Gospel Reading: Lk 2:1-14
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest/ and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Reflection GREAT JOY AND BLESSING IN A SMALL BUNDLE!
“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. …you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” These words of the angel conclude the Christmas story that we read as the climax of the celebration of the Word. The Old Testament caused many people to fear God. Stories about God’s power and wrath have always emphasized the huge gap between the infinite, transcendent, and immortal God and limited, mortal human beings. The birth of Jesus – God in swaddling clothes – according to the angel, shows how God’s great concern is that we should not fear God! God is love, and God is lovable. This is God’s true glory.
Luke is also referred to as the “Gospel of Jesus and the Poor.” In it are Jesus’ stories with women, children, the poor, the sick, and the sinners. Necessarily then, Luke’s nativity story illustrates, among other things, the general theme of his gospel! The Good News comes with and from the poor.
Jesus born in the poverty of the manger, amidst the pomp of the Roman emperor and his governors, invites us to these thoughts:
(1) The little one, powerless and vulnerable, attracts the most beautiful and luminous in those who are strong. Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds gathered around the infant Jesus are surely drawn to compassion, gentleness, and love. This is the perennial effect of the Christmas story to us.
(2) The little one teaches the strong to accept their weakness, brokenness, and dark and ugly sides. “She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The vulnerability, cry, provocations, and humanitarian demands of the little Jesus unmask our violence, our abusive tendencies.
(3) The little one underscores the joy of recognizing our common humanity. The world of the emperor and his governors (and of the poor shepherds) is characterized by competition and by survival through one’s strength. The little Jesus tells us that human life and maturity are sustained through deep, open relationships – of which the family is the basic one. Hence, the story of the little Jesus involves Mary and Joseph.
(4) The little one demonstrates the value of non-verbals. The little Jesus does not talk right away but follows the way of humans in his growing up. Yet he radiates joy through the love in his eyes that surely elicits love from those around him. He brings joy to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds with his little touch, tiny cry, little body, gestures, and facial expressions.
* * *
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord,” ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
