Claire Smith

Christmas Eve

Scripture:

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Luke 1:67-79

Reflection:

Christmas and Saint Joseph

There is an old medieval painting showing the engagement ceremony between Mary and Joseph.  We see in the painting two very upset suitors who were turned down and lost their request for Mary’s hand.  Joseph must have been a very happy young man to get the most beautiful, good-hearted, and affectionate young woman the world has ever seen!  I am sure he thought he won the lottery.  It was the dream of every young Jewish man to have such a bride.  He hoped to have beautiful children.  He considered himself blessed by also having such a successful and secure job as a tradesman.

But soon all these wonderful dreams were shattered.  Pope Francis observed that Joseph’s discovery that Mary was expecting a child that was not his must have created “shock, pain, confusion, perhaps even irritation and disappointment.” Joseph even seriously thought about quietly divorcing Mary!

An angel had to intervene!  “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Mt 1:20f   In the inspired Greek text the word “take” is the very strong and loving word “paralombano” which means ‘to welcome, to receive, to acceptwith a warm heart! 

The shattered dream became an unbelievable blessing.   Mary was given to Joseph as a companion!  She is the most incredible purely human being that God ever made!  Theirs was a union that far exceeded any marriage!   Joseph was made the only earthly father that Jesus ever had.  Jesus was so fond of His foster father that every prayer He said to His Heavenly Father always began with the word Father!  Jesus described God as Father more than any other title.  Jesus must have been really impressed with Joseph!   Joseph’s occupation and business of carpentry gave way to the most important job any father could have.   He lovingly and carefully cared for the most important family the world would ever see!

Christmas is a wonderful feast of hope.  If so many of our dreams seem to get shattered, we must remember, like Joseph, that they are not lost!  On the contrary shattered dreams become much higher Horizons in the marvelous Providence of God!

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
Luke 1:57-66

Reflection:

I am writing this reflection on December 19, when our Gospel reading is the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, and the angel tells him that Elizabeth, his wife, will conceive and bear a child in answer to their prayers. Because Zechariah asks a question, the angel takes it as evidence of disbelief and renders Zechariah mute.

In today’s Gospel reading, Elizabeth has conceived, and the child is born. When the relatives come to the circumcision of the baby, they plan to name him after his father. But Elizabeth tells them he will be named John. The relatives do not understand this and ask Zechariah. When he writes affirming what Elizabeth says, his mouth is opened, and he praises God.

I find myself wondering about this. I’m not so sure I would be praising God after so long a punishment. But then, I thought, what if Zechariah really doubted the angel’s words, and then saw that it all had happened as he was told it would. Would he not simply praise God for all that God had done?

We may have doubts, and it may be hard at times to see God working in our lives, but God does so, even when we can’t feel anything. And so, like Zechariah, we ultimately come to simply praising God. When the relatives witness Zechariah being able to speak and praising God, they wonder about this baby who was born only eight days prior: “What, then, will this child be?” And Luke concludes: “For surely the hand of God was with him.”

It may not always seem so, but the hand of God is with us. We can enter into the celebration of Christmas with our questions and our hurts and our wondering. But God is with us through it all, and Jesus’ birth reminds us of God’s love and power and faithfulness. Blessed be God!

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Micah 5:1-4a
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45

Reflection:

During this Advent season, we have been reflecting on yearning for the coming of Jesus, opening our hearts to Him, and opening our hearts to each other. In our Gospel reading for this Sunday (Luke 1:39-45), we see the connection between hope and love in the interaction between Mary and Elizabeth.

Our Gospel reading begins just after the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is to be the mother of the Messiah, and that her relative Elizabeth, considered too old and barren to conceive, is pregnant. After hearing all this and accepting God’s will, Luke tells us that Mary went “in haste” to see Elizabeth. We can imagine all the things running through Mary’s mind: to see how Elizabeth was doing, and to tell her what just happened with herself.

We can imagine the joy of the moment of their meeting! Both these women were going to bring new life into the world. They not only saw what this meant for themselves and for Zechariah and Joseph, but also for God’s plan of salvation.

There is a very old saying: “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” Mary and Elizabeth demonstrate this so well! And they demonstrate that where there’s hope, there’s love.

When there is hope, life is considered worth living. As I thought about Mary and Elizabeth giving birth to Jesus and John, I thought about babies still being born in Gaza and Israel and Ukraine and South Sudan and many other places where to have hope may be considered to be foolish.

Is it foolish to hope for justice and peace? Is it foolish to love as Jesus loves? It may be foolish in the eyes of the world, but if we have the faith of all the prophets and the people we have been hearing about during these weeks of Advent: Mary and Joseph and Elizabeth and John the Baptist; if we have the faith to trust in God’s love and God’s plan; if we have made room for Jesus in our hearts, we can still live in hope and in love, working for justice and peace.

And perhaps one step we can take is to consider what Elizabeth says to Mary into our own relationships with others and with the whole world. Elizabeth says to Mary: “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” What if every encounter we have with another person was accompanied with the thought: “How does this happen to me, that the beloved of my Lord should come to me?”

To paraphrase what Elizabeth also says to Mary: Blessed are we who believe that what has been spoken to us by the Lord will be fulfilled. Blessed are we who live in hope and dare to love.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.