From the Friars: O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

From the Friars: O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

Picture of Boticelli's Nativity scene

Nativity of Jesus, c. 1473–1475 Botticelli – Public Domain. Link

In his Gospel, St. Matthew is careful to show how the birth and life of Jesus fulfill the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. In the reading for today he quotes the famous prophesy of Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” and the evangelist adds, “which means ‘God is with us.'” (Mt 1:23) There is an immediate fulfillment of the prophecy in the birth of King Hezekiah, or possibly Isaiah’s own son. But like so many prophecies, there is a deeper fulfillment in the coming Messiah. Another example of multiple fulfillment is 2Sam 7: 12-16 where Solomon is the son of David who builds the temple but it is Jesus Who is the ultimate Son of David Who builds the House of God which is His Church.

All the Messianic prophecies inspired an expectation of God coming to dwell with His people in a mysterious but new way. Despite this, the full reality of the Incarnation was a shock that would take time and grace to sink into the minds and hearts of Jesus’ followers. Our Blessed Mother is the exception in that she is the one who freely and knowingly chose to say yes to God’s plan. She understood that her son was the Son of God with a capital “S“. Her virginity, before, during and after birth, is the great sign that indeed this child is Emmanuel, God with us.

When we think about the Eternal God Who is our Creator, our minds quickly run into our limits. It is like tripping a circuit breaker in our brain. No matter how smart a human person is, they will never able to comprehend God fully. Something limited cannot contain something unlimited. This mysterious Divine Being took to Himself a human nature in the person of Jesus Christ.

These holy last days of Advent should be special time of prayer to renew our awe and gratitude over the fact that God became one of us.

  • He was born in a stable in Bethlehem.
  • He remains with us in the Holy Eucharist.
  • He must become the joy of our lives, as…
  • He is for His Holy Virgin Mother.

Anything or anyone else will leave us disappointed.

Peace.

— Fr. Peter