Word to the Wise
Thursday, December 29, 2016 - Dec. 29 - 5th Day in the Octave of Christmas
[1 John 2:3-11 and Luke 2:22-35]"Lord, now let your servant go in peace; for your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel." [Luke]
The Gospel of Luke, in its telling of the story of the origins of Jesus, presents its whole story (which includes the Acts of the Apostles) as a preaching to many nations. All of this preaching is the work of the Holy Spirit and reflects a divine plan. Today's gospel passage reflects this "agenda." We will celebrate the incident more formally in February with the feast of the Presentation ("Candlemas"). That is the broader context.
The narrower context reveals the various ways in which the birth of Jesus impacted the lives of others. The shepherds, Simeon, Anna, Joseph, Mary (and in Matthew, the Magi) all react in different ways. There is danger (Herod's threat), worry (Jesus lost in the temple), awe, amazement and prophecy. We could even appeal to the experience of all parents at the birth of a child, especially the first child.
All of these elements enrich the experience of gazing at the manger scene: the work of the Holy Spirit, the plan of God, the lives of the persons represented by the figurines and last but not least our own lives. Does it make a difference that this scene occurred so many centuries ago? Every evening at Night Prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours celebrates the "Canticle of Simeon," (quoted above) to remind us all at the end of the day that every day is part of living out the life of Jesus through baptism and preaching it to the ends of the earth. AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
90 ms
4
