A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 9, n. 4)
4th Sunday of Advent, Year A – December 19, 2010 *
“Son of David, Son of God”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 7:10-14 // Rom 1:1-7 // Mt 1:18-24
(N.B. Series 9 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the Second Reading. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year C based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 3. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 6.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
We are at the threshold of Christmas. In this immediate preparation for the birthday of our Lord, we delve into the meaning of him who is God’s gift to us - whose “advent” or coming into our life we deeply long for. The Messiah would come as a child. He is the Emmanuel or “God with us”. Born of the Virgin Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit and fostered by Joseph of the House of David, Jesus would save his people from sin. He is the radical revelation of faithful love and the fullest expression of “saving life”.
This Sunday’s Second Reading (Rom 1:1-7) helps us consider two over-riding aspects of our Savior: his humanity and his divinity. Saint Paul asserts about Jesus: as to his humanity, Jesus was born a descendant of David; as to his divine holiness, he was shown with great power to be the Son of God by being raised from death. Through the mystery of incarnation, the Son of God became one with us – sharing the hopes and fears that we have in our imperfections. Through the paschal mystery of his passion, death and resurrection, the true nature of Jesus as “Son of God” was fully manifested. Indeed, Christmas and Easter are intimately woven as warp and woof of salvation history.
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent comments: “Paul is here pointing to the close link between the incarnation and the paschal mystery … St. Hippolytus of Rome says of Jesus: He became incarnate and was manifested as your Son. The Son is, of course, eternally the Son. Hippolytus has in mind, however, the fact on which John the Evangelist lays so much stress: the Son’s essential role is to do the Father’s will. Hippolytus thinks, therefore, that the Son truly merits his name of Son when he obeys the Father and does his will by giving his life for the redemption of the world. To do the Father’s will in this fashion, the Son had to become man. This idea of Hippolytus throws light on the role of incarnation in the history of salvation. We can never overemphasize the reality of Christ’s humanity and of his birth from a virgin in accordance with the prophecy.”
Saint Paul, a “slave of Christ Jesus” and set apart to proclaim the Good News, writes to the Christian community in Rome wishing them the very best: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul’s salutation is a beautiful Christmas prayer that we must invoke on one another, on our loved ones, on peoples of the earth and the entire creation. In this Christmas season and every day of our life, we must proclaim zealously like Saint Paul the Good News about Jesus, Son of God of the House of David. To welcome Jesus Lord in our life is to receive the Christmas gift of grace and peace that he brings from God the Father.
The following story illustrates fascinatingly the indomitable spirit of Christmas and the strength that God brings into our life through loving, thoughtful neighbors (cf. Christine Trollinger, “Christmas Angels” in Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al. West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p.94-96). The celebration of Christmas is important for it enables us to renew our trust in Jesus, Son of God of the House of David. The joyful event of Christ’s birth is for us a tremendous experience of the Father’s faithful love and the divine Son’s saving life. True Christmas spirit pierces through the darkness of despair.
Mentally going over my Christmas list in 1988, I reassured myself that I had not forgotten anyone. Still, an unshakable feeling that something was forgotten haunted me. Of course, I knew why that “missing” feeling hung on despite all the gift-wrapped packages tucked away. I just did not know what to do about it.
You see, our family had been struggling with the devastation of cancer many months that year. My husband’s cancer had returned with vengeance and our three children had been diagnosed with the predisposition for this same hereditary cancer, one which had claimed my husband’s mother at the age of thirty-three. The outlook was bleak to say the least. We were still trying to cope with the on-going battle as well as the loss of my sister-in-law that October; she also died at age thirty-three.
As Christmas approached, we tried to keep things normal for the children. Our family tradition has always been a joyous family affair. We would lavish decorations on our tree and the outside of the house and bake Christmas goodies. Then we would invite all the neighbors in for the lighting ceremony and to enjoy cookies, hot chocolate, and Christmas carols.
This year, there was no real celebration; we were merely going through the motions. Gene was too ill to help with the outside lights so I went to the basement alone to retrieve them. He sorted the lights from the couch where he now spent most of his time recouping from the latest surgery. Our kids were also not in the Christmas spirit as they scattered to their bedrooms, silently dealing with the pain in their own way.
Feeling no joy, I set up the nativity scene in the front yard. It was merely tradition, with no hope of a better tomorrow. When all the lights and decorations were finished and the tree adorned, we all came to look at it but then turned away with heavy hearts. It looked as though Christmas would not come to our house that year; maybe it would never come again. We pronounced it good enough and retired to our rooms for the night. Silence shrouded our house and sleep brought little relief or sweet dreams.
The following morning we awoke to an icy white-out. A blizzard had blown through our area over the night and dumped nearly three feet of snow. A heavy white blanket covered all the outside decorations, leaving our little nativity scene buried below the ice-encrusted front yard. One by one we looked out to see that the storm had wiped out what little joy I had tried to create. The desolation of Christmas was now complete. Our weak attempts had proved futile against nature, both inside and outside our home.
We had no more energy for pretending. The nativity would stay buried. As we all moved toward our kitchen for a quiet breakfast, strange sounds drifted in from the other side of our living room picture window. The faintest jingle of laughter pierced the air. Each of us moved back toward the window, drawn like a magnet. We looked out into the front yard and saw a wondrous sight. There on their knees in the snow were three little angels. As we watched the scene unfold, more angels came to join them. They all wore mittens and giggled while they used their hands to dig the manger out of the snow. These particular angels looked very familiar though.
A little five-year-old named Megan had brought a baby blanket in which to wrap the Christ child. As Megan wrapped and hugged the baby, neighbors had come and joined the children. They came to sing to the Christ Child, to share their laughter and, most of all, their joy. They brought cookies, hot chocolate, Christmas carols, and laughter. What they especially brought us was the Christmas tradition our own hearts could not muster. They awakened our hope in the Christ child and gave us strength to face the New Year.
This special memory of Christmas, when God’s grace outshone darkness and despair, lives on in our hearts.
The following months and years were often difficult, but praise God, my dear husband and all our children are still alive and healthy. The cancer has been in remission now for thirteen years – a miracle according to doctors. My husband is, as far as we know, the longest survivor of this rare inherited cancer. Now, we consider each day a gift from the Christ child.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
How do we perceive the various signs of God’s faithful love for us? How do we respond to Isaiah’s prophecy: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel?
How does the remarkable Advent figure - Saint Joseph inspire us to fulfill our role in salvation history? Like Saint Joseph, are we receptive to divine revelations in our life?
Do we truly perceive the significance of God’s Christmas gift to us: Jesus, the Son of God of the House of David? Do we invoke upon our loved ones and upon all the Christmas blessing of “grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: God, our compassionate Father,
we thank you for the many signs of your enduring love.
Above all, we thank you for the gift of your beloved Son Jesus,
born of Mary
and fostered by Joseph of the house of David.
The Christ child was destined
to suffer and die obediently on the cross,
the font of saving life.
Teach us to perceive the intimate connection
between the Christmas mystery and Easter.
Loving God,
help us to celebrate the birth of Christ meaningfully.
Let us experience the joy and peace of this holy season.
Grant us the true Christmas spirit
and let your grace and peace be upon us all.
With the community of disciples
eager to celebrate the birth of Christ and his saving life,
we proclaim,
“Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, our saving life!”
Assembly: “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, our saving life!”
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (cf. Rom 1:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Pray that this coming Christmas season may be an experience of grace and peace for everyone. Through kind words and charitable deeds, let the Christmas blessings flow into the hearts of people, both far and near.
ACTION PLAN: That we may experience more intensely the grace and peace of Christmas, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year A, vol. 7, # 4).
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US