Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it was through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-24 (NABRE)
God becomes man.
The Christmas season is all about the mystery of the Incarnation of God. He did not come down to earth to be served or to take up a position of political and economic power. He did not demand harems and luxurious palaces. He only sought to be the lowest of all, to be the Suffering Servant long foretold by the prophet Isaiah.
If Jesus associated with the powerful of society, He did so to teach and to heal. He spurned Satan’s offering of ownership of all the kingdoms in the world. Jesus became a curse to liberate us from our sins. He did the opposite of what was expected of Him by contemporary Jews by not stirring up a military rebellion against the Romans to establish an independent Jewish kingdom. He was hated, abused, rejected, and killed by gruesome and humiliating crucifixion. He came humbly as a vulnerable infant born of a common woman. This seems so contrary to what we would expect of God to do if He were to appear on earth.
Through this, Jesus teaches us an important lesson on what matters the most to God. Externally, Jesus and Mary were nothing special. By every socioeconomic indicator, the two of them were poor. Yet, they were immeasurably rich in what is spiritual. Jesus, who is God, did not use His divine power to abuse and take advantage of others in order to accumulate an inordinate amount of wealth, power, and pleasure. Mary, poor as she was, did not compromise with evil in order to get ahead financially. The two of them had their sight set on the eternal. From their example, we learn to always treasure the invisible over the visible. In doing this, we are living in a peaceful and orderly way.
Sometimes, we might be confused as to how exactly to live this peaceful and orderly life. And that is part of the reason why the Son of God came down to earth. Because of the mission He accomplished through His Incarnation, Jesus has given us light to see the correct direction to travel in the spiritual life. We no longer have to grasp for the truth. Jesus is the Truth, and He has a human face.
Thank you for reading. Peace.
Eat the Scroll 