Word to the Wise
Monday, December 14, 2015 - 3rd Week of Advent - Mon
[Num 24:2-7, 15-17a and Matt 21:23-27]"I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob and a staff shall arise from Israel." [Numbers]
DECEMBER 14 ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS ocd
One of the principal ways of understanding the life and death of Jesus used by the earliest Christian communities was to turn to the scriptures they had on hand. They learned to interpret the Old Testament in the light of what they knew about Jesus, especially as the one who fulfilled the prophecies about a messiah. One can see this in action if one reads the "infancy narratives" which form a part of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The scriptures assigned in the lectionary for Advent attempt to capture the sense of hope and longing for deliverance that those prophecies contain. We can see this in today's first scripture in the words of Balaam (who, ironically, was hired by an adversary of Israel to utter a curse on them and wound up predicting victory for them).
It is difficult to recapture the sense of expectation and longing that were part of Jewish faith in the time of Jesus and before. The Christian community had its own form of hope and yearning when persecution began to be a regular part of their life until Constantine legalized Christianity in the 4th Century! In our own time, children "can't wait" till Christmas comes and perhaps adults sigh and say, "I'll be glad when we can get back to normal!" after all the social and other secular as well as religious observances are done. Yet, the nativity scene that we customarily set up in this season can serve as a focal point for reflection. That child in the manger is more than a cute baby! Perhaps he can touch our own deepest hopes for a deliverance! AMEN
config
view
logs
4096.0 KB
113 ms
4
