First Sunday of Advent: A New Age - CUA Office of Public Affairs

Fourth Sunday of Advent: The Beginning of Our Salvation

By the Rev. Francis T. Gignac, S.J.

December 24, 2000

Today we begin the beautiful Christmas season readings from the Gospel infancy narratives. Only the Gospels according to Luke and Matthew have introductory sections about the birth and childhood of Jesus. In Luke, this section foreshadows things to come in the Gospel and even in Acts, the second part of his work.

The author structures his infancy narratives in parallel scenes, first of angelic announcements of the births of John and Baptist and of Jesus, and then of the birth, circumcision and presentation of both John and Jesus - like diptychs on a medieval altar. The purpose of these stories is to introduce and identify John and Jesus as God's agents in salvation history. Both come from God; but through this parallelism, the author is able to stress the preeminence of Jesus over John. John is presented as prophet of the Most High, Jesus as Son of the Most High.

Today's selection (Luke 1:39-45) constitutes the third episode. By portraying the mother of Jesus visiting the mother of John, it brings together elements from the two preceding annunciation scenes and acts as a link between them. It is in turn followed by the moving canticle of the Magnificat, an early Jewish Christian hymn composed largely of phrases from the Greek Old Testament.

The leaping of the child in Elizabeth's womb reflects the leaping of the twins in Rebecca's womb (Genesis 25:22). And in the visitation scene, Mary is recognized as the "mother of the Lord" and as "you who have believed." The author presents Mary as the model of Christian faith, a role that she will play throughout this Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, with its explicit mention of her presence among "those who believed" after the resurrection (Acts 1:14).

The first reading is from the book of Micah (5:1-4). The Old Testament text reads, "And you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel." This oracle forms part of the promises made to Israel in that book. It contrasts the actual eighth-century king of Israel, who had just been humiliated by the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib, with an ideal successor to the throne, whose birth would inaugurate the new era of glory and peace. The description of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in the New Testament is intimately connected with his Davidic role.

The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (10:5-10) is a reflection on the meaning of the death of Jesus. This early Christian community saw the death of Jesus as a sacrifice prefigured by the many sacrifices of the Old Testament period. To present this view, the author placed a passage of Psalm 40 on the lips of Jesus to indicate that Jesus understood his mission in these terms. He pictures Jesus acknowledging that the sacrifices of the Old Testament did not remit the sins of the people and so, perceiving the will of God, he offered his own body for this purpose.

This is a healthy reminder that what we prepare to celebrate at Christmas is not just the birth of a child but the beginning of our salvation. The Gospels were basically written backward in light of faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. What we have in the beautiful Christmas stories is a Gospel in miniature, foreshadowing Jesus' life and death. Many of the same characters of conflict that are depicted later in the passion accounts are also found in the infancy stories: the chief priests, the scribes, the wicked secular ruler. The infancy narratives anticipate the Christian Passover.

The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus accost us, challenge us and beckon us to follow him more closely and to espouse his values. The message of Christmas is that God sent his Son to lead us to him. So let us open our hearts to him in a special way this Christmas, that his spirit may permeate our hearts and minds and inspire our actions, not only during the Christmas season, but also throughout the coming year.

The Rev. Francis T. Gignac, S.J., is a professor and chair of the Department of Biblical Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A photo is available.

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Revised: February 13, 2001