Today, when Sunday falls on the secular New Year's day, the Church observed the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus and also the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. So we have a double header this morning.that can offer spiritual insight as we begin a new year.
The early, historical Christian witness has little to share about Christmas. For all that Saint Paul wrote in letters to congregations, he likely never imagined his work would become Scripture, and he was focussed on guidance of his faith communities. The totality of what he had to say about Christmas was in our reading this morning, "Jesus was born to a woman." Not very informative. More than ten years later, the first gospel -- Mark -- has this to say, that Jesus was "the son of Mary." That's it. We owe our "Charlie Brown Christmas" with its Virgin Birth, Bethlehem stable, shepherds, angels and magi, to Saint Luke, whose gospel offers a full-blown panorama of the conception and birth of the Saviour.
Today's gospel reading [Lk 2: 15-21] is a piece of that elaborated Christmas story. We read of the eighth-day naming and circumcision of Jesus (which became naming and baptism in Christian life) and Mary's pondering of "all these things" in her sacred heart.
The naming is part of Luke's agenda to show his gentile readings the continuity between the Jewish tradition and the new Way. To that end he shows the Holy Family as respectful and observant of its religious heritage. Jesus, throughout his life , manifested fidelity to Judaism. Superficial readings of Scripture may lead to the false conclusion that he embraced radically different practice. But, in the reality, he did two things to Judaism. First, he demanded commonsense, compassionate interpretation of the Law. When his disciples were criticized for working on the Sabbath by plucking heads of wheat, Jesus presented a story of David and his crew being given Consecrated Bread by a priest when they were hungry. He could have aced it by quoting Deuteronomy 23:25 which specifically says it is ok to skim wheat heads on shabbat, but not ok to use a sickle. Perhaps Jesys was unaware of that passage. In any event, he refused to play the interpretive games of the religious establishment.
Secondly, Jesus refused to play legalistic games. Instead he closed the loopholes of the Law by teaching torqued-up Torah: you are not just to avoid adultery, don't lust; you are not just to avoid murder, don't hate. So Jesus offered reform and fresh thinking while maintaining fidelity to the tradition. In the same way, we as Catholic Christians, blessed to be in apostolic succession, blessed by two thousand years of sacred story, are called to remain true to what we have received, to be faithful to who we are, to bloom where we have been planted.
Mary's prayerful, meditative pondering of God' work in the world is important to consider. That attitude of grateful listening makes her the model disciple: a model of prayer, study, obedience, compassion, faith and perseverance, service and devotion -- and even today our primary heavenly prayer partner. Whom better to emulate at the New Year than she whose life reminds us that prayer is as important a part of our faith life and relationship to God as are study and worship? Saint C. S. Lewis used the analogy of partisans in enemy-occupied territory listening to the wireless [radio] for God's instructions on living in a war zone. That's us, folks; we need to stay tuned to God's frequency.
Let us be faithful to who we are and prayerful in our approach to life; then we will move faithfully and effectively into the new year!
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