When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born… and the day you know why.”
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In today’s Gospel, we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. From the moment of his birth, people were wondering, “Why was this child born? What will he become?”
They intuit John will do something great for God, simply because of the circumstances that surround his birth.
First, Zechariah was struck mute by the angel Gabriel in the Temple; then Elizabeth miraculously conceives this child in her old age; finally, the boy is not named after his father.
Instead, his name is John.
In Hebrew, Jehohanan – or “John” – means, “God has been gracious.” After praying for their entire adult lives to have a child, God gives Elizabeth and Zechariah a son, whose mission will be to prepare the way of the Lord.
Certainly, God has been gracious.
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John reminds us that we all have a “why,” a reason for our lives given to us by God. My mother used to say, her “why” was simply becoming a mother, much like Elizabeth and Mary.
My “why” has been serving God and his people as a priest.
What is your “why”?
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Perhaps the answer changes, even simplifies, over time.
But we can all be sure of this: the same Lord who breathed air into our lungs at birth also gives us a purpose – not only in the grand scheme of things – but also in the little tasks we are called to do each day.
May we discern his will and do it joyfully today.
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) shashankadler (2) John the Baptist as a Child, Bartolome Esteban Murillo (3) Acuity Process Solutions
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today’s Gospel passage contains the longest litany of words ever spoken by a woman in the New Testament – a song of praise from Mary.
She has just entered the home of her cousin, Elizabeth. Suddenly, John the Baptist leaps in Elizabeth’s womb, causing her to praise and question Mary, “How does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Mary then erupts in song. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord! My spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”
Mysteriously, she transitions into the past tense. God “has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.”
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Why does Mary speak of things that God has already done?
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For a moment, she peers into the future, seeing the universal revolution that Christ will bring. Some say there are three revolutions, in particular – moral, social, and spiritual.
First, Christianity ushers in the death of pride. Only the humble can encounter God because God himself is humble, so humble that he becomes a child, now growing inside Mary’s womb. So humble that he will eventually die like a criminal on a cross.
Second, there’s a social revolution imbedded within Christian doctrine. In baptism, we see all persons as equal, no longer defining ourselves by caste or class. Together, we are children of God and the body of Christ on earth.
Third, Christ brings a spiritual revolution whereby we no longer worship the god of politics or seek to praise the kings of this world. Christ is our King.
Thus, our hearts detach themselves from worldly possessions, power, and praise, seeking only the things that are above.
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May Mary’s song of praise echo in our hearts this Christmas. Christ has come to cast down the mighty from their thrones, to lift up the lowly, and to fill us with good things.
Namely, faith, hope, and love.
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Image credits: (1) Catholic Central (2) Benedictine Sisters of Florida (3) Fra Angelico
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 is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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On my desk where I pray, I keep a small figurine of Saint Joseph. He’s asleep on his side in a green, homespun robe, half covered in a blanket – fading red on one side and mustard yellow on the other. His dark brown hair and full beard speak of an older, mature man.
Of course, his eyes are tightly shut, as he slips into a dream.
Sometimes, I wonder, is Joseph just dozing off, unaware that his life is about to take another unexpected turn? Is he in the middle of that dream, when the angel appears and miraculously consoles him?
Or is he processing what just happened with his eyes closed, resting, stealing a few more precious hours of sleep before sunrise, knowing that when he wakes, Mary and this mystery child are moving in?
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If Joseph writes this dream off as just that – a dream, an imaginary tale, a fictional slip from reality – and he makes his way down to the courthouse to file his divorce papers, then this whole story is over.
Mary will be an outcast, reduced to a life of begging or stealing. Her child will be forever seen as illegitimate. And Isaiah’s ancient prophecy of a king coming from David’s line will go unfulfilled.
According to Matthew, Joseph’s consent is as important as Mary’s. God needs Mary’s womb in order to become Man, but he needs Joseph to give him a name and a home.
Thus, the Christmas story is not just about God becoming flesh or Mary’s fiat, but it’s also about Joseph, a just man accepting what is unjust, naming, owning, and blessing a divine mess.
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The night the angel appeared to him in a dream, Joseph was in real pain. Mysteriously, God allowed it. Even worse, it seems God wove this detail into his divine plan, knowingthe risk, shock, and steps Joseph would have to take in order to bring Christ safely into this world.
Joseph would have to journey from being an unsuspecting participant in salvation history to an active one. He would have to embrace the very thing he feared – scandal.
So much for karma.
Poor Joseph.
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His heartache and doubt ran so deep that he, too, needed divine intervention in order to accept God’s plan. As he goes to sleep that providential night, Joseph does so experiencing what other Saints have called, “a dark night of the soul.”
The belief or feeling that God has abandoned you.
So, the angel appears to Joseph in a dream, while he is defenseless. When sleeping, we cannot fight back, yell, question, or argue with God. We can only listen and receive.
Fortunately, Joseph awakens as a different man with his plans to divorce Mary foiled by grace. But his “yes” also speaks volumes about his faith, his character, and his conviction.
Even when he felt freshly betrayed – not only by his bride, but also by God – Joseph was willing to change directions and pivot into the unknown.
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No wonder the angel’s first words to Joseph were, “do not be afraid.” Similar words appear in the Bible more than 300 times, making them, perhaps, the most common words God uses when speaking to humanity.
“Do not be afraid.”
Do not be afraid when God’s plans for your life look entirely different than yours. Do not be afraid when you don’t understand certain life events, when others don’t understand, or when the only foundation you have to stand upon is an angel consoling you in a dream.
Do not be afraid to accept unwanted people into your life, to love someone, even your child, who enters this world unexpectedly, or who turns out to be different than you had hoped or imagined.
Do not be afraid to risk your reputation, to be changed by grace, to open your heart and home to people who challenge you, or to let others take center stage.
Do not be afraid to surrender to mystery, to accept what appears to be scandal, or to challenge your understanding of God.
Do not divorce yourself from the mess. Embrace it.
That may be the very place where God is found.
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Joseph’s story of heartbreak, surprise, surrender, and triumphant faith is also our story… Like him, we seek to live upright lives, we desire to do God’s will. But we can also struggle to understand. As God says through the prophet Isaiah, “My ways are not your ways.”
This Christmas may God grant us the grace to embrace the unknown, to pivot into mystery, to welcome the Christ-child – and his plans – into our lives.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) The Dream of Saint Joseph, Philippe de Campaigne (2) Fontanini Sleeping Saint Joseph (3) Saint Joseph and the Christ Child, Guido Reni
