December 18 of pre-Christmas Novena
The “O” antiphon we heard before the Gospel, which will be repeated during our Evening Prayer later today, prays: “O Adonai, [sacred Lord] of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai: O come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.” Today is exactly one week before our Christmas celebration.
Jeremiah ministered to the people of Jerusalem in the period in the years before, during and after the Babylonian siege, conquest and exile. He saw the failure of religious reforms under Josiah, and the return of popular worship to the pagan gods and lewd ceremonies they always seemed to run after. He called Israel to repentance and reform, to just living and right worship of the only God. His prophecies are ordinarily so gloomy that what we heard today seems out of character. But not so. Jeremiah’s God was not a center of vengeance, but of love for His people, Israel. He prophesied doom for them because that was the logical consequence of their rebellion and refusal to trust in His providence. What the sacred Lord of ancient Israel wants to give is exactly what we hear today, a righteous king who governs wisely, who does justice, a dwelling in security. He loves us, too, and wants to give us these things. He has given us Jesus, king of the universe, who is His only-begotten Son. He will rescue the poor and afflicted who have no one else, but He really wants each of us to be an instrument in that rescue, especially as we prepare for His Nativity.
Our Gospel gives us Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus, Son of God and son of Mary, and tells us all we need to know about His human father, Joseph. The original language describing him implies he was a living saint, clearly the guardian of Mary and legal father of Jeshua, the boy whose name means “Yahweh saves.” Even before His birth, His ministry is proclaimed “to save his people from their sins.” This is how God would stretch out His mighty hand to set them free.” The image of the burning bush on Sinai comes to mind. God revealed Himself to Moses generations before in a bush that was burning but not scorched. That is an image of the Holy Spirit, who is often pictured as a fire, and who on Pentecost descended on Mary and the apostles in tongues of fire. Our Adonai wants to liberate us from everything that keeps us from right living and right worship, and to set us all on fire with zeal to share His saving Gospel.
