First Sunday after Christmas- Matthew 1:18-25- St. Joseph

 The Gospel for the Sunday after Christmas is Matthew 1:18-25. This Scripture highlights the often neglected role of St. Joseph in the Incarnation. Of course, Jesus Himself is the focus and the Virgin Mary is the highly favored one. Yet, Joseph must not be forgotten. He is a great example of a godly and honorable man. 

In his initial response to the unique pregnancy of Mary, Joseph is a merciful traditionalist. He wants to follow the rules as kindly as possible. But Joseph is also open to change for a good purpose. He hears and heeds the divine call, and in response to God's message, he accepts his vocation with courage and commitment. He is supportive of Mary. He cares for the blessed spouse and for the holy child entrusted to his care.  After the visit of the Wise Men, he leads Mary and Jesus into exile for safety from Herod's cruel slaughter of the Innocents, and later he returns the family to a settled life in Nazareth. Joseph is involved in the religious life of the holy family, as shown in the pilgrimage at Passover when Jesus was twelve. Joseph probably also oversaw young Jesus' basic education in the Scriptures and seems to have passed on his practical carpentry or cabinet-making skills.

In these and many unknown ways, Joseph fulfilled his sacred vocation as a human father. For all those who are human fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or mentors, Joseph is a great example of true manliness. For all Christians, he is an example of love, religious duty, and self-sacrifice. May his example encourage us all in our devotion to and service to Christ!

Holy Innocents- 28 December- Jeremiah 31:15-17; Matthew 2: 16-18

 On the fourth day of Christmas (28 December), the traditional calendar of the Church tempers our naive tendencies in celebrating the Nativity of Christ. Matthew 2 tells us about the cruel act of Herod, so-called the Great. Fearing the threat of Christ to his worldly power, the king ordered the execution of male children in Bethlehem under two years of age.

So the Birth of Jesus was not all filled with kindly sentimentality. Despite divine intervention in human history, the forces of evil, destruction, and death were still at work. The Christ Child became the object of hatred, and an attempt to eliminate Him killed His innocent contemporaries. Although God has done much to redeem human beings, our world is still the same. Many people still oppose God and still destroy the innocent to preserve personal power, wealth, comfort, convenience, etc.

Nevertheless, the evil acts of Herod and his family did not succeed in destroying God's truth, love, and grace incarnate in Jesus Christ. Herod's kingdom faded away, but the work of redemption in Jesus Christ continued. And so it is to our day. There is much evil and innocent suffering in the world, but the Redeemer and His work are not destroyed. Christ lives and His work continues and will continue to the end of the age and beyond!

St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr- 26 December- Acts 7

 In our time, the Twelve Days of Christmas and other holy days are neglected by most people, even by loyal communicants of the Church. Few probably pause to think of St. Stephen on this date. The story of Stephen is told in Acts 7. He was one of seven pious believers selected to assist the apostles as deacons. Soon he became the first martyr of the Church because of his brave preaching of the Gospel.

Some people may not understand observing a martyrdom on the day after Christmas. However, since the early days of the church calendar in the fourth century, the feast of the Nativity and that of St. Stephen have been bound together. From a spiritual and theological point of view, this connection is profound and meaningful. As in humility, God the Son is born on earth, so in humility His servant Stephen has his heavenly birthday. The very birth of Jesus to be our Redeemer is inseparable from His life and work that lead Him and us to the Cross. The Christmas celebrating continues, but as much as we like holidays, the joy is not found in worldly indulgence. True joy is sublime and profound; it is to be found in the message of Christ from Incarnation to Sacrificial Death to Resurrection. And St. Stephen is part of that story. Glory be to God on high!. 

Christmas

Merry Christmas! "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger" (Luke 2:7). Christmas is about the Birth of Jesus. The appropriate reaction to His Birth is briefly but admirably summarized in the antiphon for Morning Prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer:

 Alleluia. Unto us a child is born; * O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

May the Christ Child (the eternal Word of God become flesh- John 1:14)) always be at the center of our Christmas celebrations! He has come to us and He keeps coming to us to be our Savior. A blessed Feast of the Nativity to all!

Advent IV- John 1:19-28

On the Fourth Sunday in Advent, the Gospel from St. John 1:19-28 is another reference to the preparatory message of John the Baptist. When the Jerusalem authorities send representatives to ask who he is, John refuses the usual titles. He only acknowledges being "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3). He makes the way ready for the Lord; he baptizes with water to represent repentance and cleansing from sin. But the One coming after John is much greater. He is the reason for John's work of preparation, and He will bring the redemption that John's ministry only anticipates.

As Christians, we believe that the One whose way John prepared is Jesus, and we seek to prepare His way in our lives this week.  As Advent draws to a close, many people are busy with a variety of preparations for the Christmas holiday. Unfortunately, people often lose sight of the spiritual preparations needed to celebrate Christ's Nativity. Most of us need to pay more attention to prayer, to meditation on Scripture, and to renewed efforts to prepare room for Christ in our hearts and in our lives. As we get ready to celebrate Christ's first coming in humility, let us not get too distracted. Let us remember that Jesus Christ keeps coming to us. He calls us to repent of our sins and accept His grace, mercy, and peace. Without Him, all our celebrations are empty. With Him in our lives, there is true joy in simple things!

Advent III- I Corinthians 4:1-5

For the Third Sunday in Advent, the readings from I Corinthians 4 and Matthew 11 point us to the theme of Christian ministry. This theme is especially appropriate because the traditional Advent Ember Days occur on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of this week. For centuries, these days have called Christians to deliberate emphasis on the general ministry and mission of the Church, and especially on the role of the ordained ministry. All Christians share in ministry, and ordained deacons, priests, and bishops have special responsibilities.

The Epistle from I Corinthians 4:1-5 speaks of such Christian ministry. All Christians are called to ministry or service for Christ, but all too often we forget this, at least in practical daily speech and behavior. Every person baptized has been set aside and transformed by grace in the name of the Holy Trinity. This setting aside for service has a special application to the ordained ministry. In a special way, the clergy are called to be "stewards of the mysteries of God" (I Corinthians 4:1).

What are the mysteries of God? The mysteries are the core events of Christ's Gospel- from the Annunciation and Nativity to the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension. These Scriptural mysteries are summarized in the ancient Creeds. These mysteries are also powerfully expressed in the Sacraments. The Christian Gospel becomes visible and immediate for us in the concrete Sacred Mysteries or Sacraments, in particular Baptism and the Eucharist. Every Christian is called to believe the mysteries of the Gospel and to participate in appropriate and faithful ways in the sacramental expression of these mysteries 

During this Advent, let us prepare for Christmas by contemplating the mysteries of the Gospel and their expression in the Sacraments. Let us be aware of our general calling to be faithful stewards of the Gospel according to our specific vocations. And let us pray that all Christians, especially those who are ordained, may be constantly renewed by divine grace for God's service.