CHRISTMAS
EMMANUEL: "GOD WITH US"
Gospel of Saint Matthew (1:18-24)
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.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid
to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,'
which means 'God with us.'
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
Connections
In our modern world, we have numerous technological ways of being "connected" with family, friends, and colleagues: e-mail, tweeting, skyping, facebook, or texting. Yet, each of these communication tools lacks something: intimacy. There is little physical human interaction. It seems that speaking face to face, sharing a cup of coffee or tea, or enjoying a meal with another is always the better option for relationship and relating to others.
In a similar way, God has connected with his people throughout salvation history. In the scriptures, we can reflect on how God has interacted with his people: calling Abraham from Ur to the Promised Land; leading the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt through Moses; establishing his presence in the temple amidst the people of Jerusalem through Kings David and Solomon; and speaking through the prophets and reminding His people to return to their God. God constantly reached out to us. God desires to be with us.
Despite these connections, the people of God often failed to respond to the Lord. Sometimes, God's efforts at reaching out were rejected! The people of God failed to uphold the commandments, searched for other gods and idols to worship, and treated the widows, the poor, and the orphans of the world with contempt and injustice. Even when God's people refused to accept God's connections, God continued to seek a way to connect more intimately with us, with his people.
Emmanuel: God With Us
And so, as the Gospel of Saint Matthew reminds us and the Gospel Saint John will remind us on Christmas Day, God sent us his only Son: not to condemn the world but to save it. During this Advent season, we celebrate God's decision to become one like us except for sin. We prepare for Emmanuel, God-with-us. God's coming to earth is God's most intimate connection of all!
Now, through Emmanuel, we can see our God face to face! Now, through Jesus, we can hear the word of God spoken directly by Him! Now, through God-with-us, we can experience his touch through his healing miracles!
While we now can see our God in the flesh, God too can understand better our human condition. Emmanuel can understand our pain and sufferings through his own. Emmanuel can understand our temptations and struggles through his own.
In his lifetime, Saint Francis understood "God-with-us" in his ministry to the poor and lepers of Assisi. He could see the face of Christ in the outcasts and the rejected of world. And with Christ-like love and compassion, he tended to their wounds, to their needs, and to their desires for belonging. In the end, Francis experienced the most direct presence of Emmanuel through the gift of the stigmata, receiving the wounds of Christ.
In these final days before Christmas, may we continue to pray for the gift of God being with us. May we, in turn, give the gifts of God's presence to others through our acts of charity and words of encouragement. And so, let us pray:
For our parish community, we pray: Hail Mary...
For our departed brothers and sisters, we pray: Hail Mary...
For the Church throughout the world, we pray: Hail Mary....
Our Father...
Almighty God and Father,
your eternal Word took flesh on our earth
when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan.
Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice
which announces his glory and open our minds
to receive the Spirit who prepare us for his coming.
We ask this through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Amen.
Saint Francis, pray for us!
Saint Clare, pray for us!
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us!
