Word to the Wise
Monday, December 23, 2019 - December 23
[Mal 3:1-4, 23-24 and Luke 1:57-66]"Lo, I am send my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts." [Malachi]
Christian tradition has seen this passage from the prophet Malachi as a foretelling of John the Baptist's ministry. The gospel scripture for today is the story of John the Baptist's birth, but that is traditionally celebrated June 24, six months earlier, as per the message of the angel Gabriel to Mary. [Luke 1:36]. Perhaps this is a reminder that even in that time, human gestation still took nine months!
Throughout the Christmas season, we are reminded of the meaning of "incarnation." The births of John the Baptist and Jesus take place in the ordinary course of human life. The Christian community would struggle with this thought for centuries. Some would make Jesus less than divine (Arians) and some would make him less than human (Docetists). It took the councils of Nicea and Chalcedon in the fourth and fifth centuries to settle the full understanding for us.
For now, we can gaze at the infant in the manger and give thanks that God has become a human person in our midst. The Word is made flesh! And it took thousands of years and nine months to happen! AMEN
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