.  Given God’s purpose to let Mary and Joseph serve as his parents on earth, it is crucial that Mary and Joseph bring baby Jesus to the Temple for presentation and dedication, in accordance with Exodus 13:12-15, because Jesus, the incarnated Christ, was sent by the Father to save and redeem a multitude of humanity from the influence of Satan – and eventually to destroy Satan (Genesis 3:15).

And, it was this old man, named, Simeon, filled with the Holy Spirit, who recognized the baby brought by Mary and Joseph to God in the Temple, as the Messiah, the Christ, whose coming had been prophesized for centuries, at least the time when Ahaz was king of Judah.  So, Simeon spoke his prophetic vision on her Son:

Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed  (Luke 2:34-35).

What do these words of Simeon mean?  No, he was not telling the mother of the baby how cute the baby is. And, he was not telling that the Son of God in her arm, being presented to God for the firstborn dedication, according to Exodus 13:12-15, is not just to please her but rather what this baby boy will bring later as the Messiah the Christ cause sufferings on her, as well. Namely, Simeon foresaw and told Mary how the world react to him and his Gospel and how all of this will affect her, as well, reflecting what had been prophesized in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, and how all of this affect her as his mother, as the Theotokos.

Simeon’s gift of prophecy, as being filled with the Holy Spirit, was exceptional to see the whole Paschal Mystery in the 40-day-old baby Jesus, from his mother’s breast to the Cross – and how her heart will be with all the pains over watching her Son suffer and die.

Did Mary flinch? Of course not. Because of her fiat.  She knew she made herself the humble and obedient handmaid of God so that, no matter what, His Word, according to His will be done on her – even it brings a lot of suffering on her and even it demands life of her Son.

To Mary and Joseph, their marriage was primarily to serve God as the earthly parents of His only begotten Son so that this Son will grow up strong enough to serve Him as the suffering Messiah (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). They understood that the suffering is not just suffering but it is redemptive suffering, and the presentation of the 40-day-old baby Jesus to God in the Temple (Luke 2:22-40) was ultimately for this redemption of the humanity from Satan’s influence.

Thus, St. John Paul II writes:

He reveals the original truth of marriage, the truth of the "beginning," and, freeing man from his hardness of heart, He makes man capable of realizing this truth in its entirety. This revelation reaches its definitive fullness in the gift of love which the Word of God makes to humanity in assuming a human nature, and in the sacrifice which Jesus Christ makes of Himself on the Cross for His bride, the Church. In this sacrifice there is entirely revealed that plan which God has imprinted on the humanity of man and woman since their creation ; the marriage of baptized persons thus becomes a real symbol of that new and eternal covenant sanctioned in the blood of Christ. The Spirit which the Lord pours forth gives a new heart, and renders man and woman capable of loving one another as Christ has loved us. Conjugal love reaches that fullness to which it is interiorly ordained, conjugal charity, which is the proper and specific way in which the spouses participate in and are called to live the very charity of Christ who gave Himself on the Cross (Familiaris Consortio,  13).

As John Paul II reminds in the above words, Christian husband and Christian wife united with Christ as one through the Sacrament of Matrimony become a real symbol of the eternal covenant sanctioned in Christ’s blood. The Christ’s blood is redemptive (Revelation 7:14), as the blood of the unblemished lamb at Passover was redemptive to those who observed God’s command in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-28). And, out of this Passover experience, all firstborn sons of Israel have been commanded to be presented and dedicated to God (Exodus 13:12-15). Finally, Mary and Joseph brought their firstborn Son, Jesus, to fulfill this commandment of firstborn dedication, in the presence of God in the Temple. To really fulfill, this Son will have to die, unlike other firstborn sons of Israel, so that this 40-year-old firstborn Son of Mary and Joseph is truly destine to fulfill Isaiah 52:13-53;12, as the suffering Messiah, and furthermore, as the Son of the woman to destroy Satan (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 20:6-9). And, this redemptive dedication of firstborn son is done in light of the caritas of Christ with its family context of the fullness of their parents’ conjugal love.

John Paul II further says:

When they become parents, spouses receive from God the gift of a new responsibility. Their parental love is called to become for the children the visible sign of the very love of God, "from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named."  (Ibid, 14).

To a growing baby Jesus, the Son, Mary and Joseph were the visible sign of the very love of God on earth. That is why Jesus grew strong, filled with wisdom, while the favor of God the Father was upon him (Luke 2:40) – because both Mary and Joseph continue to serve as an instrument of God’s will of salvation and redemption on earth.

In response to his faithful parents, whose lives and marriages are firmly centered in God, Jesus grew to revere Mary and Joseph as he did so to the Father in heaven.

Do children today really revere their parents? And do their parents really behave to deserve reverence from their children? If not, what keeps them from exercising reverence to parents and deserving to be revered by children?

Reverence given by children to parents in a family is the bottom line to keep the healthy structure of family, which Salvador Minuchen clinically focuses on in his “structural family therapy” module.  And, with such a reverence-based family structure, there is a healthy functional communication among family members to share their hearts, as reflected in Murray Bowen’s “family system theory”, to keep family as one, no matter how diverse its members may become.

In fact, reverence in family, between children and parents, as the primary structure of healthy family, reflects our reverence to God. And our reverence to God means our faithfulness and obedience, as exemplified by Abraham, Mary, and Joseph, thus, fitting to raise baby Jesus in their family structure as the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah, for our redemption.  In God’s everlasting covenant with us through Abraham (Genesis 17:7), there is a sense of reverence to God. And this everlasting covenant is reflected in matrimonial covenant to binding husband and wife as one to have children so that mutual reverence characterizes the family, resulting from such a Christian marriage.

The key Hebrew word for reverence is יָרֵא/yare, which is also translated   as “to fear”. And, this is found in today’s responsorial Psalm refrain from Psalm 128:1, “Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord”. In other words, those who revere God, those who see God with reverence, are blessed by God, as Abraham, Mary, and Joseph are. And, the same Hebrew word, יָרֵא/yare, is also used to say, “Each of you revere your mother and father, and keep my sabbaths. I, the Lord, am your God”(Leviticus 19:3).

Reverence-fear, יָרֵא/yare, is what is common to characterize both everlasting covenant of God with us and family, which grew out of matrimonial covenant. If no יָרֵא/yare in a family, it is at great risk to face structural and functional problems.

So, we can see how   set the structure and functionality of healthy family of God-centered life from these words of  Paul from the first option for the Second Reading:

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged (Colossians 3:18-21).

This means wives find Mary as their model, in placing themselves under their husbands’ authorities, in reference to Sirach 3:2, supporting husband’s authority, especially over children, as we do so to God and His authority in His Law, Word, and will with our יָרֵא/yare to Him. In response, husbands love their wives as God loves us through His everlasting covenant. And, this relational character of husband and wife (father and mother) sets a healthy structure and functionality of a family, in which children are treated with love and learn to have their יָרֵא/yare to their parents.

The Greek word used in the original text for “be subordinate”/”submit” is ὑποτάσσω/hupotasso, which is composed of ὑπό/hupo(hypo), meaning “under”, and τάσσω/tasso, which means “to arrange properly, to be appointed, to be placed”. If your proud ego makes you issues with this word and Colossians 3:18, read Ephesians 5:17-33, in juxtaposition to Colossians 3:12-21. And, think and reflect again the intention and meaning behind this word, ὑποτάσσω/hupotasso, especially in Ephesians 5:21, to know it is not just wife to husband but husband to wife, as well. So, reflect how mutual and willing act of ὑποτάσσω/hupotasso  between husband and wife also reflect rheie shared יָרֵא/yare to God, and how this will affecf their children grow.

If you want your family to be blessed by God and to stay functional with a healthy structure, then, you sure can find the Holy Family as exemplary, as addressed in the Scriptural texts of this feast Sunday, in conjunction with Ephesians 5:17-33.

Advent Reflections Day 25: Christ is Born of the Blessed Virgin Mary! The Great Light Has Shone in Darkness to All the Ends of the Earth! Alleluia!

 Luke 2:1-20  cf. John 1:1-18

God the Father had planned this even before the time, even before He began the Creation, to send His only begotten Son, who pre-existed with Him, by electing Mary to be the mother of His Son, thus, making her the Immaculate Conception. And, this was indicated when Adam and Eve sinned, upon being tempted by Satan (Genesis 3:15). And, this was further prophesized in later years (i.e. Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-10; 60:1-9; 2 Samuel 7:5-16; Micah 5:1-4a; Luke 1:67-79).

Now, the fullness of time for this plan of eons ago has come. Following the first two joyful mysteries of the Holy Rosary, Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) and Visitation (Luke 1:39-56), the arrival of the incarnated Christ through the birth out of Mary’s womb (Luke 2:1-20) is also reflected in the third joyful mystery of the Holy Rosary, followed by Presentation (Luke 2:22-38) in the fourth joyful mystery.

Though historically, the birth of the incarnated Christ already took place about 2,000 years ago, when Caesar Augustus reigned the Roman Empire, in the town of Bethlehem, as described in Luke 2:1-20, today, we must let it happen in the very hearts of ours, wherever we may be on this earth. For this, we have been working diligently, as called by John the Baptist, who is the voice crying out in the wilderness in Isaiah 40:3-5 (Matthew 3:2-3//Mark 1:1-5//Luke 3:1-14; John 1:23), making our hearts filled with peace and purity, removing sins by penance and emotional ups and downs. This is how we have been working to make the straight way of the Christ to come into our hearts on this day.

Luke reminds us that Mary was not able to give birth to Christ in an idealistic environment, because the world did not see him in Mary. So, they could not provide her with a room in the inn (Luke 2:7).

Nevertheless, Mary was able to give a safe birth to the incarnated Christ, as it has been prophesized, because, as Angel Gabriel said at the Annunciation, Mary was assured of the protection of God’s power (Luke 1:35). So, even the birth of Christ could have been compromised by, say, infection, it took place safely.

Also, let us remember, it took place in Bethlehem. It is not just David’s home town assure of Christ’s Davidic background but it is also to suggest that this incarnated Christ is meant to serve us as the Living Bread of Life (John 6:51), namely, to offer his whole body as our food for eternal life (John 6:54), as Bethlehem literally means the city of bread. This was also further affirmed with the fact that the incarnated Christ was placed in a feeding trough, called manger (Luke 2:7, 12). But, this manger was not really to place food for animals in the stable, where Mary gave birth to Christ, but to feed us with the Body of Christ, as the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which Christ instituted at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-29//Mark 14:22-25//Luke 22:14-20), reflected in the fifth luminous mystery of the Holy Rosary, as well!

And, who were the very first witness of this birth arrival of the incarnated Christ?

The shepherds!

Why?

Because the angel told them about it?

Yes, the angel announced to the shepherd, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger”(Luke 2:10-12).

But, it had to be the shepherd to be announced?

Remember, who stayed awake during that dark hour of the day, before the daybreak, when the incarnated Christ was born?

The shepherds!  While the whole town was asleep, these shepherds were keeping their night watch to make sure their sheep were safe during the night (Luke 2:8).

Remember, when we began our Advent journey to prepare for this moment?

We were repeatedly reminded to stay vigilant and to stay awake (Matthew 24:37-44 (A); Mark 13;33-37(B); Luke 21:25-28, 34-36) on the First Sunday of Advent, as to echo our need to be vigilantly prepared for the coming of Christ like the wise virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and as David disciplined himself to stay vigilant for God to finds His permanent place (Psalm 132:1-10).

Also, given Zechariah’s prophesy in his Benedictus, the coming of the incarnated Christ is the daybreak from the heaven above (Luke 1:78), echoing the prophetic vision in Isaiah 60:1-9 and Psalm 130:6.

That is why we have Midnight Mass, for which we read Luke 2:1-14, and Dawn Mass, for which we read Luke 2:1-15, keeping our eyes open, keeping the Sanctuary open, so that we, too, can witness the arrival of the incarnated Christ, with his mother, Mary, and her husband, Joseph, as the shepherd did.

Upon the angel’s announcement of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem to the shepherds, a multitude of heavenly hosts with the angel praised God in their hymn:

Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis – Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will (those on whom God’s favor rests).  Luke 2:14

Then, the shepherds said to one another:

Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which te Lord has made known to us (Luke 2:15) and came to witness the incarnated Christ, making his theophany, as he was lying in a manger, as told by the angel (Luke 2:16).

And, that’s not all. What is important to us here is the fact that those shepherd, who have witnessed the incarnated Christ at his birth from Mary did keep what they witnessed to themselves but went out to testify. Remember, to witness (μάρτυς – martus) must lead to testify (συνεπιμαρτυρέω  - sunepimartureo), because testifying is meant to bring people together based on what is witnessed (σύν/sun – together + ἐπιμαρτυρέω/epimartureo – to witness to fit (to bring people together)), as “martuero” is from “martus” and relating to the word, “martyr”). So, the shepherds went out to testify what they witnessed in the barn in the town of Bethlehem, the birth of the incarnated Christ, as to bring people together, as prophesized in Isaiah60:5-9. So, started by the shepherd, the testimonies to the incarnated Christ have been spread through the world, reflecting, Psalm 98:3; Isaiah 11:12; 45:22; 62:11-12.  Later, Christ himself, after his death and resurrection, just before his return to the Father, has commended us to do so, making disciples of all nations to make us apostolic, which means “being sent out to give testimony to our witness to Christ”(Matthew 28:19), as affirmed in Acts 1:8 so that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to go to all the ends of the earth to give our testimony, upon Pentecost. So, this is also echoed in these words to conclude Mass, “Ite, missa est”- Mass is now ended, go in peace (You are now dismissed, so go in peace to give witness – to proclaim the Good News of your witness to Christ).

An important lesson from the shepherds at the Nativity is that we cannot keep the joy of witnessing the incarnated Christ arriving in our hearts to ourselves. We shall waste no time in going out to give our testimony! If not but just staying up in our cozy homes all the time, though we are happy, we are not experiencing authentic Christmas.

Remember, the Christmas Gospel, Luke 2:1-20, describes nothing comfortable in our sense, as this world of materialism and consumerism define as comfort and happiness. The incarnated Christ arrived in the abject poverty when those who are in material wealth were sleeping comfortably in their homes. The shepherds, who stayed awake that dark hour and witnessed the incarnated Christ first, were considered rather as “marginalized”.  Attending smelly sheep as a shepherd was not a job for those who are of wealth and privilege. And, his mother was not allowed to have a nice room to give him birth.

The incarnated Christ came to this world not really as a welcomed being.

Where is that red carpet, then?

How come he was not given birth in a room in the palace in Jerusalem, then, but in a smelly animal stable outside the inn?

Let us remember and reflect that God sent His only begotten beloved Son as the incarnated Christ to us in poverty and marginalization. And, this theme runs throughout his ministry and his eschatological teaching in Matthew 25:31-46.

So, in this Christmas today, where are the poor…where are the least among Christ’s brothers and sisters? Or, are you too preoccupied with what you get for yourself or too comfortable with your wealth to even think of such a thing, falling sleepy as you have had a lot of drinks and eaten more than you need? If that is your Christmas, then, actually, there is no Christ with you. It is just your own show to please yourself and perhaps, your own family and relatives. And this is how true Christmas has been lost in this world of materialism and consumerism and relativism.

Can we really recover real Christmas today?

We can spend this day,  reflecting what it means to have the incarnated Christ to dwell among us, as Mary did (Luke 2:19), or already starting to give witness with glorifying and praising God, as the shepherd did (Luke 2:17-18, 20). There are both contemplation, as Mary did, and action, as the shepherd did.

Merry Christmas! And let us ponder what it means to have true Merry Christmas and why it has to be merry….and let us also share this merriment by giving our testimony to the joyful arrival and reception of Christ in our hearts!

All the above reflection from Luke 2:1-20 can be further reflected in juxtaposition to John 1:1-18, which is the Gospel Reading for Christmas Daytime Mass.

 

Advent Reflections Day 24 - It is Bethlehem, where the Incarnated Christ is Born!

 Micah 4:14, 5:1-4a

Now, we have come to the eve of the solemn feast of the Nativity of the Lord. During these past Advent days, we have reflected that Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father, comes an infinitively long way over eons of time span, as God the Father had planned to have His Son appear in the human flesh of Jesus, as Emmanuel, which means God with us, even before the time, before the Creation. And, He made it clear in response to Adam and Eve fell to temptation by Satan that Christ the Son will come as the Son of the woman and destroy Satan, the source of corrupting the humanity with sin, as indicated in Genesis 3:15.

We have also reflected that the woman, through whom Christ the Son, will come out is a virgin, as Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), and he shines as the great light in the world of darkness of sins, as Davidic King, who is also called wonderful counselor, God-hero, and prince of peace (Isaiah 9:1-6).

So, who is this virgin to give birth to Christ so that he comes to us in the human flesh, being the critical instrument for God to make the Logos-Theos (Word-God) incarnated (made into flesh) to let him live among us (John 1:1, 14)?

It is Mary, whose lineage trances to the Levites priests, given her family connection to Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, the priest. God the Father, even before the time and the Creation, as Blessed Pope Pius IX indicated in his 1854 Ineffabilis  Deus, designated Mary to serve Him as the Theotokos, the mother of the Son of God, the Christ, making her the Immaculate Conception, to ensure the Christ incarnate has the unblemished flesh.  And, this truth of Mary being the one to share her flesh for the incarnation and theophany of Christ was revealed to the very woman, Mary, directly by Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38). Though at first anxious, Mary accepted the Annunciation of her mission to serve as the handmaid of God, fulfilling the role of the Theotokos, the mother of the Son of God, with her fiat, “May it be done to me according to your Word (Luke 1:38)”.

When God made it clear this to Mary, she was already betrothed to Joseph, whose lineage is Davidic (Matthew 1:6-16, 1:20), through Angel Gabriel, it was also made known to Joseph, as well, by Gabriel, calling him to accept Mary with the Son of God in her womb, as his legal wife, and Joseph consented to this (Matthew 1:18-25).

With Gabriel’s announcements to Mary and Joseph, the holy couple, it was made clear how the prophecies of Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 7:14, and 9:1-6, will be fulfilled, nine months before it took place.

Now, there is one important thing about the coming of the incarnated Christ that we have not reflected yet. And it is about where this fulfillment of the birth of the incarnated Christ out of Mary will take place.

Actually, it was before Assyria destroyed the Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom upon the division of the original Kingdom of Israel after Solomon) in 722BC, perhaps, around the time when Ahaz was king of Judah (Southern Kingdom),  Prophet Micah indicated that it will be Bethlehem in his prophecy.

When God made it clear about the virgin birth of the incarnated Christ through Isaiah during the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, the house of David (Isaiah 7:14), it was a time of dark gloom (Isaiah 9:1). So, it was also during that dark time in the history of Israel, thus said Prophet Micah:

Now grieve, O grieving daughter! “They have laid siege against us!” With the rod they strike on the cheek the ruler of Israel.    Micah 4:14

The Assyrians have already laid siege against the Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel, because this kingdom, also known as Ephraim, had been far more sinful and spiritually corrupted from its kings down to its people, compared to its southern counterpart, Kingdom of Judah, though Ahaz, king of Judah, at that time was also sinful and corrupt. So, Micah prophesized that Israel will be attacked by Assyria as a divine punishment .

On the other hand, in terms of the Southern Kingdom, Judah…

But you Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them p until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel.   Micah 5:1-2

In the above words of God through Prophet Micah, it is said, “But you, Judah (in which there is the region of Ephrathah, that has the town of Bethlehem), you will not be punished like Israel (your northern counterpart), because the savior, the Messiah, the Christ, whose origin traces before the time and the Creation (i.e. John 1:1; Proverbs 8; 22-31), will be born in you!

Ephrathah?  Perhaps, this geographical name rather sounds unfamiliar, unless you are so familiar with the Holy Land. But, if you are an ardent student of the Word of God, then, you may recall that Ephrathah is mentioned in David’s Psalm, in Psalm 132:6, as he was thinking of the permanent dwelling place for God. It is, indeed, the specific are where David grew up, where he tended the sheep of his father, Jesse, as a child. And Bethlehem is in this area. So, Ephrathah, Bathlehem, and David, all of these are related to each other. And, in this prophecy of Micah on the birth of Christ, by telling the birth place of Christ as Bethlehem in Ephrathah, it is indicating Christ’s Davidic connection, in line with Matthew 1:1-16 and 2 Samuel 7:5-16 and Isaiah 9:6.

Bethlehem-Ephrathah not only represents a geographical region of Ephrathah, in which Bethlehem is located, but also the lineage of David, whose hometown is Bethlehem.  Because of this, the Kingdom of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, will not share the same fate with the Kingdom of Israel, the Northern Kingdom.  So, God made it clear not only the incarnated Christ will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) but also this birth will take place in Bethlehem, in the region of Ephrathah of the Kingdom of Judah, the house of David.  So, the darkness of gloom, which includes the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel, will be over upon this birth of Christ. Until Christ’s birth out of Mary in Bethlehem, God will “give them up”(Micah 5:2a) by hiding his face from the Israelites (Micah 3:4).  

So, the birth of Christ out of Mary means God turning His face back to His people. And, upon this, those who have scattered in the darkness shall return as they find Christ!

Micah further prophesized:

He shall take his place as shepherd by the strength of the Lord, by the majestic name of the Lord, his God; and they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth: he shall be peace (Micah 5:3-4a).

Now, the Son born of Mary, the incarnated Christ,  is reaffirmed to serve his Father, as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) to assure the peaceful pasture for God’s sheep, us, by the majestic name of our Lord God.  Yes, the incarnated Christ is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6), indeed!

So, we know now that the incarnated Christ will arrive in Bethlehem, in the region of Ephrathah, of the Kingdom of Judah, the house of David, when Mary’s virgin pregnancy is due.

Are our hearts set in Bethlehem to welcome the incarnated Christ, brought by Mary and Joseph?  Are our hearts ready to provide a comfortable and peaceful room for the incarnated Christ at his theophany in his holy family?

We now only have less than a day.