Commentary
Sunday, 12/24/2017, Nativity of the Lord, Vigil Mass
Rejoice, Christ Came to Make All Things New
First Reading Commentary Isaiah 62:1-5
As we look at Isaiah’s prophecy, we are called to remember that the birth of Christ brought much more than His physical presence on earth. The prophecy of Isaiah is as much about the second coming of Christ as it is the first and Isaiah says that for the sake of Zion and Jerusalem, he will not be silent or quiet.
The very first thing that Isaiah says tells us that his prophecy is about the second coming because Christ was born in Bethlehem, not Zion or Jerusalem. But it is in Jerusalem that He would be condemned and sentenced to die on the cross and the Book of Revelation tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is the New Jerusalem.
The message in this prophecy is that Christ comes to make all things new and the events which Isaiah speaks of occur in John’s vision in the Book of Revelation. The faithful shall be vindicated, receive glory and given a new name which will be pronounced by the mouth of the LORD. No longer will the faithful be called “Forsaken,” or their land “Desolate.”
Have you ever heard someone with a problem complain that God won’t do anything or say that God can’t do anything? Their faith is weak or non-existent and they believe that those who rely on God in faith are forsaken by God when they experience problems. But when Christ comes again, the faithful shall be called “My Delight” by God and their land shall be “Espoused.”
No more problems and no more worries for the faithful—only eternal peace and joy. But in order for Christ to have a second coming, He had to have a first. It is the first coming which we celebrate on Christmas Day as we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord. Everything that Christ did during His life on earth was designed for our salvation and preparation for His second coming so that we can enter the Kingdom and be with Him.
Isaiah draws a parallel between the marriage of Joseph and Mary and our entry into the Kingdom. Isaiah says, “As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.”
Some people, especially men, have a tough time grasping the idea that when we enter heaven, we will enter as the Bride of Christ. But that is exactly what this prophecy from Isaiah says and it is confirmed in Revelation 19:7-8 and in Revelation 21.
Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the Son through whom the Father created all things and Christ is our Savior (the Lamb who sacrificed Himself on the cross). Everyone of faith is an integral part of His Mystical Body and when we enter His Kingdom, each of us becomes an integral part of the bride of the Lamb.
God’s plan for our salvation began in Genesis 3:15 and the Nativity of the Lord is another critical part in God’s plan. Isaiah’s prophecy is about all of these things and by saying that he will not be silent or quiet, he is saying that he rejoices. On this day we call Christmas, we should rejoice, not only because it is the day that we celebrate the birth of Christ, but because God’s plan for our salvation continues to be fulfilled.
The Spirit of Peace and Good Will
Second Reading Commentary: Acts 13:16-17, 22-25
In Antioch, Paul stood up in the synagogue and said, “Fellow Israelites and you others who are God-fearing, listen.” Remember that it was the Jews who persecuted Christ and there were still many Jews who would not accept Christ after His Resurrection. Remember also that Paul was called by Christ to evangelize the Gentiles. So, Paul was making it clear that what he was about to say was for those who were willing to listen, Jews and Gentiles alike.
Paul reminded the people of the Exodus and how God, through Moses, paved the way by parting the Red Sea and leading the Jews out of Egypt. This is important for us to remember as we celebrate the birth of Christ. In paving the way for us to make our exodus out of this life and into the next, Christ defeated death with His Resurrection.
Then Paul seems to make a comparison between the kingship of David and the Kingship of Christ by saying that God raised up David as king and of David, God said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.” But as Paul continues, we see that he is really telling us that David was an instrumental part in the fulfillment of the prophecy of Christ. Paul says, “From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.”
Paul went on to speak of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Christ by proclaiming a baptism of repentance and Paul repeated what John would say, “Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.”
What Paul did that day, was to give the people in the synagogue a history lesson designed to open their minds and hearts to accept Christ. The things that Paul said are important facts for us to remember as we celebrate this day because they encapsulate the reason why Christ was born. Christ came in fulfillment of the Scriptures and prophecies to lead people from every nation on their exodus out of this life and into the next so that all people can be with Him in the Promised Land of the Kingdom of Heaven. That is the spirit of, “Peace on earth and good will to all men.”
The Son Became One of Us to Save Us
Gospel Commentary: Matthew 1:1-25
Matthew begins his gospel by giving the genealogy of Jesus beginning with Abraham. Unlike Luke, who begins his genealogy of Jesus with Adam, son of God, and only includes men, Matthew includes four women. They are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. All four women were Gentile. It is believed that Matthew includes these women to show that even though Jesus was born and raised as a Jew, the ancestry of Jesus includes Gentile heritage.
God is the Creator of all mankind so it makes sense that the Gentiles—anyone who is not a Jew, would be included in the Son's genealogy. Also by including these women, Matthew shows that there were less than perfect people within the ancestry of Jesus. Tamar was a harlot, Rahab posed as a harlot and Bathsheba was the married woman who was seduced by David.
What can we learn from all of this? First, there has never been and nor will there ever be a human-being to live on earth who is absolutely perfect except for Christ Himself because of His divinity.
Second, the genealogy of Jesus is not limited to one race of people and that is true for all of us. Therefore, Matthew, by showing the universality in the ancestry of Jesus and exposing some of the sins committed by Jesus’ ancestors, Matthew shows a consistency with Jesus coming to save all of mankind.
As Matthew continues, it is important to remember that during the time of Mary and Joseph, if a woman was betrothed to a man, she became his wife. If she had relations with another man, it was considered adultery and the punishment was death by stoning. Knowing that he did not have relations with Mary, Joseph thought that she had committed adultery so he intended to divorce her.
But Joseph was a righteous man and wanted to divorce Mary quietly so that no shame would come to her. What this means is that Joseph obeyed the Mosaic laws but wanted no harm to come to Mary. If Joseph divorced Mary publicly and adultery was proven, under the law, Mary would have been stoned.
This presented Joseph with a dilemma but he was unaware of what had happened so God sent an angel to enlighten Joseph. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary into his home because Mary had conceived through the Holy Spirit. The angel said, “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
This was in fulfillment of the prophecy that the Lord had given to Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” Joseph knew the prophecy and he knew the meaning of Emmanuel—God is with us. So, when he awoke, Joseph took Mary into his home.
It was no accident that God chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary. Not only was he from the house of David, Joseph’s faith was absolute. Can you imagine what Joseph might have done if he had no faith in God? He would have dismissed what the angel said in the dream and divorced Mary without any concern for her demise.
But Joseph was filled with all of the gifts and virtues of the Holy Spirit. Patience did not allow Joseph to make rash decisions. Knowledge and counsel opened Joseph’s mind. Strength, courage and fortitude allowed Joseph to handle the situation. Awe and wonder or fear of the Lord together with his absolute faith drove Joseph to stay with Mary and take her into his home. These are the things that make Joseph the patron saint of fathers.
But today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and this day is all about Him. This day is about the birth of the promises made in the prophecies. Today is about the birth of the One who paves the way and is our Guiding Light to the Promised Land. Today is about the birth of the One who will bring “peace on earth and good will to all men.” Today is all about the Word becoming; Flesh. Merry Christmas!
