This past Sunday I stopped by our RCIA II class and, as often happens, what was meant as a
quick hello, goodbye, merry Christmas and God bless turned into a somewhat less brief
question and answer session. One of the candidates made a query that always
comes up this time of year: was Jesus born on December 25? We are told that on
Christmas we celebrate the Lord’s birthday, so it would figure that he was
actually born on that day. I mean, who celebrates the day of their birth on some
random date months after the actual event, other than the Queen of England? The quick answer is that we don't know for sure when Jesus was born, because birth records in first century Palestine, especially for someone of the lower classes, weren't really kept. And
besides, no one would have been that concerned. We are unsure of the exact
birth date of some very famous people, let alone the presumed son of a
carpenter at the margins of the Roman Empire. In the case of Jesus, while there is some debate, the consensus is that He probably wasn't born in late December, due
to the fact that shepherds wouldn't normally have been out in the fields with
the flocks at that time of year. But whether he was born in early winter or in
the spring or summer, as some contend, is unimportant. What we celebrate on
Christmas isn't so much the anniversary of a birth, as the dawning of a new age
— the rising of a Sun that illuminates the the nations, lifting humanity out of
the darkness of sin and despair.
Today’s
antiphon, O Rising Sun (O Oriens), sometimes translated as Rising Dawn or Day Spring, hearkens us back to Isaiah 9, and the
Immanuel Cycle. The prophet is envisioning a time when Israel is to be restored
after she is conquered and left barren by a foreign power. The oracle tells of
a king who will rise as the dawn — he will be a light of hope for the people, encouraging them along the road to recovery. It also reminds us of the canticle sung by Zechariah at John the Baptist's circumcision (Luke 1:67-79), when his mouth was opened to foretell the coming of the Dawn from on high who would come to visit his people. This Rising Sun is Jesus, the Messiah.
That we sing O Rising Sun this evening is no mistake. The Winter Solstice, the day with the least hours of sunlight, happens on December 21. From tomorrow on the hours of sunlight will increase. It is a symbol to us that Christ, the Light of the Word, has entered into our reality, conquering the darkness that is about us. There is a theory, that has gained a lot of traction, that the Christian Church picked this time to celebrate Christmas as a response to a pagan sun festival observed by the Romans of that time. There is research to suggest just the opposite. But whatever the truth, December 25 was chosen as the date to celebrate the Savior's birth, at least in part, do to this astrological phenomenon.
As I write these words, the news is filled with reports of assassinations, terrorist attacks and the ongoing war in Syria - complete with horrific images of the Fall of Aleppo. At home, in the U.S., the Long Presidential Election of 2016 is only now grinding to a halt, six weeks after the popular votes were cast. Some are optimistic, others are worried about what the outcome of the vote will mean for the future of the country. There have always been wars and rumors of war, as well as partisan bickering, but over the last several years the global and domestic situation seems to be deteriorating. Again, maybe this has always been the norm, but because of the speed that the internet transmits information and the proliferation of news outlets, we see more of it. Either way, and I do believe these are more troubled times than most, it's easy to give in to the darkness. We are reminded to not lose hope. Christ the light is here.
Christ is the solution to the world's problems. But Christ isn't a solution to be imposed by legislation. I'll go into this more with tomorrow's reflection, but I think Christians, and Catholics in particular, make the mistake of thinking that social justice can be achieved on the structural level alone. It's generally agreed that the Church's goal isn't to establish a theocracy. We want the Gospel to be a leaven that influences, not a political program that dictates. Unless we begin by introducing people to the Sun of justice, inviting them to let the rays of the Day Spring shine in their hearts, our using the Gospel to effect political change can indeed seem like attempts at establishing a religious dictatorship. The Gospel does have political implications, but Christ must first change individual lives before His Good News can begin to solve the problems of the world.
Jesus began with personal encounter. His meeting with the woman at the well (John 4), a rather intense and unflinching exchange, turned the Samaritan's heart and made her a missionary to her people. We don't know exactly what enlightened faith in the centurion to call upon the Lord to cure his beloved servant (Luke 7:1-10) or what light shined on the other Roman soldier for him to proclaim that Jesus was the Son of God at the moment of the Savior's death (Matthew 27:54). I have no doubt that it was something personal that touched their souls as opposed to some dry, detached ideology. Jesus either invited people to follow, or else he was inviting himself over to share a meal. The woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, drying them with her tears, had a radical encounter with Christ that dispelled the darkness in her soul and set her free.
What happened next for all these people we can't say. Did the centurions quit their posts to follow the Way? Perhaps they simply followed John the Baptist's advice to the soldiers who visited him at the Jordan, and performed their duty with honesty and integrity. What of Zacchaeus? Did that tax collector go become an advocate for structural reform in the Empire? Who knows? But we know that he was moved to personal reform by his encounter with the Lord, and we can hope that this led to a greater social consciousness. But that awareness would never have been awakened without his encounter with he Sun of justice.
Yes, we live in dark times, but we shouldn't despair or bemoan. We have a sure reason for our hope. The darkness lasts for a time, but Jesus is that light that which drives away the shadow of sin and death. We do need to work for a more just, equitable and peaceful world. In going about this vital work we should never forget that the Light we want to share must shine within us first. If not, then we will be trying to give something that we don't have, which is just pointless.
May the Dawn from on high rise in our Hearts, leading us into all truth, freeing us from darkness.
That we sing O Rising Sun this evening is no mistake. The Winter Solstice, the day with the least hours of sunlight, happens on December 21. From tomorrow on the hours of sunlight will increase. It is a symbol to us that Christ, the Light of the Word, has entered into our reality, conquering the darkness that is about us. There is a theory, that has gained a lot of traction, that the Christian Church picked this time to celebrate Christmas as a response to a pagan sun festival observed by the Romans of that time. There is research to suggest just the opposite. But whatever the truth, December 25 was chosen as the date to celebrate the Savior's birth, at least in part, do to this astrological phenomenon.
As I write these words, the news is filled with reports of assassinations, terrorist attacks and the ongoing war in Syria - complete with horrific images of the Fall of Aleppo. At home, in the U.S., the Long Presidential Election of 2016 is only now grinding to a halt, six weeks after the popular votes were cast. Some are optimistic, others are worried about what the outcome of the vote will mean for the future of the country. There have always been wars and rumors of war, as well as partisan bickering, but over the last several years the global and domestic situation seems to be deteriorating. Again, maybe this has always been the norm, but because of the speed that the internet transmits information and the proliferation of news outlets, we see more of it. Either way, and I do believe these are more troubled times than most, it's easy to give in to the darkness. We are reminded to not lose hope. Christ the light is here.
Christ is the solution to the world's problems. But Christ isn't a solution to be imposed by legislation. I'll go into this more with tomorrow's reflection, but I think Christians, and Catholics in particular, make the mistake of thinking that social justice can be achieved on the structural level alone. It's generally agreed that the Church's goal isn't to establish a theocracy. We want the Gospel to be a leaven that influences, not a political program that dictates. Unless we begin by introducing people to the Sun of justice, inviting them to let the rays of the Day Spring shine in their hearts, our using the Gospel to effect political change can indeed seem like attempts at establishing a religious dictatorship. The Gospel does have political implications, but Christ must first change individual lives before His Good News can begin to solve the problems of the world.
Jesus began with personal encounter. His meeting with the woman at the well (John 4), a rather intense and unflinching exchange, turned the Samaritan's heart and made her a missionary to her people. We don't know exactly what enlightened faith in the centurion to call upon the Lord to cure his beloved servant (Luke 7:1-10) or what light shined on the other Roman soldier for him to proclaim that Jesus was the Son of God at the moment of the Savior's death (Matthew 27:54). I have no doubt that it was something personal that touched their souls as opposed to some dry, detached ideology. Jesus either invited people to follow, or else he was inviting himself over to share a meal. The woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, drying them with her tears, had a radical encounter with Christ that dispelled the darkness in her soul and set her free.
What happened next for all these people we can't say. Did the centurions quit their posts to follow the Way? Perhaps they simply followed John the Baptist's advice to the soldiers who visited him at the Jordan, and performed their duty with honesty and integrity. What of Zacchaeus? Did that tax collector go become an advocate for structural reform in the Empire? Who knows? But we know that he was moved to personal reform by his encounter with the Lord, and we can hope that this led to a greater social consciousness. But that awareness would never have been awakened without his encounter with he Sun of justice.
Yes, we live in dark times, but we shouldn't despair or bemoan. We have a sure reason for our hope. The darkness lasts for a time, but Jesus is that light that which drives away the shadow of sin and death. We do need to work for a more just, equitable and peaceful world. In going about this vital work we should never forget that the Light we want to share must shine within us first. If not, then we will be trying to give something that we don't have, which is just pointless.
May the Dawn from on high rise in our Hearts, leading us into all truth, freeing us from darkness.
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