Word to the Wise
Thursday, December 18, 2008 - Thursday in the Third Week of Advent
[Jeremiah 23:5-8 and Matthew 1:18-25]All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us."
Beginning yesterday, the liturgical calendar leads the Church into the eight day period before Christmas. This is the period in which the prophetic quality of our Advent/Christmas journey intensifies. Those who attend the Eucharist will hear at the "Alleluia verse" one of the "O antiphons" which also appear in the Liturgy of the Hours at Evening Prayer. These "antiphons" also form the verses of the well-known Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!" The whole import of all of this is to intensify the longing for the coming of the Savior. Our imagination can bring us to Mary's longing, like that of any woman nearing the end of a pregnancy, for that child to finally be BORN! A sense of the prophets and the scriptures can bring us to the longing of a an entire people for the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah. Our own personal challenges or those of our communities or nation can intensify in this period that leads up to the celebration of Christmas. Perhaps our imagination will allow us to reflect that for millions and millions of people that day will be just like any other day for reasons of poverty, faith, politics, etc. After all, how many people in Bethlehem on the original day knew that the Savior of the world was being born in a nearby stable? The fulfillment of the prophetic promises of God to "be with us" take place each day. But in this season, the scriptures and the "O antiphons" help us to do more than look forward to opening the presents and returning the gifts to exchange them! We are about to receive a gift that no one in their right mind would want to exchange! AMEN
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