When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
The 21st verse of Luke 2 seems to bring the story of Jesus's nativity to an end as the Evangelist reminds us that he was named Jesus before he was conceived. It's a simple recap to remind us that we're underway and God knows where we're going.
"Well begun is half done." we sometimes say, and the process of our salvation, despite its complexity and innumerable setbacks, is certainly well begun. It will be completed to God's satisfaction. And that will be infinitely more than we expect, and far beyond our apparent merit.
The Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God is the mother of all Mary's feast days. It was contested seriously in the earliest centuries of the Church. That historical fact might encourage those who would argue about it today, but we can also recognize the controversy as the birth pangs of the Truth. Theotokos, (that is, "Mother of God,") had to be contested and challenged because it's unheard of, and nearly unthinkable. We would certainly not think of it if it were not a revealed truth.
The Gospels of Saint Matthew and Luke insist upon Mary's virginal conception of Jesus; and both point to the confusion and distress it caused. Mary wondered, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And Joseph, "unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention...." Simeon prophesied the Son and his Mother would be "contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
These stories accentuate the incomprehensibility of something which actually happened despite the fact that it's beyond human understanding. The catastrophic impact of a mountain-sized meteor on the Earth, with all its shattering consequences, would be more comprehensible than the Incarnation. But we have seen it and we believe it. As Saint John said, "...what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life."
Reason can argue it should not be but that applies only to things that might happen, and not to what has happened. If it happened it must be!
We cannot deny our experience, nor apologize for it with compromising explanations. It makes sense because it happened, and we'll understand it better if we don't argue with what we know.
Fittingly, we begin the year with this Solemnity. It reminds every Christian of the dignity of human life. Although we have sinned and our behavior is often reprehensible, we are called to, and destined for, greatness. Indeed we will be free of sin; more pure and more delightful than Adam and Eve's original innocence. If we cannot imagine it, we certainly cannot manage it ourselves! But we trust God nonetheless and stand erect with all creation to see this miracle.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.