Word to the Wise
Friday, December 31, 2010 - Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
[1 John 2:12-17 and Luke 2:36-40]When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him....
One of the clear purposes of the "infancy narratives" is to provide information about Jesus' background and origins. The earliest documents of the New Testament, St. Paul's letters have very little to say on the subject. But there were rumors and stories circulating, especially at the hands of those who opposed the Christian message, that Jesus was an illegitimate child of Galilean origin (and Galileans were suspect as less than "observant" Jews). Luke makes certain that everyone knows that Joseph and Mary were good and pious Jews who followed the Law of Moses in bringing their firstborn son to the temple to be "redeemed." Matthew makes certain that Jesus is descended from Abraham and David through his "legal father" Joseph, and is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies concerned the Messiah. Since Jesus is portrayed in Matthew as a "new Moses," the infancy narrative shows a parallel to Moses' birth in the slaughter of the children. In short, the "infancy narratives" are like the overture to an opera, which presents the major musical themes of the work, but has its own purpose as well. (Indeed there are overtures that have survived long after the opera itself disappeared.)
Through all of this "background" the plan of salvation takes shape and the very history of humanity is forever marked by God's intervention. The liturgical season of Christmas/Epiphany continues and the "infancy narratives" invite us to enter into their own music as well as the work they introduce. If we put away this season with the gift wrappings and the crib set, we are depriving ourselves of the same Good News that our baptism commissions us to proclaim. AMEN
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