Author: Msgr. Charles Pope

Well, I didn’t get the gift I wanted this Christmas  😉 Maybe the fact that it cost $20,000 had something to do with it  🙂 It is the Seven-Seater tricycle in the Hammacher and Schlemmer Catalog.  I suspect it is one of those corporate “team-building” items and thus a large corporation might be able to afford the hefty cost or even just rent it for corporate “retreats.”

At any rate I was intrigued when I saw it as something of an image of the Church. I know that I exaggerate when I “see” these things, but it is good to reminded of the Lord and His Church in many ways.

That it is a Tricycle reminds us surely of the Trinity, the foundation on which our faith rests and rolls.  Or perhaps the three wheels speak to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus (from whose wounded side came forth his Bride, the Church, and whose resurrection means she is a bride, not a widow).  Or is it the three Sacraments of initiation (Baptism confirmation, Eucharist) that enable us to fully participate (or ride) in the Church. Or perhaps the three wheels are the three degrees of Holy Orders (Bishop, priest, deacon), on which the Church both rides and is steered.

The seven seats may speak to the seven sacraments, or the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the seven churches of Revelation. But we ought not forget that the number “7” is also a number specifying perfection and fullness. And thus the seven seats speak to the “full number of the elect” that is known only to God. And this is my preferred interpretation, that the seven riders represent the full Membership of the Church.

Each of the seats is adjustable. And this speaks to the different gifts that all bring and the Church’s capacity to use different gifts and adjust the to needs and gifts of others, while also insisting that one find a seat and act in a way that does not violate her main task as making the journey to heaven.

The seats are arranged in a circle. And this indicated the equal dignity of every baptized member. In the Church there are different roles and there is authority, but in terms of dignity before God, all are equal. The Pope has supreme authority in the Church but he is no more baptized than anyone else. In the Church authority is exercised among equals.

Note that all the riders hold on to a single, circular handle bar. And this speaks to the fact of One Lord, one Faith, One Baptism. Yes, we all hold to the one, true faith, and to a church that has among its four marks that she is “One.” Even the driver’s steering wheel is attached on and through the circular bar.

There is only one steering wheel. And this remind of the Pope in the universal Church and the Bishop in the local Church. Only one person can steer. Give everyone a steering wheel and there is chaos, power struggle and an accident waiting to happen. If no one is pope, everyone is pope and that is very, very bad. It will be noted that the driver is the only one to steer, but he is able to get feedback, advice and encouragement from the other riders. And thus his leadership is collaborative, but it is ultimately a single leadership. Every body, needs a head. A body with two heads is a freak, and a body with no head is dead. Every body, including the Church needs a head. Thus this image of the church has one steering wheel. And for those who say the head is a book not a pope, I say that books can’t see to steer; it takes a real person to see, to be inspired, and to steer.

Every seat, including the driver’s has pedals. And this means that everyone must do their part.  If one member suffers or lapses, all the members will suffer; if one member has an energy burst and can pedal gloriously, all the members are glorified. If one member is struggling, there are six others to compensate. But all must reasonably do their part, play their role, and contribute to the journey of the Church to glory. If too many are allowed to stray or pedal backwards, or drag their feet, then the forward progress gets difficult and other members suffer. Thus the Church must correct and insist that all do their part.

Every seat must be filled, or the work gets harder for those who remain and may eventually stop or go backwards if too many seats go empty. And thus evangelization is going to be key to keep the seats full and the work of the Lord’s Church moving forward. Further, if there are empty seats, it means some are being left behind, and this should be considered unacceptable for the Church that is make sure the full number of the elect find their way home. Every empty seat is a disgrace, a failure of mission, and makes the work even harder.

Well, more can be said. Feel free to add your own commentary on this seven-seater tricycle. Here’s a video that shows the trike in action. The video is funny to since it is kind of a spoof,  crafted on the TV ads of the 1950’s with silly elevator music and a lot of dumb waves and staged enthusiasm, like those old ads. Someday I would love the chance to ride one of these tricycles. You may note that some of the scenes in the video depart from proper eclessiology – find the errors in the video!

In the ancient Church, and until rather recently, we genuflected at the two references to the incarnation in the Mass: at the Creed and at the Last Gospel (John 1). Why did we do this? It was explained to me that the mystery was so deep that one could only fall in silent reverence.

There are many paradoxes and seeming impossibilities in the incarnation. As mysteries they cannot be fully solved, so they claim our reverence. We genuflected in the past, and we bow today at the mention of the incarnation in the creed for it is a deep mystery.

As we celebrate Christmas I would like to list some of the paradoxes of Christmas. I want to say as little of them as possible, just enough to make the paradox clear. This paucity of words, not common with me, is in reverence to the mystery and also to invite your own reflection.

1. The Infinite One becomes an infant.
2. An antiphon for the Christmas season says, How can we find words to praise your dignity O Virgin Mary, for he whom the very heavens cannot contain, you carried in your womb.
3. An old Latin Carol (in Dulci Jublio) says, Alpha et O, Matris in Gremio – (Alpha and Omega, sitting in mommy’s lap).
4. He who looks down on all creation looks up to see his mother. The most high looks up from a cradle. Of this moment even the pagans wrote with longing and tenderness: Incipe, parve puer, risu cognoscere matrem….ipsa tibi blandos fundent cunabula flores, occidet et serpens, et fallax herba veneni occidet (Begin, little boy to recognize the face of your mother with a smile….For you, your own cradle will bear delightful flowers; the serpent will die, and the plant that hides its venom) – Virgil 4th Eclogue.
5. He who indwells all creation is born in homelessness.
6. He to whom all things in heaven and on earth belong, is born in poverty and neediness.
7. He is the mighty Word through whom all things were made. He is the very utterance of God, the Voice which summons all creation into existence. Of this Word, this Utterance, this Voice, Scripture says, The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, upon many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, the voice of the LORD is full of majesty….The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness …The voice of the LORD makes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forests bare; and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” (Ps. 29). Yet, this voice is now heard as the cooing and crying of an infant.
8. His infant hand squeezes his mother’s finger, as infants do. From that same hand, the universe tumbled into existence. That same hand is steering the stars in their courses.
9. He who holds all creation together in himself (Col 1:17) is now held by his mother.
10. He who is the Bread of Life is born in Bethlehem (House of Bread) and lies in a feeding trough (manger).
11. He who is our sustainer and our food, is now hungry and fed by his mother.
12. Angels and Archangels may have gathered there, Cherubim and Seraphim thronged the air! But only his mother in her maiden bliss, could worship the beloved with a kiss. (Christina Rosetti “Ere the Bleak Mid Winter”).

Each of these is meant to be a meditation on the great mystery of the Incarnation. Please add to this list!

Remember the word paradox means something that defies intuition or the common way of thinking. It unsettles or startles us to make us think more deeply. It comes from the Greek: para- + dokein. Para usually meaning “beside, off to the side,” sometimes “above,” and dokein meaning “to think or seem.” Hence a paradox is something off to the side of the usual way of seeing things or thinking about them. If you are going to relate to God you’re going to deal with a lot of paradox, for God’s ways and thinking often defy and confound human ways and thinking. God is not irrational but He often acts in ways that do not conform with worldly expectations.

This Christmas consider these paradoxes and learn from them. Remember too, mysteries are to be lived more than solved. Reverence is more proper to mystery than excessive curiosity. Here, more is learned in silence than by many words.

O Holy night! Yes, a silent night! and, it came upon a midnight clear. Christmas, it would seem, is a festival of the mid night. Jesus is born when it is dark, dark midnight. We are sure of it. And why not?

Even though we are not told the exact hour of his birth we are sure it must have been night. Scripture does say that the Shepherds who heard the glad tidings were keeping watch over their flock “by night” (cf Luke 2:9). Further the Magi sought him by the light of a star, and stars are seen at night, deep midnight. None of this is evidence that Jesus was born at 11:59 PM, but it sets our clocks for night, deep midnight.

Add to this the fact that Christmas is celebrated at the Winter solstice, the very darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere. More specifically Christmas breaks in on the very days that the light begins its subtle return. The darkest and shortest days of the year make their impression on December 21 and 22. But by December 23 and 24 we notice a definite, but subtle trend, the days are getting longer, the light is returning! Time to celebrate the return of the light, it is going to be alright!

How fitting now, to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the true Light of the World, in a deep and dark December. Jesus our light, kindles a light and a fire that never dies away. Indeed, in the dark hours of December, we have noticed a trend. The light is returning, the darkness is abating, the days are growing longer from here on out. It is subtle now! But it will grow. And with the return of light, we celebrate our True Light: Jesus.

But light is best appreciated in contrast. We think most, and appreciate most, the glory of light when the darkness assails. There’s just something about Christmas Eve. As the time approaches through December, and the darkness grows, we light lights. Yes, all through December as the darkness grows, we light Advent candles, more as it grows darkest! Even the secular among us string lights in dark December, in malls, on their houses, as if to say, the darkness cannot win, the light conquers!

And lights have their true glory in contrast the darkness. Who sees the stars in mid day? And who appreciates the beauty of light until they have experienced the darkness? Yes, Christmas is a feast of the light. We confront the darkness of December and declare to it: “Your deepest days are over, the light is returning.” And for us of faith, we say to a world in ever deeper darkness, “Your darkness cannot remain. It wil be overcome and replaced.” For though darkness has its season, it is always conquered by the light.

An atheist recently scoffed at me on the com box of this blog that our day is over, the world has rejected faith… Sorry dear Atheist friend, the light always wins. On December 22, the darkness recedes, the light returns and all darkness is scattered. It seems subtle at first, but the light always returns, the darkness cannot last.

Light has a way of simply replacing the darkness. In three months the equinox (equal night and day) occurs, and in six months the summer solstice (the longest day) comes. And the darkness will once again seek to conquer. BUT IT ALWAYS LOSES. The light will return. Jesus is always born at the hour of darkness’ greatest moment. Just when the darkness is celebrating most, it’s hour is over, the light dawns again.

Yes we celebrate after sundown on December 24, in accord with a tradition going back to Jewish times that our Feasts begin at sundown the night before.  Christmas morning is almost an afterthought. Most pastors know, the majority of their people have come the “night” before.  In a deep and dark December, a light comes forth, a star, shines in the heavens.

We gather, in and on a dark night. We smile. We are moved by the cry of a small infant, by whose voice the heavens were made. His little cry lights up the night. The darkness must go, the light has come, day is at hand.

Yes, we celebrate at night to bid farewell to the darkness. It cannot prevail. It is destined to be scattered by the Light far more powerful than it, a Light it must obey, a Light that overwhelms and replaces it. Farewell to darkness, the Light of the World has come.

Jesus the light of the world.

The video below is a celebration of light. As a Christmas gift to myself on December 22nd, the darkest day of the year, I took an afternoon off and went to photograph the triumph of light over darkness. I went to a Mausoleum, Yes, to a place where thousands are buried in the walls. But also in those walls are windows, glorious windows where light breaks through, and Christ shines forth. Some of the most beautiful stained glass in the city of Washington resides in that place of death and darkness. The light breaks through and it speaks of Christ.

This video is a testimony to just some of those windows (I am putting together another video of other windows to be shown later). In this place, a place of death, a light breaks through, the light of faith, the Light of Christ. The text of the music in this video is from Taize, and it says, Christe lux mundi, qui sequitur te, habebit lumen vitae, lumen vitae (Christ, Light of the World! Who follows you has the light of life, the light of life).

As you view this video of the Life of Christ, ponder that stained glass begins as opaque sand. But when subject to, and purified by the fire, it radiates the glory of light which can now shine through it. So it is for us. Born in darkness, but purified by Christ and the Fire of the Spirit, we begin to radiate his many splendored Light shining through us, to a dark world.

The Light wins, He always wins.

In this, the final full day of Advent, we read the closing words of the Old Testament, from the book of the prophet Malachi. These closing words, these final lines of the Old Testament, are nothing short of astonishing.

While they ring with a promise, they also warn of great peril to those who do not lay hold of the promise. The words come forth almost like iron pellets. And though there is the way through, but it is only by being refined as through fire and by becoming fire.

Consider the words:

Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction. (Mal 4:1-6)

Yes, and with these words the Old Testament ends, the curtain closes. Remarkably as the curtain reopens on the New Testament we see the Elijah figure, John the Baptist fulfilling exactly what is said here. More on that in a moment.

But here on the eve of the opening of the New Testament, with the conception, and now birth of Christ, it is worth looking at the final words of the Old Dispensation in order to understand why we need the New, why we need a savior who is Christ the Lord.

Lets look at this text in four stages:

I. Day of Destruction – Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

The concept of the Day of judgment as a day of fire and wrath must be carefully understood. It does not men that God is “mad” or angry in some human sense. God is not moody, he is not subject to having bad days. God is Love and he is unchanging.

The images of wrath and fire describe our human experience of God if we are not prepared to experience his full presence. God is a burning furnace of charity, He is the fire of love and holiness. Now some things, such as fine gold and silver are able to be purified by fire. But many other things cannot endure fire, such as wood, hay, straw and many other things. And thus God warns in this text that he is a Holy Fire and that we must be made ready to endure his glory. “Wrath” is the human experience of being unprepared to encounter the holy fire of God’ presence.

Consider that fire and water do not mix. One can hear the conflict between the two when water is spilled on a hot stove. Thus, sin and injustice cannot endure the holiness of God, and to the unrighteous God’s presence is experienced as wrath.

Consider too the image of light. In the evening hours we delight to have the bright lights of our room to see by. But when we switch off the lights for sleep, we grow accustomed to the darkness. And thus at six in the morning when the lights are switched back on we complain, and say the light is “harsh.” But the light has not changed, it has not gotten brighter than the night before, it is not “harsh.” Rather it is we who have changed, we who now prefer the dark.

And thus when we speak of the wrath of God, we ought to remember how we often call the morning light “harsh,” and we should realize that the “wrath” of God says more about us than about God. God has not changed, we have. He is the same God who walked with us in the Garden of Eden. But we, departing to our sins and preferring the darkness, now too easily experience him as angry, or harsh. He is not. The problem is in us.

And as for fire, there is no reason to fear the fire of God’s love, if that fire of love is already in us and at work in us bringing us up to the temperature of glory.

What this text then warns about is not so much God’s stance, but, rather, our stance: our preference for the darkness, and the coldness of our hearts which prefer selfishness and sin to love and holiness. When “the Day” comes, those who prefer darkness and cold experience the day as a destructive and burning fire, and the warmth of God’s love as “wrathful” and destructive fire.

Now when shall that “Day” come? For us it may may come in one of two ways: either Christ will come to us in glory to judge the living and dead, or we shall go to him. Either way, the “Day” will come. And for the wicked, as we see here, the Day will be one of wrath, of a burning oven-like heat.

Historically the “Day” referred to in this text is the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. Now, one may wonder, since Jesus has come,  where is the oven that burns up the wicked? Clearly that aspect of this prophecy has been delayed to our judgment day.

But make no mistake, Jesus has already called the question. Either we will believe in him and be saved, or refuse belief and and be lost, and be subject to the wrath that is to come (cf  Mk 16:16; John 8:24; 1 Thess 1:10).

Jesus says, I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! (Lk 12:49). So there is a fire that is coming on this world and all who dwell on it. God will judge the world by fire (cf 2 Peter 3:7). It is a fire that we must be prepared for or we will experience its wrath.

II. Distinction that Delivers – But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty.

But note that for those who have been rendered ready, and have, by God’s grace come to love the light and heat of God’s love, the “Day” will not seem to be a blazing oven at all! Rather it will a beautiful sunlit day wherein the fire of God’s love is like rays of sunshine that bring healing and warmth.

This is what God wants to accomplish for us, that we be ready to come into his presence. He will not change, and cannot change. Thus he must change us into his glory. He must set us on fire. No surprise therefore that the Pentecost event featured tongues of fire that came to rest on the faithful. It set them on fire and began a process to bring them up to the temperature of glory!

Thus, again, note that the problem is not in God, it is in us. So also the solution is in us, being changed into glory. And God will do this for his faithful and for those who fear his name. That is, for those who hold him in awe and respect that he is God, ever to be adored and obeyed.

Paradoxically the way to avoid the fire of wrath is accept the need in our life for a purifying fire. To avoid getting burned in the fire of wrath, we must pass through a fire that purifies, rather than burns. Scripture says,

1. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will …purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, (Mal 3:2-3). And again,
2. Our work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Cor 3:13-15)

And thus prior to meeting God we must all be purified as by fire so as to be able to endure the pure fire of God’s love.

To avoid the fire of wrath, let the Lord set you on fire and purify you by fire!

III. Directives to avoid Doom – Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

At the end of the day, our love for God and our faith in him must be manifest in an obedience to his law. Now the law of God is not some arbitrary set of rules. It is an expression of the Love and will of God to save us. God instructs us for our salvation.

If you give me directions on how to get to your home, you are not just setting up arbitrary rules for me. You are giving me sound information for my good and for the ultimate “salvation” of finding my way to your home. It is even more so with God who can neither be deceived nor deceive. If we will follow him and the path he sets out, then by this grace we will be saved from the coming wrath, and from eternal loss. Follow the directions to avoiding getting burned, and trust that his grace will equip, empower and enable you to do so and thus find the way home to the Kingdom.

IV. Deliverer from total Destruction – See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.

And thus we come to the closing verses of the Old Testament. Having warned us of a coming fiery judgment, the Lord also promises us help. For it is not his will that any of us should be lost. And though sadly knowing of our collective stubbornness, and that many will sadly prefer the darkness to light, he nevertheless promises the help of his grace, and the presence of Elijah.

And who is this Elijah? Does the Lord mean that Elijah will return from heaven in the fiery chariot? Probably not, but rather, that the office of Elijah will revive and be continued.

Historically, Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the Elijah figure who was prophesied here:

To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that Jesus was talking to them about John the Baptist. (Matt 17:11-13)

And thus, the Old Testament ended with the promise of Elijah’s return. And as the curtains close on the Old and reopen again in the New Testament we are brought almost immediately to the Jordan River, where John the Baptist is preparing the people, “Elijah” has returned. And thanks be to God, since many of Jesus’ earliest disciples, and many of his apostles had first been disciples of John the Baptist. John did his work well!

But to some degree, the office of Elijah, must continue on. In a certain sense, the Church is Elijah and is John the Baptist. So are particular members of the Church such as our pastors, our parents, religious, catechists and teachers. All of them point to Christ, and it help lead us to Christ saying, “There he is! Follow him!”

There is also in this last line of the Old Testament a poignant and beautiful description of the work of Elijah, that he would “turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and children to their fathers.” For indeed, to be reconciled to one another is a beautiful and an essential way to be prepared one day to meet God.

Scripture asks, How we can say we love God whom we don’t see,  when we do not love our neighbor whom we do see (cf 1 Jn 4:20)? Jesus, in the great judgment scene of Matthew 25 also links our love for the needy and the poor to our love for him (Matt 25:31ff).

It is so easy for us to turn holiness and love into an abstraction. And yet, at the end of the day, a huge part of holiness is simply to be reconciled to one another and to have a vigorous love for one another rooted in the truth of the Gospel. An essential way to get ready for the day of fiery judgement is to be reconciled to God and one another.

Yes, it is fitting, that on the last full day of Advent we read the final lines of the Old Testament. And as the curtains of the old dispensation slide to a close, a promise of grace and mercy are extended. Messiah will come. But before the day of fiery judgment he will extend grace and mercy through Elijah.

Tomorrow evening we will see the Christ child lying in a manger.  God makes himself small for us; he comes to us meek and lowly, also extending his grace and mercy. One day he will come in fiery judgment on this world, but until that time,  grace and mercy.

Tomorrow evening, the cry of an infant will sound, saying “Come unto me. Accept me now before it is time to finally close the curtains on this, the final age.”

Before He comes again in glory to judge living in the dead, he comes to us once again humility, meekness and lowliness. He calls to you now this, Christmas feast, in the tender voice of an infant. Yes, he is calling.

The Gospel today gives us some background for the Christmas feast that we need to take to heart. It speaks to us of a crisis at Christmas.

We tend to sentimentalize the Christmas story as we think of the “baby Jesus in the manger.” It is not absolutely wrong to be sentimental about Christmas but we also have to be prayerfully sober about how difficult that first Christmas was, and the heroic virtue required of Mary and Joseph in order to cooperate with God in its coming to pass.

Let’s look at the gospel in three stages: Distress, Direction and Decision.

1. DISTRESS – The text of the Gospel says, This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.

The Marriage is off – When we read in this text that Mary was found to be with child before Joseph and she were together, we need to understand how devastating and dangerous this situation is. The pregnancy prior to marriage brought forth a real crisis for both families involved in Joseph and Mary’s marriage plans. Quite simply, it put all plans for the marriage permanently off.

Why is this? We read in the text above that Joseph was “a righteous man.” To our ears this sounds akin to saying he “was a good man.” Most of the Fathers of the Church interpret “righteous” here to refer generally to his gracious character and virtue. And we surely suppose all this of him. More recent biblical scholarship also includes the notion that to say he was “a righteous man” also means that he was “an observer of the Law.” He would thus do what the law prescribed. And this explains his decision to divorce Mary on account of her apparent lack of virginity prior to the marriage. Here is an example of the Mosaic Law in reference to such a matter:

But if the tokens of virginity were not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has wrought folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father’s house; so you shall purge the evil from the midst of you. (Deut 22:20-21)

This of course is quite extreme to modern ears, but we can see too how far we have come in making light of promiscuity compared to ancient times. No one would argue that such a thing be done today, and rightly so. However this was the landscape that the Law provided Joseph.

What about stoning? It would seem that Jews of the First Century had varying interpretations about whether stoning was required or simply permitted (cf John 8). Joseph, on account of his virtue and patience, looks for, and senses some freedom in not “exposing” Mary to the full effects of the Law (stoning). But it does not seem he can find a way that he can take her into his home. Thus, as a “righteous man” (i.e. follower of the Law) it seems he decides that divorce is surely required, even if stoning is not.

Now this leads us to two important reflections. One about Mary, and one about Joseph.

Regarding Mary, we can see into what a difficult and dangerous position her “yes” (her fiat) to the angel placed her. She risked her very life by being found with child outside the normal marital act with her husband. WE know that it is by the Holy Spirit she conceives, but her family and Joseph and his family do not yet know this, or at least cannot verify it. And even if Mary indicated exactly how she conceived, do you think YOU would merely accept such a story? Mary’s fiat placed her in a real danger, culturally speaking and it is a great testimony to her faith and trust in God that she said yes to his plans.

Regarding Joseph we can also see the kind of pressure he would be under to do what the Law and custom required. There is no mention of Joseph’s feelings at this point. But we can assume when Mary was “found to be with child” prior to the couple’s being together in Marriage, the social pressures on him from family to be legally free from Mary were likely strong, whatever his feeling or plans for her were.

As we shall see, Joseph too will undertake great risk to obey God. And thus we go to the second stage of the story.

2. DIRECTION – The text from the Gospel says, Such was his intention [to divorce] when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Be not afraid – One will note that the principle exhortation of the angel that Joseph “not be afraid” to take Mary as his wife. This exhortation is powerful since fear WAS a very big factor in this whole matter. Joseph had much to fear in taking Mary. Some of the Fathers of the Church indicate that the thing the angel said he should not fear was God’s wrath, since in fact, he would not actually be taking an adulterer or fornicator into his home. Others think the thing he should not fear was taking God’s chosen instrument (Mary) as his wife.

One can also imagine however some other fears that also needed to be consoled by the angel. For example, Joseph could easily be rejected by his family for taking Mary in. Likewise neighbors and others could shun him. As a business man Joseph needed a good reputation to be able to use his skills and ply a trade. All of these threats loom if Joseph bucks the law and custom and “brings evil into his house” rather than “purge the (apparent) evil from the midst” of his house. But the angel directs his not to fear. This will take courageous faith.

The angel’s explanation is unusual to say the least. What does it mean to conceive by the Holy Spirit? Not exactly a common occurrence! Would his family buy such an explanation? What of the others in the small town of Nazareth? Yes, people were more spiritual in those days, but it all seems so unusual.

Further, Joseph hears all this in a dream. We all know what dreams can be like. They can seem so real, but when we are fully awake we wonder if what we experienced was real at all. Joseph too has to trust that what he was told is real, and that he should not fear for God has given him direction. But as is often the case with things spiritual, we have to carefully discern and walk by faith, not by fleshly sight and certitude. Joseph has a decision to make.

3. DECISION – The text from the Gospel says, When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

Now given all that we have reflected upon, we can see the strong faith of Joseph and the kind of trust he had to put in God. He had been told not to be afraid, to rebuke fear. Joseph manfully does this. He makes his decision to obey God whatever the cost. We are given no information on how his family and others in the town may have reacted. However, the fact that the Holy family later settles back in Nazareth indicates that God did come through on his promise that Joseph need not be afraid.

Heroes of Faith! But here again note the crisis of that first Christmas and the powerful faith of Joseph and Mary. Quite literally their reputations were on the line, if not their very lives. They had great sacrifices to make in the wondrous incarnation of our Lord. Quite simply Mary and Joseph are great heroes of the faith. For neither of them was their “yes” easy. It is often hard to obey God rather than men. Praise God that they made their decision and obeyed.

And, as we know their difficulties were not over in the crisis of that first Christmas. There was a badly timed census which required a journey to Bethlehem in the ninth month of Mary’s pregnancy. Imagine walking 70 miles through mountainous terrain in the ninth month! There may or may not have been a donkey, but I doubt riding a donkey in the ninth month is all that comfortable either. Then there was no room in the inn and Jesus had to be born in a smelly animal stable. Shortly thereafter they must flee through the desert to Egypt for Herod sought to kill Jesus.

Jesus is found in a real Christmas, not a hallmark one. The crisis of the first Christmas prefigures the passion. But this where Jesus is found: in the crisis of the first Christmas. You may hope for the perfect Christmas but there is no perfect Christmas. Yet, Jesus will find you where you are – in real life, in the imperfect Christmas where loved ones may have been recently lost and there is grief, where a job has just been lost and there is anxiety, where health is poor or families are experiencing stress and strife. That’s where Jesus will be found, in your real Christmas. A Christmas of Joy, yes, but also of imperfections, even crises. He is there waiting for you to find him, in the real Christmas of your life.

This song is an old African American Spiritual that reflects on the fact that true discipleship isn’t always easy. Joseph and Mary surely experience and exemplify what the these words say:

I tol’ Jesus it would be all right
If He changed my name

Jesus tol’ me I would have to live humble
If He changed mah name

Jesus tol’ me that the world would be ‘gainst me
If He changed mah name

But I tol’ Jesus it would be all right
If He changed mah name