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  • Commentary on Christmas Mass at Dawn 25.12.2016
January 20, 2021

Commentary on Christmas Mass at Dawn 25.12.2016

Commentary on Christmas Mass at Dawn 25.12.2016

by +Paschal Tiernan OP / Tuesday, 20 December 2016 / Published in Commentary

TEXT: LUKE 02: 15–20

Shepherds went to Bethlehem

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing [word] that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

Message proclaimed

17 And when they saw it they made known the saying [word] which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

Mary pondered events

19 But Mary kept all these things [words], pondering them in her heart.

Shepherds glorify God

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

 

EXPLANATION

Introduction

In Luke’s Gospel we note a significant difference between the birth of Jesus and that of John the Baptist. John is born at home, in his own land, in the midst of parents and neighbours and is welcomed by all (Lk 1: 57–58). Jesus is born unknown, away from his surroundings of family and neighbours and far from his land. “There was no room in the inn.” He had to be left in a manger (Lk 2:7).

This reading completes the narrative begun in the gospel for the (mid)night Mass — the pilgrimage of the shepherds to Bethlehem and their visit to Mary, Joseph, and the babe in the manger.

It is very interesting to see one characteristic that unites all the characters that appear, particularly in the Nativity scenes, namely poverty. Mary was poor, as also Joseph. Jesus was born into a poor family that could not afford, when they presented the Babe in the Temple, a lamb for sacrifice but only two turtledoves, of little value, the offering of the poorest of the poor.

The first to greet and welcome him were poor shepherds. When brought to the Temple he met poor Simeon and poor Anna. To these may be added the vulnerable, very definitely poor in a different manner, the Holy Innocents. Those who were not poor included the comfortable who had no room for the Holy Family in the inn and those who opposed and tried to kill Jesus. Jesus obviously had an ‘option for the poor’. It is significant that this is one of the main themes of Pope Francis’ pontificate.

 

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing [word] that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

“When the angels went away from them into heaven” — These were the angels who had given to the shepherds on the hills the good news of the birth of Jesus.

“the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened” — The original words for “thing” can also be translated as “word”. This latter is a better choice as it brings out the meaning that God’s word has been accomplished, it has now become a “thing”, a reality, an event. God’s word achieves what it says and means. An example: “God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light”. Jesus’ words accomplish what they say in all his miracles. His word has two essential qualities – it is light, that reveals a meaning, and power, that brings about what it says.

“which the Lord has made known to us.” — They accept that their information has come by divine revelation which they call “thing” or “word” “made known to us”.

“And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger” — Like Mary when she heard of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the shepherds do not delay but “went with haste” to the stable. When salvation was offered to them, there was no delay in seeking and accepting.

 

17 And when they saw it they made known the saying [word] which had been told them concerning this child; 18 and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

“And when they saw it” — When the shepherds saw “it”, that is the birth of the child whom the angels said was “a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”. Three titles describe the Child — a Saviour, the Messiah and God (Lk. 2: 11). The shepherds would not have recognised the babe as any of these three titles; they required the revelation of the angels to inform them.

“they made known the saying [word] which had been told them concerning this child;” — Immediately they became “angels” or “messengers”, re-telling the revelation they had received from the heavenly persons.

“and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” — The shepherds’ words opened the minds and hearts of those present to the reality and identity of the Babe. Nevertheless they did not believe, but “wondered”. They realised that the shepherds’ message was extraordinary and had to be reflected on and examined. They did not yet believe but were on the threshold of faith.

 

19 But Mary kept all these things [words], pondering them in her heart.

But Mary kept all these things [words], pondering them in her heart” — Mary, the perfect disciple, is a model for all generations of the first two stages in discipleship, namely listening attentively and reflecting on the word of God in her heart, that is, with love.

CCC, 94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church: — “through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts”; it is in particular “theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth” — “from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience”, the sacred Scriptures “grow with the one who reads them.” — “from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth”.

 

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. — The shepherds were eyewitnesses of the message revealed to them by the angels and they confirmed the message and believed. Immediately they shared the revelation with those who were present. They “returned” to their occupation, shepherding sheep, but as changed persons. The angels had sung with joy when they revealed their message. Now the shepherds also sing the praises of God, glorifying him from the fulness of their new faith in his incarnate Son, which they had verified.

 

APPLICATION

There are only six verses, divided into four sections, in this passage. What is common to each of these is the mention of “word” in three and it equivalent in the forth. “Word” dominates the passage. “Word” is the word of God, revealed by the heavenly messengers, repeated by the shepherds, “pondered” over by Mary and rejoiced on by the shepherds.

This “word” is shared with what the Old Testament calls “the anawim”, the poor, here the Holy Family and the shepherds. The compassion and mercy of God is revealed in the use of “word”. This is how history differs in our era from the time of Jesus’ entry into our world. Our age records and verifies facts; the New Testament confirms the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies.

The shepherds had listened, received and acted on the “word” from the angels; they believed in it — “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing [word] that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste.” The “word” dominated their thinking. They forgot their role as guardians and shepherds of the sheep. They abandoned these to the dangers of the night, to animals of prey and to human predators. They were completely overcome by the “word of God”. They made their decision, ‘God is priority in my life.’ Everything else, including livelihood, became secondary.

Luke immediately adds that, “Mary kept all these things (word–events) pondering them in her heart”. The shepherds had come to verify the “word” of the angels. Mary “pondered”. She had heard the “word” from Archangel Gabriel and believed. Now she “kept all these (new) words” and compared the “word” of the angel and the “word” of the shepherds.

This passage teaches us that Mary is our model in our attitude towards the “word of God”. Many consider being the Mother of God as Mary’s greatest attribute. Jesus had corrected that thinking. Her greatest attribute was being a woman of faith — “A woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!’ But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’” (Lk. 11: 27–28) Mary related to the “word of God” by welcoming it, living it, incarnating it, giving it flesh, deepening it by reflecting on it, giving it birth, allowing it to grow, loving it even when it brought suffering and sorrow, listening to it whether it came from angels of heaven or from the poor, unlearned, not trusted (as the shepherds were not trusted contemporaries) of the earth.

The Church provides many opportunities for its members to hear the “word of God”. They must be open to and listen attentively to it. Mary and the shepherds were perfect in their listening and reflecting. Others who heard the shepherds “wondered”. They were slow to accept and even doubted, perhaps. Mary has taught that it is not sufficient to merely listen; one must treasure and keep in one’s heart. Luke mentions this twice (Lk. 2: 19 and 51) to emphasise the importance of this point. Jesus also stressed this — “‘For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.’ And he said to them, ‘Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’”

“Disciples” are those who sit at the feet of the Master and listen to his word, the “word of God”. One who does not listen attentively is not worthy to be a disciple of Jesus.

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