God is with us December 18

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:5)

“And they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

Piety

Your birthday is coming Lord, and I await it with shivers of delight while knowing you are yet here, right here, today. The mysteries of You, Lord, surround me each day. May those mysteries permeate my humanity with justice and peace. May your justice and peace reach out to others through my humanity. May each day I celebrate your birth with my being there for others. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/121806.shtml

The lineage of Jesus is both human and divine. Jeremiah refers ironically to the weak king Hezekiah of Judah, – a king in name only - when he proclaims that God will send “the Lord our justice” (Jer 23:6). God will provide a king who will bring both justice and peace, neither of which comes from the rulers Jeremiah exposes. And this king of justice and peace will come from David’s line, the line which will produce the Messiah as Isaiah foretold.

In Matthew, Joseph is visited in a dream by an angel who addresses him: “Joseph, son of David…” (Mtt 1:20) Through adoption by Joseph, Jesus will be born into the dynasty promised to Abraham, Jacob and his heirs. Yet his parentage is above and beyond the human frailty of David and his sons: “..it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived.” (Mtt 1:20).

In the extravagant language of psalm 72, there is foreshadowing of Jesus’ divine heritage. In typical ancient, oriental poetry, the king is often referred to as an aspect of divinity on earth who acts in the name of God. “O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son” (Ps 72:1). Dynasty is again established and the link to divinity: this king will be more than the representative of God. This king, Emmanuel, will see to it that “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever” (Ps72: ) by his identity as the righteous shoot of David, and the reality, in human time, that “God is with us” (Mtt 1:23).

God planned for a long, long time to be present in the world using the marvelous creation called humanity. The psalmist seemed to foretell 3,000 years ago in words relevant and jubilant today: “May the whole earth be filled with his glory”(Ps 72:19) through the birth of Jesus.

Action

God-with-us came embedded in a family. Let’s remember in this Christmas season, the need for family even though we often find ourselves at odds with those most biologically close to us. Rather than stressing over the most ideal gift or worrying what he/she is going to say at those most inopportune moments when we want our days to be “perfect”, say a prayer today for your family members – especially those who most need God’s mercy and care. Say a prayer for yourself, and be honest. You might be the difficult person whom someone else has to tolerate.

At a loss for words? From Psalm 72, try:

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

DeColores

Beth DeCristofaro