Nativity and childhood
According to Matthew and Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea to Mary, a virgin, by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she was chosen to bear the Son of God, the Annunciation. According to Luke, an order of Caesar Augustus forced Mary and Joseph to leave their homes in Nazareth and come to the home of Joseph's ancestors, the house of David, for a census. After Jesus' birth the couple had to use a manger for a crib because there was no room for them in the town's inn or family guest room. Depends on which translation from Greek is used; "inn" may be "guest room", see Luke 22:11.According to Luke 2:8–20, an angel spread the word of Jesus' birth to shepherds who came to see the newborn child and subsequently publicised throughout the area what they had witnessed (The First Noël).
The story in the Gospel of Matthew has largely different details. This account tells of the "Wise Men" or "Magi" who brought gifts to the infant Jesus after following a star which they believed was a sign that the Messiah, or King of the Jews, had been born. The identification of the Magi as kings is linked to Old Testament prophesies that have the Messiah being worshipped by kings. Early readers reinterpreted Matthew in light of these prophecies and elevated the Magi to kings.
Jesus' childhood home is stated in the Bible to have been the town of Nazareth in Galilee, and aside from a flight to Egypt in infancy to escape Herod's Massacre of the Innocents and a short trip to Tyre and Sidon, all other events in the Gospels are set in ancient Israel. Luke's Finding in the Temple is the only event between Jesus' infancy and adult life mentioned in any of the canonical Gospels, although New Testament apocrypha fill in the details of this time, some quite extensively.
Luke 1
To Theophilus (Luke 1:1–4)
1 Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us,
2 just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
3 I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,
4 so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.
The Gospel according to Luke is the only one of the synoptic gospels to begin with a literary prologue. Making use of a formal, literary construction and vocabulary, the author writes the prologue in imitation of Hellenistic Greek writers and, in so doing, relates his story about Jesus to contemporaneous Greek and Roman literature. Luke is not only interested in the words and deeds of Jesus, but also in the larger context of the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises of God in the Old Testament. As a second- or third-generation Christian, Luke acknowledges his debt to earlier eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, but claims that his contribution to this developing tradition is a complete and accurate account, told in an orderly anner, and intended to provide Theophilus ("friend of God," literally) and other readers with certainty about earlier teachings they have received.
As the patron is described as 'Most Excellent Theophilus', this would indicate that the patron is in fact a governor or other highly ranked Roman official, as 'most excellent' is also used in other texts as a title for highly ranked officials. Examples of this same expression are found in Acts, where it is used to address both Felix and Festus (Acts 24:2; 26:25). But, at the beginning of Acts, Luke no longer calls Theophilus "most excellent Theophilus," instead he calls him "O Theophilus" (Lk 1:3; Acts 1:1). This indicates that Theophilus was no longer in office by the time that Luke was writing, or had completed writing, Acts. Yet Luke still addresses Acts to Theophilus. He must still have been living in the same area and had continued respect and (unofficial) authority at that time.
Zecharias (Luke 1:5–1:25)
5 In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest in his division's turn before God,
9 according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
10 Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering,
11 the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
12 Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great in the sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb,
16 and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord."
18 Then Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
19 And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
20 But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."
21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was gesturing to them but remained mute.
23 Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
24 After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
25 "So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others."
According to the Gospel of Luke, during the reign of king Herod, there was "a certain priest named Zecharias, of the course of Abia", whose wife Elisabeth was also of the priestly family of Aaron. The evangelist states that both the parents were righteous before God, since they were "blameless" in observing the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
The Gospel of Luke states that while Zechariah ministered at the altar of incense (The duties at the temple in Jerusalem alternated between each of the family lines that had descended from those appointed by king David), an angel of the Lord appeared and announced to him that his wife would give birth to a son, whom he was to name John, and that this son would be the forerunner of the Lord.
[What is an Angel?
In Catholic Christianity, believers say that God assigns one guardian angel to each person as a spiritual friend for the person’s entire life on Earth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares in section 336 about guardian angels:
"From infancy to death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."
Saint Thomas Aquinas writes that the way God has set up the natural order means that guardian angels are usually invisible to the people they protect. The fact that guardian angels "sometimes appear to men visibly outside the ordinary course of nature comes from a special grace of God, as likewise that miracles occur outside the order of nature,” Aquinas writes.
Guardian angels are always working behind the scenes in your life to protect you from evil. They may engage in spiritual warfare with fallen angels who intend to harm you, working to prevent evil plans from becoming reality in your life. When doing so, guardian angels may work under the supervision of archangels Michael (the head of all angels) and Barachiel (who directs the guardian angels).
CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church) 328 The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.
CCC 330 As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness
CCC 332 Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan
CCC 336 From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.
CCC 202 "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."
CCC 203 Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.
Early Church fathers differed in opinion about when a guardian angel is actually assigned — at birth or at baptism. Origen shows scriptural basis for both opinions. While the Church leaves this question open, most of the Fathers held that all men, baptized or not, have a guardian angel. However, those who have the “indelible mark” of baptism and a new life in Christ require more attention, guidance and protection to ensure that they will reach heaven.
Other ways to foster a relationship with one’s guardian angel includes praying to the angel to intercede for us and engaging in conversation. To this end, naming the angel may be helpful, but the angel’s name is inexpressible in human language. If one is to take the trouble giving his angel a moniker, it should conform with revelation. Whenever angels have appeared in Sacred Scripture in human form, it has been in male form only. Since angels have no gender, this is somewhat puzzling. However, we need to conform to public revelation.
Be alert in your every action as one should be who is accompanied by angels in all your ways, for that mission has been enjoined upon them. In whatever lodging, in whatever nook or corner you may find yourself, cherish a reverence for your guardian angel. In his presence do not dare to do anything you would not do in mine. Or do you doubt his presence because you do not see him? Would it really help if you did hear him, or touch him, or smell him? Remember, there are realities whose existence has not been proven by mere sight.
With such bodyguards, what are we to fear? They can neither be subdued nor deceived; nor is there any possibility at all that they should go astray who are to guard us in all our ways. They are trustworthy, they are intelligent, they are strong — why, then, do we tremble? We need only to follow them, remain close to them, and we will dwell in the protection of the Most High God. So as often as you sense the approach of any grave temptation or some crushing sorrow hangs over you, invoke your protector, your leader, your helper in every situation. Call out to him and say: Lord, save us, we are perishing. —St. Bernard
Praying for People
Your guardian angel may be constantly praying for you, asking God to help you even when you’re not aware that an angel is interceding in prayer on your behalf. The Catholic Church’s catechism says of guardian angels: “From infancy to death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.”
Saint Jerome wrote: "The dignity of a soul is so great that each has a guardian angel from its birth." Saint Thomas Aquinas expanded on that concept when he wrote in his book Summa Theologica that, "As long as the child is in the mother's womb it is not entirely separate, but by reason of a certain intimate tie, is still part of her: just as the fruit while hanging on the tree is part of the tree. And therefore it can be said with some degree of probability, that the angel who guards the mother guards the child while in the womb. But at its birth, when it becomes separate from the mother, an angel guardian is appointed to it." It is interesting to notice that other religions also talk about angels:
Jews say that God may directly assign a guardian angel to fulfill a specific mission, or people may summon guardian angels themselves.
In Islam, believers say that God assigns two guardian angels to accompany each person throughout his or her life on Earth -- one to sit on each shoulder.
In Hinduism, believers say that every living thing -- person, animal, or plant -- has an angelic being called a deva assigned to guard it and help it grow and prosper. Buddhists believe that angelic beings called bodhisattvas who watch over people listen to people’s prayers and join in with the good thoughts that people pray.
Prayer:
Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day (or night), be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
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comments by Monsignor Charles Pope (Archdiocese of Washington):
This passages features the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the conception of John the Baptist. The Archangel draws of Zechariah into a kind of holy silence before the great mystery of the conception of John the Baptist. This silence will give him time to reflect and ponder, without speaking.
For many, who think merely in the flesh, mysteries are something to be solved, something to be conquered. We moderns especially, presume that anything we do not currently understand, anything currently mysterious,we will one day fully understand, it is just a matter of time. But the Christian tradition speaks more cautiously, about mystery. Mystery is something requires reverence.
Mysteries are often something meant to be appreciated and respected, not merely to be set upon in order to be solved or unraveled. This is especially true with mysteries related to God, and to some extent human person. There is a time simply to become quiet and ponder in reverent silence the fact that there are many mysteries beyond our ability to analyze or dissect.
Consider for example the mystery of your own person. You know much about yourself, but much lies hidden. Many things about us defy simple analysis, or categorization. In the face of this mystery, silence and reverence are essential. And while are insights about our inner self grow deeper with the passing years, we can never say we have conquered the mystery of our very self.
And if we are to have this reverence for our very self, we must also have it for one another. We must reverence the mystery of one another, never demanding insistently to know things which are not ours to know. And we must never arrogantly presume that we have someone “figured out.” To claim this trivializes the human person.
If reverence and a holy silence is appropriate before human mysteries, how much more reverent must our attitude be toward the mysteries of God and his ways.
And thus we see how Zechariah has imposed upon him the kind of holy silence, that he might reflect more deeply and reverently on the mysteries of God. He is not to speak, he is to be still,silent before the Lord who stirs from His holy dwelling. Words reduce and seek to capture mystery. Zechariah is to ponder in reverent silence. Not one word will he utter until it all comes true.
Zechariah also manifests another common human tendency, the tendency to scoff at things we do not understand. Rather than to draw back and seek to learn in holy silence and docility, we scoff at how unlikely or uncertain things are. Since we cannot understand it, it cannot possibly be.
Yes, there is a time to speak, a time to ask, and a time to open our mouth in teaching. But there is also a time to sit quietly, to listen, to learn, ponder in silence. There is a time to reverence mystery in quiet, wordless admiration. There is a time to humbly except that there are many things beyond my ability to know or understand.
In this reverent silence there comes forth kind of holy wisdom, a wisdom that is not easily reduced to words. It is the wisdom that appreciates that the acceptance of mystery, is itself insight. It is a silence that opens us upward and outward away from the more tiny world of things we have “figured out.”
And thus Zechariah is reduced by the angel to silence, a holy and reflective silence before the mysterious and merciful work of God.
Annunciation (Luke 1:26–45)
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."
29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
34 But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"
35 And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
37 for nothing will be impossible for God."
38 Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
39 During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit,
42 cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb".
43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 "For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
In the Bible, angel Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament, he appeared to the prophet Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions (Daniel 8:15–26, 9:21–27).
The New Testament begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine selection to be the mother of Jesus. Gabriel's declaration points in the direction of Mary's Immaculate Conception. According to Pope Pius IX's 1854 definition Ineffabilis Deus, Luke's Annunciation narrative is an important indicator of Mary's lifelong holiness. God is her "Savior" (1:47) in the most perfect way possible: he sanctified Mary in the first instance of her conception and preserved her entirely from sin and even from the inclination toward sin that we experience.
The angel told Mary to name her son 'Jesus'. In first-century Judaism the Hebrew name Joshua (Greek Iesous) meaning "Yahweh helps" was interpreted as "Yahweh saves". The name Jesus, as found in several modern languages, is derived from the Latin Iesus, a transliteration of the Greek Iesous. The Greek form is a rendition of the Aramaic "Yeshua", which is derived from the Hebrew "Yehoshua". The name Yeshua appears to have been in use in Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus. The first-century works of historian Flavius Josephus (who wrote in Koine Greek, the same language as that of the New Testament) refer to at least twenty different people with the name Jesus. Since early Christianity, Christians have commonly referred to Jesus as "Jesus Christ". The word Christ is derived from the Greek "Christos", which is a translation of the Hebrew "Masiah", meaning the "anointed" and usually transliterated into English as "Messiah". Christians designate Jesus as Christ because they believe he is the awaited Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
Elizabeth blesses Mary with words once spoken to Jael and Judith in the OT (Judg 5:24-27; Jud 13:18). These women were blessed for their heroic faith and courage in warding off enemy armies hostile to Israel. Victory was assured when both Jael and Judith assassinated the opposing military commanders with a mortal blow to the head. Mary will follow in their footsteps, yet in her case both the enemy destroyed and the victory won will be greater, for she will bear the Savior who crushes the head of sin, death, and the devil underfoot (Gen 3:15; 1 Jn 3:8) (CCC 64, 489)
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The canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Mary as a virgin. Traditionally, Christians believe that she conceived her son miraculously by the agency of the Holy Spirit. This took place when she was already betrothed to Saint Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage, the formal home-taking ceremony. She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. In keeping with Jewish custom, the betrothal would have taken place when she was around 12, and the birth of Jesus about a year later.
There is significant diversity in the Marian beliefs and devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Catholic Church has a number of Marian dogmas, such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, and the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Catholics refer to her as Our Lady and venerate her as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of the Church; most Protestants share only a portion of these beliefs or none at all. Many Protestants see a minimal role for Mary within Christianity, based on the argued brevity of biblical references.
Although the Catholics and the Orthodox may honor and venerate Mary, they do not view her as divine, nor do they worship her. Catholics view Mary as subordinate to Christ, but uniquely so, in that she is seen as above all other creatures.
Catholics do not worship Mary, but venerate her. Catholics use the term hyperdulia for Marian veneration rather than latria that applies to God and dulia for other saints. Hyperdulia is essentially a heightened degree of dulia provided only to the Blessed Virgin. Latria is sacrificial in character, and may be offered only to God.
Both Roman Catholics and the Orthodox venerate images and icons of Mary, given that the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 permitted their veneration with the understanding that those who venerate the image are venerating the reality of the person it represents, and the 842 Synod of Constantinople confirming the same. The Orthodox, however, only pray before and venerate flat, two-dimensional icons and not three-dimensional statues. The Anglican position towards Mary is in general more conciliatory than that of Protestants at large. In the 18th and 19th centuries various groups of Protestants began to use the term Mariolatry to refer to the Roman Catholic, Anglo Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practices of Marian veneration and devotion. In their view, the extreme attention paid to Mary (mother of Jesus) may not only distract from the worship of God, but actually breaches on idolatry.
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Comments by Pope John Paul II:
Like St Paul, who recognizes the fulfillment of this prophetic text in the preaching of the Gospel (Rom 10:15), St Luke also seems to invite us to see Mary as the first "evangelist", who spreads the "good news", initiating the missionary journeys of her divine Son.
Lastly, the direction of the Blessed Virgin's journey is particularly significant: it will be from Galilee to Judea, like Jesus' missionary journey (cf. 9:51).
Mary's visit to Elizabeth, in fact, is a prelude to Jesus' mission and, in cooperating from the beginning of her motherhood in the Son's redeeming work, she becomes the model for those in the Church who set out to bring Christ's light and joy to the people of every time and place.
The meeting with Elizabeth has the character of a joyous saving event that goes beyond the spontaneous feelings of family sentiment. Where the embarrassment of disbelief seems to be expressed in Zechariah's muteness, Mary bursts out with the joy of her quick and ready faith: "She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth" (Lk 1:40).
Mary's greeting caused Elizabeth's son to leap for joy: Jesus' entrance into Elizabeth's house, at Mary's doing, brought the unborn prophet that gladness which the Old Testament foretells as a sign of the Messiah's presence.
By a higher light, she understands Mary's greatness: more than Jael and Judith, who prefigured her in the Old Testament, she is blessed among women because of the fruit of her womb, Jesus the Messiah.
In proclaiming her "blessed among women", Elizabeth points to Mary's faith as the reason for her blessedness: "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord" (Lk 1:45). Mary's greatness and joy arise from the fact the she is the one who believes.
comments by Pope Benedict XVI:
This episode is not a simple act of courtesy, but very simply shows the meeting of the Ancient with the New Testament. The meeting between the two pregnant women shows the relationship between expectation and fulfillment. Let us also imitate Elizabeth, who like God Himself, welcomes guests. Without desiring the Lord we will never know Him, without waiting for Him we will never meet Him, without seeking we will never find Him. Where there is mutual acceptance, listening, making room for another, there is God and the joy that comes from Him. The elderly Elizabeth symbolizes Israel awaiting the Messiah, while the young Mary carries within her the fulfillment of this expectation, for the benefit of all mankind. During their meeting the two women recognize first of all the fruit of their wombs, John and Christ.
Elizabeth, welcoming Mary, recognizes that she is bringing the promise of God to humanity, and exclaims: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? . The expression "blessed are you among women" is first referred to in the Old Testament to Jael and Judith, two warrior women who are working to save Israel. Jael and Judith played such pivotal roles in the Old Testament as types that they prefigured the mission of the Messiah’s mother.Now the expression "blessed are you among women" is addressed to Mary, a young peaceful girl who is about to give birth to the Saviour of the world. Likewise John's leap of joy of refers to the dance of King David when he accompanied the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. The Ark, which contained the tablets of the Law, the manna and the rod of Aaron, was a sign of God's presence among his people. The unborn John leaps for joy before Mary, Ark of the New Covenant, who is carrying Jesus, the Son of God made man.
Magnificat (Luke 1:46–56)
46 And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
48 For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Although Mary is praised for being the mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the canticle to the context of Mary's pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat (with the possible exception of v 48) may have been a Jewish Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. Even if not composed by Luke, it fits in well with themes found elsewhere in Luke: joy and exultation in the Lord; the lowly being singled out for God's favor; the reversal of human fortunes; the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The loose connection between the hymn and the context is further seen in the fact that a few Old Latin manuscripts identify the speaker of the hymn as Elizabeth, even though the overwhelming textual evidence makes Mary the speaker. The Magnificat canticle echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10). Scriptural echoes from the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings complement the main allusions to Hannah's "magnificat of rejoicing" in l Samuel 2:1-10. Along with the Benedictus, as well as several Old Testament canticles, the Magnificat is included in the Book of Odes which is a book of the Bible found only in Eastern Orthodox Bibles.
comments by Christopher Castagnoli (ourcatholicprayers.com), a lay volunteer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City:
The Magnificat is more than a prayer of praise. It also reminds us about the essential link between humility and holiness. Just as God has “regarded the lowliness of his handmaid” and “has done great things” for Mary in making her the Mother of his Son, so too “he has put down the mighty from their thrones (with his own might!) and has exalted the lowly.”
The line about God filling “the hungry with good things” resonates later in the Gospels as well, when our Lord says “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled” (Matt 5:7). This serves as a good reminder for us to “stay hungry” for God’s graces in praying and in reading His word in scripture.
And as for the rich being sent away empty? This line refers to those who live for wealth and power and feel they have everything figured out. These people in, effect wish to be Gods rather than God’s. How can our Lord fill those who are already full--of themselves?
We may never be able to approach Him from Mary’s level of sanctity as the Mother of God. Still, we are all called to be saints nonetheless.
Your good example, like our Blessed Mother’s, can help others in their spiritual growth. Do people see Christ’s love and goodness in you? Are you letting God work within you to accomplish His will? Let Mary help give you the graces you need to follow her Son and His Church in praying the Magnificat.
St. Ambrose once said in referring to this wonderful prayer, "Let Mary's soul be in us to glorify the Lord; let her spirit be in us that we may rejoice in God our Saviour."
Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Luke 1:57–80)
57 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son.
58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
60 but his mother said in reply, "No. He will be called John."
61 But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
62 So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
63 He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed.
64 Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.
65 Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.
66 All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:
68 "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.
69 He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant,
70 even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant
73 and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that,
74 rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Benedictus (also Song of Zechariah or Canticle of Zachary), was the song of thanksgiving uttered by Zechariah on the occasion of the birth of his son, John the Baptist. The whole canticle naturally falls into two parts. The first (verses 68-75) is a song of thanksgiving for the realization of the Messianic hopes of the Jewish nation; but to such realization is given a characteristically Christian tone. As of old, in the family of David, there was power to defend the nation against their enemies, now again that of which they had been so long deprived, and for which they had been yearning, was to be restored to them, but in a higher and spiritual sense. The horn is a sign of power, and the "horn of salvation" signified the power of delivering or "a mighty deliverance". While the Jews had impatiently borne the yoke of the Romans, they had continually sighed for the time when the House of David was to be their deliverer. The deliverance was now at hand, and was pointed to by Zechariah as the fulfilment of God's oath to Abraham; but the fulfilment is described as a deliverance not for the sake of worldly power, but that "we may serve him without fear, in holiness and justice all our days". The second part of the canticle is an address by Zechariah to his own son, who was to take so important a part in the scheme of the Redemption; for he was to be a prophet, and to preach the remission of sins before the coming or the Dawn from on high. The prophecy that he was to "go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways" (v. 76) was of course an allusion to the well-known words of Isaiah 40:3.
Like the canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) the canticle of Zechariah is only loosely connected with its context. Apart from Luke 1:76-77, the hymn in speaking of a horn for our salvation (Luke 1:69) and the daybreak from on high (Luke 1:78) applies more closely to Jesus and his work than to John. Again like Mary's canticle, it is largely composed of phrases taken from the Greek Old Testament and may have been a Jewish Christian hymn of praise that Luke adapted to fit the present context by inserting Luke 1:76-77 to give Zechariah's reply to the question asked in Luke 1:66.
[Zacharias prophesied that God has remembered His holy covenant. John the Baptist was selected by God to proclaim the first coming of the Christ. He baptized Jews for repentance in the River Jordan. John's baptism signified repentance in preparation for submission to Christ, and potentially made one a disciple of John.
The covenants in the Hebrew Bible:
In Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah (Hebrew: Sheva mitzvot B'nei Noach), or the Noahide Laws, are a set of moral imperatives that, according to the Talmud, were given by God as a binding set of laws for the "children of Noah" – that is, all of humanity. The Noahic covenant [Gen 9:8-17] applies to all of humanity and to all living creatures. In this covenant, God promises never again to destroy all life on Earth by flood[9:11] and creates the rainbow as the sign of this "everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth".
The Mosaic covenant, beginning in Exodus 19-24, contains the foundations of the written Torah and the Oral Torah. In this covenant, God promises to make the Israelites his treasured possession among all people[Exo 19:5] and "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation"[Exo 19:6], if they follow God's commandments. As part of the terms of this covenant, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. These will later be elaborated on in the rest of the Torah.
But then the Hebrew Bible uses the wording "new covenant" in Jeremiah 31:29–34:
29 In those days they shall no longer say, "The fathers ate unripe grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge,"
30 but through his own fault only shall anyone die: the teeth of him who eats the unripe grapes shall be set on edge.
31 The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 No longer will they have need to teach their friends and kinsmen how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
According to Jeremiah, the qualities of the new covenant that make it different from the old are: (a) It will not be broken, but will last forever; (b) Its law will be written in the heart, not merely on tablets of stone; (c) The knowledge of God will be so generally shown forth in the life of the people that it will no longer be necessary to put it into words of instruction. In the fullest sense, this prophecy was fulfilled only through the work of Jesus Christ
The Jewish view of the mere wording "new covenant" is no more than a renewed national commitment to abide by God's laws. In this view, the word new does not refer to a new commitment that replaces a previous one, but rather to an additional and greater level of commitment. The prophet looked for a renewal of the Law through a regeneration of the hearts of the people.(The Jewish Encyclopedia's)
The Christian view of the New Covenant is a new relationship between God and humans mediated by Jesus which necessarily includes all people, both Jews and Gentiles, upon sincere declaration that one believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and God. The New Covenant also breaks the generational curse of the original sin on all children of Adam if they believe in Jesus Christ, after people are judged for their own sins, which is expected to happen with the second arrival of Jesus Christ.
The key biblical text for the Christian concept of the New Covenant is found in the Book of Hebrews verses 8:6–13.
6 Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one.
8 But he finds fault with them and says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they did not stand by my covenant and I ignored them, says the Lord.
10 But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kinsman, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know me, from least to greatest.
12 For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more."
13 When he speaks of a "new" covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing.
Apostle Paul advises that the Mosaic Covenant of Sinai does not in itself prevent Jews from sinning and dying, and is not given to Gentiles at all. Christians believe the New Covenant ends the original sin and death for everyone who becomes a Christian and cannot simply be a renewal of the Mosaic Covenant since it seemingly accomplishes new things.
Christian view of the nature of Israel is that it is primarily a spiritual nation composed of Jews who claim Jesus as their Messiah, as well as Gentile believers who through the New Covenant have been grafted into the promises made to Israelites. This spiritual Israel is based on the faith of the patriarch Abraham (before he was circumcised) who was ministered by the Melchizedek priesthood, which is understood to be a type for the Christian faith of believing Jesus to be Christ and Lord in the order of Melchizedek. The Apostle Paul says that it is not "the children of the flesh" who are the children of God, but "the children of the promise" (Romans 9:6–8):
6 But it is not that the word of God has failed. For not all who are of Israel are Israel,
7 nor are they all children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but "It is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your name."
8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise awre counted as descendants.
Christians believe that the New Covenant was instituted at the Last Supper as part of the Eucharist, which in the Gospel of John includes the New Commandment.
Luke 22:20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.
John 13:34 I give you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
John 13:35 This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another" This was cited by our Lord as the second of the two most important commandments of God but it was not new (Lev 19:18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD). In the old context the word "neighbor" was restricted to "fellow countrymen," but in Luke 10:29-37 Christ extends its meaning to embrace all men, even enemies..
Under the Old Covenant, to stay in God's good graces, God's people were expected to perform rituals and sacrificies and obey the Ten Commandments as given to Moses. With the New Covenant, however, God's people are no longer under penalty of law. Instead, they're given the chance to receive salvation as a free gift as part of the Lord's true sacrifice, that of his Son dying on the cross.
Another covenant from the Hebrew Bible is the The Davidic covenant[2Sam 7] that establishes David and his descendants as the kings of the united monarchy of Israel[Jer 33:17-21] (which included Judah). The Davidic covenant is an important element in Jewish messianism and Christian theology. In Jewish eschatology, the messiah is believed to be a future Jewish king from the Davidic line, who will be anointed with holy anointing oil, gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel, usher in an era of peace, build the Third Temple, have a male heir, re-institute the Sanhedrin and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age.
According to Christian theologians Christ fulfills the Davidic covenant, the provisions of which include the following items:
-David is to have a child, yet to be born, who shall succeed him and establish his kingdom.
-A son (Solomon) shall build the temple instead of David.
-The throne of his kingdom shall be established forever.
-The throne will not be taken away from him (Solomon) even though his sins justify chastisement.
-David’s house, throne, and kingdom shall be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16)
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comments by Pope Benedict XVI:
On 24 June, we celebrate the birth of Saint John the Baptist. Except for the Virgin Mary, the Baptist is the only saint whose birthday is celebrated in the liturgy. This is so because it is closely connected to the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. Already in his mother's womb, John was Jesus' forerunner. The Angel announced his prodigious conception to Mary as a sign that 'nothing will be impossible for God' (Lk, 1:37), six months before the great prodigy gave us salvation, the union of God with man through the work of the Holy Spirit.
The four Gospels emphasize the figure of John the Baptist as a prophet who brought the Old Testament to a closure and inaugurated the New Testament, highlighting Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, anointed by the Lord.
Already in their conception and birth, Jesus and John are brought into relation with each other ". This setting helps to understand that John, as the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, both of priestly families, is not only the last of the prophets, but also represents the whole priesthood of the Old Covenant and therefore prepares men to spiritual worship of the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus (cf. ibid. 27-28). Luke also dispels a mythical reading that is often made of the Gospels and historically contextualizes" the life of John the Baptist: "In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor ... during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas" (Lk 3, 1-2). Within this historical framework lies the true great event, the birth of Christ, which his contemporaries will not even notice. By God the great men of history form the backdrop to small! ".
comments by Father John Bartunek:
The beginning of Zechariah’s prophecy links his son’s mission of announcing the Messiah’s arrival with the whole history of Israel. Ever since our first parents fell from grace, God had been preparing the world for a Savior. The events, personalities, and prophesies of the Old Covenant were orchestrated with Christ in mind; they always pointed towards the Redeemer and Savior. Zechariah recognizes this. After his nine months of muteness, during which he had plenty of time to reflect, pray, and listen to God’s words (instead of drowning them out with his own idle chatter), he mulled over the marvelous history of Israel, and God was able to give him a clear vision of what the Messianic age consisted in: the fulfillment of God’s many faceted, ancient, and constantly renewed promise of salvation
The second half of his prophecy takes a different angle on things. It looks into the longings of the human spirit that had been alienated from God and exiled from its true homeland because of sin. The human soul yearns for forgiveness – we long to know that we are loved unconditionally, generously, no matter what. The human mind longs for light – we hunger to know the truth of things, the reason we exist, where we are going, the meaning of life, and the path to fulfillment. And all of us pine above all for peace – the peace that is so much more than a mere absence of war, the peace that is fullness, prosperity, goodness, social harmony, creative expansiveness, and cultural flourishing.
God’s Savior comes to bring all of these mighty gifts. He comes, as John the Baptist will announce, to inaugurate a New Creation, a New Covenant that will end in an everlastingly fruitful life.
- Christ the Teacher: Elizabeth and Zechariah are put to the test when the time comes to name their child. It was customary to give firstborn boys names that would link them to their families, their fathers, and their fathers’ fathers. But this elderly couple chooses a name foreign to their family. They do so because that’s what God asked them to do through the angel’s message. Fidelity to God’s will in this case means causing a stir. It means bucking social convention. It means risking the gossipmongers’ epithets. But they do the right thing – and as a result, Zechariah miraculously recovers his speech, and the whole region is thrown into awestruck admiration of God. Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s fidelity to God’s will in spite of social pressure plants the seeds that John the Baptist will later harvest when he begins his mission of preaching and baptizing.
- Christ the Friend: We take for granted John the Baptist’s role in the story of Christ – we are so used to it. But isn’t there something strange about it? Was it absolutely necessary to send a herald ahead of the Messiah. Couldn’t the Messiah handle the job himself? Probably he could have, but his choice to send a forerunner reveals something essential about his personality.
Jesus never forces his way into our lives. He is too polite, too respectful. He refuses to conquer hearts by compulsion. He acts gently, gradually. He prepares us for the special graces he has in store for us. Since he is always thinking of us, he guides us little by little. The more generously we respond to the many messengers and signs he sends ahead of him, the more he will pick up the pace of his action in our lives. But even then, his grace warms our soul like sunlight: silently, gently, but surely. Such is our Lord, who longs to be our closest friend.
- Christ in My Life: I believe in you, Lord Jesus. I believe that you are the only Son of the Father, the Savior of all people, the way, the truth, and the life. I believe that you were born of the Virgin Mary, that you came to earth for our salvation, that only in your name can we find salvation. And I believe that you will come again to judge all of us and that your Kingdom will have no end…
I often feel pressure to conform to social patterns instead of being faithful to my call to holiness. How can I love you wholly and still be prudent? Lord, it’s so hard to keep the balance. I want to fulfill the life-mission you have given me, but at times I just don’t see things clearly. But I trust in you, Lord. You will guide me, in spite of my clumsiness and egoism. You are faithful…
Sometimes I wish you would be less polite with me – force your way into my heart, Lord! I want to love you more and to love others as you love me, but my selfishness clings to my soul and weighs me down. Purify me, Lord. Strip away every stain of egoism and self-absorption so that I can be truly free to live as you created me to live, to fulfill the mission you have given me in life…
According to Matthew and Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea to Mary, a virgin, by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she was chosen to bear the Son of God, the Annunciation. According to Luke, an order of Caesar Augustus forced Mary and Joseph to leave their homes in Nazareth and come to the home of Joseph's ancestors, the house of David, for a census. After Jesus' birth the couple had to use a manger for a crib because there was no room for them in the town's inn or family guest room. Depends on which translation from Greek is used; "inn" may be "guest room", see Luke 22:11.According to Luke 2:8–20, an angel spread the word of Jesus' birth to shepherds who came to see the newborn child and subsequently publicised throughout the area what they had witnessed (The First Noël).
The story in the Gospel of Matthew has largely different details. This account tells of the "Wise Men" or "Magi" who brought gifts to the infant Jesus after following a star which they believed was a sign that the Messiah, or King of the Jews, had been born. The identification of the Magi as kings is linked to Old Testament prophesies that have the Messiah being worshipped by kings. Early readers reinterpreted Matthew in light of these prophecies and elevated the Magi to kings.
Jesus' childhood home is stated in the Bible to have been the town of Nazareth in Galilee, and aside from a flight to Egypt in infancy to escape Herod's Massacre of the Innocents and a short trip to Tyre and Sidon, all other events in the Gospels are set in ancient Israel. Luke's Finding in the Temple is the only event between Jesus' infancy and adult life mentioned in any of the canonical Gospels, although New Testament apocrypha fill in the details of this time, some quite extensively.
Luke 1
To Theophilus (Luke 1:1–4)
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| Francisco Sans Cabot - St Luke Evangelist (1875) |
2 just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
3 I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,
4 so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.
The Gospel according to Luke is the only one of the synoptic gospels to begin with a literary prologue. Making use of a formal, literary construction and vocabulary, the author writes the prologue in imitation of Hellenistic Greek writers and, in so doing, relates his story about Jesus to contemporaneous Greek and Roman literature. Luke is not only interested in the words and deeds of Jesus, but also in the larger context of the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises of God in the Old Testament. As a second- or third-generation Christian, Luke acknowledges his debt to earlier eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, but claims that his contribution to this developing tradition is a complete and accurate account, told in an orderly anner, and intended to provide Theophilus ("friend of God," literally) and other readers with certainty about earlier teachings they have received.
As the patron is described as 'Most Excellent Theophilus', this would indicate that the patron is in fact a governor or other highly ranked Roman official, as 'most excellent' is also used in other texts as a title for highly ranked officials. Examples of this same expression are found in Acts, where it is used to address both Felix and Festus (Acts 24:2; 26:25). But, at the beginning of Acts, Luke no longer calls Theophilus "most excellent Theophilus," instead he calls him "O Theophilus" (Lk 1:3; Acts 1:1). This indicates that Theophilus was no longer in office by the time that Luke was writing, or had completed writing, Acts. Yet Luke still addresses Acts to Theophilus. He must still have been living in the same area and had continued respect and (unofficial) authority at that time.
Zecharias (Luke 1:5–1:25)
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| The Angel Appearing to Zacharias (1799) by William Blake |
5 In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest in his division's turn before God,
9 according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
10 Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering,
11 the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
12 Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great in the sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb,
16 and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord."
18 Then Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
19 And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
20 But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."
21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was gesturing to them but remained mute.
23 Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
24 After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
25 "So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others."
According to the Gospel of Luke, during the reign of king Herod, there was "a certain priest named Zecharias, of the course of Abia", whose wife Elisabeth was also of the priestly family of Aaron. The evangelist states that both the parents were righteous before God, since they were "blameless" in observing the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
The Gospel of Luke states that while Zechariah ministered at the altar of incense (The duties at the temple in Jerusalem alternated between each of the family lines that had descended from those appointed by king David), an angel of the Lord appeared and announced to him that his wife would give birth to a son, whom he was to name John, and that this son would be the forerunner of the Lord.
[What is an Angel?
In Catholic Christianity, believers say that God assigns one guardian angel to each person as a spiritual friend for the person’s entire life on Earth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares in section 336 about guardian angels:
"From infancy to death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."
Saint Thomas Aquinas writes that the way God has set up the natural order means that guardian angels are usually invisible to the people they protect. The fact that guardian angels "sometimes appear to men visibly outside the ordinary course of nature comes from a special grace of God, as likewise that miracles occur outside the order of nature,” Aquinas writes.
Guardian angels are always working behind the scenes in your life to protect you from evil. They may engage in spiritual warfare with fallen angels who intend to harm you, working to prevent evil plans from becoming reality in your life. When doing so, guardian angels may work under the supervision of archangels Michael (the head of all angels) and Barachiel (who directs the guardian angels).
CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church) 328 The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.
CCC 330 As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness
CCC 332 Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan
CCC 336 From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.
CCC 202 "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."
CCC 203 Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.
Early Church fathers differed in opinion about when a guardian angel is actually assigned — at birth or at baptism. Origen shows scriptural basis for both opinions. While the Church leaves this question open, most of the Fathers held that all men, baptized or not, have a guardian angel. However, those who have the “indelible mark” of baptism and a new life in Christ require more attention, guidance and protection to ensure that they will reach heaven.
Other ways to foster a relationship with one’s guardian angel includes praying to the angel to intercede for us and engaging in conversation. To this end, naming the angel may be helpful, but the angel’s name is inexpressible in human language. If one is to take the trouble giving his angel a moniker, it should conform with revelation. Whenever angels have appeared in Sacred Scripture in human form, it has been in male form only. Since angels have no gender, this is somewhat puzzling. However, we need to conform to public revelation.
Be alert in your every action as one should be who is accompanied by angels in all your ways, for that mission has been enjoined upon them. In whatever lodging, in whatever nook or corner you may find yourself, cherish a reverence for your guardian angel. In his presence do not dare to do anything you would not do in mine. Or do you doubt his presence because you do not see him? Would it really help if you did hear him, or touch him, or smell him? Remember, there are realities whose existence has not been proven by mere sight.
With such bodyguards, what are we to fear? They can neither be subdued nor deceived; nor is there any possibility at all that they should go astray who are to guard us in all our ways. They are trustworthy, they are intelligent, they are strong — why, then, do we tremble? We need only to follow them, remain close to them, and we will dwell in the protection of the Most High God. So as often as you sense the approach of any grave temptation or some crushing sorrow hangs over you, invoke your protector, your leader, your helper in every situation. Call out to him and say: Lord, save us, we are perishing. —St. Bernard
Praying for People
Your guardian angel may be constantly praying for you, asking God to help you even when you’re not aware that an angel is interceding in prayer on your behalf. The Catholic Church’s catechism says of guardian angels: “From infancy to death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.”
Saint Jerome wrote: "The dignity of a soul is so great that each has a guardian angel from its birth." Saint Thomas Aquinas expanded on that concept when he wrote in his book Summa Theologica that, "As long as the child is in the mother's womb it is not entirely separate, but by reason of a certain intimate tie, is still part of her: just as the fruit while hanging on the tree is part of the tree. And therefore it can be said with some degree of probability, that the angel who guards the mother guards the child while in the womb. But at its birth, when it becomes separate from the mother, an angel guardian is appointed to it." It is interesting to notice that other religions also talk about angels:
Jews say that God may directly assign a guardian angel to fulfill a specific mission, or people may summon guardian angels themselves.
In Islam, believers say that God assigns two guardian angels to accompany each person throughout his or her life on Earth -- one to sit on each shoulder.
In Hinduism, believers say that every living thing -- person, animal, or plant -- has an angelic being called a deva assigned to guard it and help it grow and prosper. Buddhists believe that angelic beings called bodhisattvas who watch over people listen to people’s prayers and join in with the good thoughts that people pray.
Prayer:
Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day (or night), be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
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comments by Monsignor Charles Pope (Archdiocese of Washington):
This passages features the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the conception of John the Baptist. The Archangel draws of Zechariah into a kind of holy silence before the great mystery of the conception of John the Baptist. This silence will give him time to reflect and ponder, without speaking.
For many, who think merely in the flesh, mysteries are something to be solved, something to be conquered. We moderns especially, presume that anything we do not currently understand, anything currently mysterious,we will one day fully understand, it is just a matter of time. But the Christian tradition speaks more cautiously, about mystery. Mystery is something requires reverence.
Mysteries are often something meant to be appreciated and respected, not merely to be set upon in order to be solved or unraveled. This is especially true with mysteries related to God, and to some extent human person. There is a time simply to become quiet and ponder in reverent silence the fact that there are many mysteries beyond our ability to analyze or dissect.
Consider for example the mystery of your own person. You know much about yourself, but much lies hidden. Many things about us defy simple analysis, or categorization. In the face of this mystery, silence and reverence are essential. And while are insights about our inner self grow deeper with the passing years, we can never say we have conquered the mystery of our very self.
And if we are to have this reverence for our very self, we must also have it for one another. We must reverence the mystery of one another, never demanding insistently to know things which are not ours to know. And we must never arrogantly presume that we have someone “figured out.” To claim this trivializes the human person.
If reverence and a holy silence is appropriate before human mysteries, how much more reverent must our attitude be toward the mysteries of God and his ways.
And thus we see how Zechariah has imposed upon him the kind of holy silence, that he might reflect more deeply and reverently on the mysteries of God. He is not to speak, he is to be still,silent before the Lord who stirs from His holy dwelling. Words reduce and seek to capture mystery. Zechariah is to ponder in reverent silence. Not one word will he utter until it all comes true.
Zechariah also manifests another common human tendency, the tendency to scoff at things we do not understand. Rather than to draw back and seek to learn in holy silence and docility, we scoff at how unlikely or uncertain things are. Since we cannot understand it, it cannot possibly be.
Yes, there is a time to speak, a time to ask, and a time to open our mouth in teaching. But there is also a time to sit quietly, to listen, to learn, ponder in silence. There is a time to reverence mystery in quiet, wordless admiration. There is a time to humbly except that there are many things beyond my ability to know or understand.
In this reverent silence there comes forth kind of holy wisdom, a wisdom that is not easily reduced to words. It is the wisdom that appreciates that the acceptance of mystery, is itself insight. It is a silence that opens us upward and outward away from the more tiny world of things we have “figured out.”
And thus Zechariah is reduced by the angel to silence, a holy and reflective silence before the mysterious and merciful work of God.
Annunciation (Luke 1:26–45)
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| The Annunciation (1473) by Leonardo da Vinci at the Uffizi Gallery in Firenze |
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."
29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
34 But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"
35 And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
37 for nothing will be impossible for God."
38 Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
39 During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit,
42 cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb".
43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 "For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
In the Bible, angel Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament, he appeared to the prophet Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions (Daniel 8:15–26, 9:21–27).
The New Testament begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine selection to be the mother of Jesus. Gabriel's declaration points in the direction of Mary's Immaculate Conception. According to Pope Pius IX's 1854 definition Ineffabilis Deus, Luke's Annunciation narrative is an important indicator of Mary's lifelong holiness. God is her "Savior" (1:47) in the most perfect way possible: he sanctified Mary in the first instance of her conception and preserved her entirely from sin and even from the inclination toward sin that we experience.
The angel told Mary to name her son 'Jesus'. In first-century Judaism the Hebrew name Joshua (Greek Iesous) meaning "Yahweh helps" was interpreted as "Yahweh saves". The name Jesus, as found in several modern languages, is derived from the Latin Iesus, a transliteration of the Greek Iesous. The Greek form is a rendition of the Aramaic "Yeshua", which is derived from the Hebrew "Yehoshua". The name Yeshua appears to have been in use in Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus. The first-century works of historian Flavius Josephus (who wrote in Koine Greek, the same language as that of the New Testament) refer to at least twenty different people with the name Jesus. Since early Christianity, Christians have commonly referred to Jesus as "Jesus Christ". The word Christ is derived from the Greek "Christos", which is a translation of the Hebrew "Masiah", meaning the "anointed" and usually transliterated into English as "Messiah". Christians designate Jesus as Christ because they believe he is the awaited Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
Elizabeth blesses Mary with words once spoken to Jael and Judith in the OT (Judg 5:24-27; Jud 13:18). These women were blessed for their heroic faith and courage in warding off enemy armies hostile to Israel. Victory was assured when both Jael and Judith assassinated the opposing military commanders with a mortal blow to the head. Mary will follow in their footsteps, yet in her case both the enemy destroyed and the victory won will be greater, for she will bear the Savior who crushes the head of sin, death, and the devil underfoot (Gen 3:15; 1 Jn 3:8) (CCC 64, 489)
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The canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Mary as a virgin. Traditionally, Christians believe that she conceived her son miraculously by the agency of the Holy Spirit. This took place when she was already betrothed to Saint Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage, the formal home-taking ceremony. She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. In keeping with Jewish custom, the betrothal would have taken place when she was around 12, and the birth of Jesus about a year later.
There is significant diversity in the Marian beliefs and devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Catholic Church has a number of Marian dogmas, such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, and the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Catholics refer to her as Our Lady and venerate her as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of the Church; most Protestants share only a portion of these beliefs or none at all. Many Protestants see a minimal role for Mary within Christianity, based on the argued brevity of biblical references.
Although the Catholics and the Orthodox may honor and venerate Mary, they do not view her as divine, nor do they worship her. Catholics view Mary as subordinate to Christ, but uniquely so, in that she is seen as above all other creatures.
Catholics do not worship Mary, but venerate her. Catholics use the term hyperdulia for Marian veneration rather than latria that applies to God and dulia for other saints. Hyperdulia is essentially a heightened degree of dulia provided only to the Blessed Virgin. Latria is sacrificial in character, and may be offered only to God.
Both Roman Catholics and the Orthodox venerate images and icons of Mary, given that the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 permitted their veneration with the understanding that those who venerate the image are venerating the reality of the person it represents, and the 842 Synod of Constantinople confirming the same. The Orthodox, however, only pray before and venerate flat, two-dimensional icons and not three-dimensional statues. The Anglican position towards Mary is in general more conciliatory than that of Protestants at large. In the 18th and 19th centuries various groups of Protestants began to use the term Mariolatry to refer to the Roman Catholic, Anglo Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practices of Marian veneration and devotion. In their view, the extreme attention paid to Mary (mother of Jesus) may not only distract from the worship of God, but actually breaches on idolatry.
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Comments by Pope John Paul II:
Like St Paul, who recognizes the fulfillment of this prophetic text in the preaching of the Gospel (Rom 10:15), St Luke also seems to invite us to see Mary as the first "evangelist", who spreads the "good news", initiating the missionary journeys of her divine Son.
Lastly, the direction of the Blessed Virgin's journey is particularly significant: it will be from Galilee to Judea, like Jesus' missionary journey (cf. 9:51).
Mary's visit to Elizabeth, in fact, is a prelude to Jesus' mission and, in cooperating from the beginning of her motherhood in the Son's redeeming work, she becomes the model for those in the Church who set out to bring Christ's light and joy to the people of every time and place.
The meeting with Elizabeth has the character of a joyous saving event that goes beyond the spontaneous feelings of family sentiment. Where the embarrassment of disbelief seems to be expressed in Zechariah's muteness, Mary bursts out with the joy of her quick and ready faith: "She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth" (Lk 1:40).
Mary's greeting caused Elizabeth's son to leap for joy: Jesus' entrance into Elizabeth's house, at Mary's doing, brought the unborn prophet that gladness which the Old Testament foretells as a sign of the Messiah's presence.
By a higher light, she understands Mary's greatness: more than Jael and Judith, who prefigured her in the Old Testament, she is blessed among women because of the fruit of her womb, Jesus the Messiah.
In proclaiming her "blessed among women", Elizabeth points to Mary's faith as the reason for her blessedness: "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord" (Lk 1:45). Mary's greatness and joy arise from the fact the she is the one who believes.
comments by Pope Benedict XVI:
This episode is not a simple act of courtesy, but very simply shows the meeting of the Ancient with the New Testament. The meeting between the two pregnant women shows the relationship between expectation and fulfillment. Let us also imitate Elizabeth, who like God Himself, welcomes guests. Without desiring the Lord we will never know Him, without waiting for Him we will never meet Him, without seeking we will never find Him. Where there is mutual acceptance, listening, making room for another, there is God and the joy that comes from Him. The elderly Elizabeth symbolizes Israel awaiting the Messiah, while the young Mary carries within her the fulfillment of this expectation, for the benefit of all mankind. During their meeting the two women recognize first of all the fruit of their wombs, John and Christ.
Elizabeth, welcoming Mary, recognizes that she is bringing the promise of God to humanity, and exclaims: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? . The expression "blessed are you among women" is first referred to in the Old Testament to Jael and Judith, two warrior women who are working to save Israel. Jael and Judith played such pivotal roles in the Old Testament as types that they prefigured the mission of the Messiah’s mother.Now the expression "blessed are you among women" is addressed to Mary, a young peaceful girl who is about to give birth to the Saviour of the world. Likewise John's leap of joy of refers to the dance of King David when he accompanied the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. The Ark, which contained the tablets of the Law, the manna and the rod of Aaron, was a sign of God's presence among his people. The unborn John leaps for joy before Mary, Ark of the New Covenant, who is carrying Jesus, the Son of God made man.
Magnificat (Luke 1:46–56)
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| The Annunciation (1450) by Fra Angelico at Convent San Marco, Florence |
47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
48 For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Although Mary is praised for being the mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the canticle to the context of Mary's pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat (with the possible exception of v 48) may have been a Jewish Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. Even if not composed by Luke, it fits in well with themes found elsewhere in Luke: joy and exultation in the Lord; the lowly being singled out for God's favor; the reversal of human fortunes; the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The loose connection between the hymn and the context is further seen in the fact that a few Old Latin manuscripts identify the speaker of the hymn as Elizabeth, even though the overwhelming textual evidence makes Mary the speaker. The Magnificat canticle echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10). Scriptural echoes from the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings complement the main allusions to Hannah's "magnificat of rejoicing" in l Samuel 2:1-10. Along with the Benedictus, as well as several Old Testament canticles, the Magnificat is included in the Book of Odes which is a book of the Bible found only in Eastern Orthodox Bibles.
comments by Christopher Castagnoli (ourcatholicprayers.com), a lay volunteer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City:
The Magnificat is more than a prayer of praise. It also reminds us about the essential link between humility and holiness. Just as God has “regarded the lowliness of his handmaid” and “has done great things” for Mary in making her the Mother of his Son, so too “he has put down the mighty from their thrones (with his own might!) and has exalted the lowly.”
The line about God filling “the hungry with good things” resonates later in the Gospels as well, when our Lord says “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled” (Matt 5:7). This serves as a good reminder for us to “stay hungry” for God’s graces in praying and in reading His word in scripture.
And as for the rich being sent away empty? This line refers to those who live for wealth and power and feel they have everything figured out. These people in, effect wish to be Gods rather than God’s. How can our Lord fill those who are already full--of themselves?
We may never be able to approach Him from Mary’s level of sanctity as the Mother of God. Still, we are all called to be saints nonetheless.
Your good example, like our Blessed Mother’s, can help others in their spiritual growth. Do people see Christ’s love and goodness in you? Are you letting God work within you to accomplish His will? Let Mary help give you the graces you need to follow her Son and His Church in praying the Magnificat.
St. Ambrose once said in referring to this wonderful prayer, "Let Mary's soul be in us to glorify the Lord; let her spirit be in us that we may rejoice in God our Saviour."
Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Luke 1:57–80)
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| Francisco de Goya - Saint John the Baptist in the Desert (1812) |
58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
60 but his mother said in reply, "No. He will be called John."
61 But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
62 So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
63 He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed.
64 Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.
65 Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.
66 All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:
68 "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.
69 He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant,
70 even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant
73 and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that,
74 rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Benedictus (also Song of Zechariah or Canticle of Zachary), was the song of thanksgiving uttered by Zechariah on the occasion of the birth of his son, John the Baptist. The whole canticle naturally falls into two parts. The first (verses 68-75) is a song of thanksgiving for the realization of the Messianic hopes of the Jewish nation; but to such realization is given a characteristically Christian tone. As of old, in the family of David, there was power to defend the nation against their enemies, now again that of which they had been so long deprived, and for which they had been yearning, was to be restored to them, but in a higher and spiritual sense. The horn is a sign of power, and the "horn of salvation" signified the power of delivering or "a mighty deliverance". While the Jews had impatiently borne the yoke of the Romans, they had continually sighed for the time when the House of David was to be their deliverer. The deliverance was now at hand, and was pointed to by Zechariah as the fulfilment of God's oath to Abraham; but the fulfilment is described as a deliverance not for the sake of worldly power, but that "we may serve him without fear, in holiness and justice all our days". The second part of the canticle is an address by Zechariah to his own son, who was to take so important a part in the scheme of the Redemption; for he was to be a prophet, and to preach the remission of sins before the coming or the Dawn from on high. The prophecy that he was to "go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways" (v. 76) was of course an allusion to the well-known words of Isaiah 40:3.
Like the canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) the canticle of Zechariah is only loosely connected with its context. Apart from Luke 1:76-77, the hymn in speaking of a horn for our salvation (Luke 1:69) and the daybreak from on high (Luke 1:78) applies more closely to Jesus and his work than to John. Again like Mary's canticle, it is largely composed of phrases taken from the Greek Old Testament and may have been a Jewish Christian hymn of praise that Luke adapted to fit the present context by inserting Luke 1:76-77 to give Zechariah's reply to the question asked in Luke 1:66.
[Zacharias prophesied that God has remembered His holy covenant. John the Baptist was selected by God to proclaim the first coming of the Christ. He baptized Jews for repentance in the River Jordan. John's baptism signified repentance in preparation for submission to Christ, and potentially made one a disciple of John.
The covenants in the Hebrew Bible:
In Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah (Hebrew: Sheva mitzvot B'nei Noach), or the Noahide Laws, are a set of moral imperatives that, according to the Talmud, were given by God as a binding set of laws for the "children of Noah" – that is, all of humanity. The Noahic covenant [Gen 9:8-17] applies to all of humanity and to all living creatures. In this covenant, God promises never again to destroy all life on Earth by flood[9:11] and creates the rainbow as the sign of this "everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth".
The Mosaic covenant, beginning in Exodus 19-24, contains the foundations of the written Torah and the Oral Torah. In this covenant, God promises to make the Israelites his treasured possession among all people[Exo 19:5] and "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation"[Exo 19:6], if they follow God's commandments. As part of the terms of this covenant, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. These will later be elaborated on in the rest of the Torah.
But then the Hebrew Bible uses the wording "new covenant" in Jeremiah 31:29–34:
29 In those days they shall no longer say, "The fathers ate unripe grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge,"
30 but through his own fault only shall anyone die: the teeth of him who eats the unripe grapes shall be set on edge.
31 The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 No longer will they have need to teach their friends and kinsmen how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
According to Jeremiah, the qualities of the new covenant that make it different from the old are: (a) It will not be broken, but will last forever; (b) Its law will be written in the heart, not merely on tablets of stone; (c) The knowledge of God will be so generally shown forth in the life of the people that it will no longer be necessary to put it into words of instruction. In the fullest sense, this prophecy was fulfilled only through the work of Jesus Christ
The Jewish view of the mere wording "new covenant" is no more than a renewed national commitment to abide by God's laws. In this view, the word new does not refer to a new commitment that replaces a previous one, but rather to an additional and greater level of commitment. The prophet looked for a renewal of the Law through a regeneration of the hearts of the people.(The Jewish Encyclopedia's)
The Christian view of the New Covenant is a new relationship between God and humans mediated by Jesus which necessarily includes all people, both Jews and Gentiles, upon sincere declaration that one believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and God. The New Covenant also breaks the generational curse of the original sin on all children of Adam if they believe in Jesus Christ, after people are judged for their own sins, which is expected to happen with the second arrival of Jesus Christ.
The key biblical text for the Christian concept of the New Covenant is found in the Book of Hebrews verses 8:6–13.
6 Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one.
8 But he finds fault with them and says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they did not stand by my covenant and I ignored them, says the Lord.
10 But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kinsman, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know me, from least to greatest.
12 For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more."
13 When he speaks of a "new" covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing.
Apostle Paul advises that the Mosaic Covenant of Sinai does not in itself prevent Jews from sinning and dying, and is not given to Gentiles at all. Christians believe the New Covenant ends the original sin and death for everyone who becomes a Christian and cannot simply be a renewal of the Mosaic Covenant since it seemingly accomplishes new things.
Christian view of the nature of Israel is that it is primarily a spiritual nation composed of Jews who claim Jesus as their Messiah, as well as Gentile believers who through the New Covenant have been grafted into the promises made to Israelites. This spiritual Israel is based on the faith of the patriarch Abraham (before he was circumcised) who was ministered by the Melchizedek priesthood, which is understood to be a type for the Christian faith of believing Jesus to be Christ and Lord in the order of Melchizedek. The Apostle Paul says that it is not "the children of the flesh" who are the children of God, but "the children of the promise" (Romans 9:6–8):
6 But it is not that the word of God has failed. For not all who are of Israel are Israel,
7 nor are they all children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but "It is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your name."
8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise awre counted as descendants.
Christians believe that the New Covenant was instituted at the Last Supper as part of the Eucharist, which in the Gospel of John includes the New Commandment.
Luke 22:20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.
John 13:34 I give you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
John 13:35 This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another" This was cited by our Lord as the second of the two most important commandments of God but it was not new (Lev 19:18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD). In the old context the word "neighbor" was restricted to "fellow countrymen," but in Luke 10:29-37 Christ extends its meaning to embrace all men, even enemies..
Under the Old Covenant, to stay in God's good graces, God's people were expected to perform rituals and sacrificies and obey the Ten Commandments as given to Moses. With the New Covenant, however, God's people are no longer under penalty of law. Instead, they're given the chance to receive salvation as a free gift as part of the Lord's true sacrifice, that of his Son dying on the cross.
Another covenant from the Hebrew Bible is the The Davidic covenant[2Sam 7] that establishes David and his descendants as the kings of the united monarchy of Israel[Jer 33:17-21] (which included Judah). The Davidic covenant is an important element in Jewish messianism and Christian theology. In Jewish eschatology, the messiah is believed to be a future Jewish king from the Davidic line, who will be anointed with holy anointing oil, gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel, usher in an era of peace, build the Third Temple, have a male heir, re-institute the Sanhedrin and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age.
According to Christian theologians Christ fulfills the Davidic covenant, the provisions of which include the following items:
-David is to have a child, yet to be born, who shall succeed him and establish his kingdom.
-A son (Solomon) shall build the temple instead of David.
-The throne of his kingdom shall be established forever.
-The throne will not be taken away from him (Solomon) even though his sins justify chastisement.
-David’s house, throne, and kingdom shall be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16)
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comments by Pope Benedict XVI:
On 24 June, we celebrate the birth of Saint John the Baptist. Except for the Virgin Mary, the Baptist is the only saint whose birthday is celebrated in the liturgy. This is so because it is closely connected to the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. Already in his mother's womb, John was Jesus' forerunner. The Angel announced his prodigious conception to Mary as a sign that 'nothing will be impossible for God' (Lk, 1:37), six months before the great prodigy gave us salvation, the union of God with man through the work of the Holy Spirit.
The four Gospels emphasize the figure of John the Baptist as a prophet who brought the Old Testament to a closure and inaugurated the New Testament, highlighting Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, anointed by the Lord.
Already in their conception and birth, Jesus and John are brought into relation with each other ". This setting helps to understand that John, as the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, both of priestly families, is not only the last of the prophets, but also represents the whole priesthood of the Old Covenant and therefore prepares men to spiritual worship of the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus (cf. ibid. 27-28). Luke also dispels a mythical reading that is often made of the Gospels and historically contextualizes" the life of John the Baptist: "In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor ... during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas" (Lk 3, 1-2). Within this historical framework lies the true great event, the birth of Christ, which his contemporaries will not even notice. By God the great men of history form the backdrop to small! ".
comments by Father John Bartunek:
The beginning of Zechariah’s prophecy links his son’s mission of announcing the Messiah’s arrival with the whole history of Israel. Ever since our first parents fell from grace, God had been preparing the world for a Savior. The events, personalities, and prophesies of the Old Covenant were orchestrated with Christ in mind; they always pointed towards the Redeemer and Savior. Zechariah recognizes this. After his nine months of muteness, during which he had plenty of time to reflect, pray, and listen to God’s words (instead of drowning them out with his own idle chatter), he mulled over the marvelous history of Israel, and God was able to give him a clear vision of what the Messianic age consisted in: the fulfillment of God’s many faceted, ancient, and constantly renewed promise of salvation
The second half of his prophecy takes a different angle on things. It looks into the longings of the human spirit that had been alienated from God and exiled from its true homeland because of sin. The human soul yearns for forgiveness – we long to know that we are loved unconditionally, generously, no matter what. The human mind longs for light – we hunger to know the truth of things, the reason we exist, where we are going, the meaning of life, and the path to fulfillment. And all of us pine above all for peace – the peace that is so much more than a mere absence of war, the peace that is fullness, prosperity, goodness, social harmony, creative expansiveness, and cultural flourishing.
God’s Savior comes to bring all of these mighty gifts. He comes, as John the Baptist will announce, to inaugurate a New Creation, a New Covenant that will end in an everlastingly fruitful life.
- Christ the Teacher: Elizabeth and Zechariah are put to the test when the time comes to name their child. It was customary to give firstborn boys names that would link them to their families, their fathers, and their fathers’ fathers. But this elderly couple chooses a name foreign to their family. They do so because that’s what God asked them to do through the angel’s message. Fidelity to God’s will in this case means causing a stir. It means bucking social convention. It means risking the gossipmongers’ epithets. But they do the right thing – and as a result, Zechariah miraculously recovers his speech, and the whole region is thrown into awestruck admiration of God. Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s fidelity to God’s will in spite of social pressure plants the seeds that John the Baptist will later harvest when he begins his mission of preaching and baptizing.
- Christ the Friend: We take for granted John the Baptist’s role in the story of Christ – we are so used to it. But isn’t there something strange about it? Was it absolutely necessary to send a herald ahead of the Messiah. Couldn’t the Messiah handle the job himself? Probably he could have, but his choice to send a forerunner reveals something essential about his personality.
Jesus never forces his way into our lives. He is too polite, too respectful. He refuses to conquer hearts by compulsion. He acts gently, gradually. He prepares us for the special graces he has in store for us. Since he is always thinking of us, he guides us little by little. The more generously we respond to the many messengers and signs he sends ahead of him, the more he will pick up the pace of his action in our lives. But even then, his grace warms our soul like sunlight: silently, gently, but surely. Such is our Lord, who longs to be our closest friend.
- Christ in My Life: I believe in you, Lord Jesus. I believe that you are the only Son of the Father, the Savior of all people, the way, the truth, and the life. I believe that you were born of the Virgin Mary, that you came to earth for our salvation, that only in your name can we find salvation. And I believe that you will come again to judge all of us and that your Kingdom will have no end…
I often feel pressure to conform to social patterns instead of being faithful to my call to holiness. How can I love you wholly and still be prudent? Lord, it’s so hard to keep the balance. I want to fulfill the life-mission you have given me, but at times I just don’t see things clearly. But I trust in you, Lord. You will guide me, in spite of my clumsiness and egoism. You are faithful…
Sometimes I wish you would be less polite with me – force your way into my heart, Lord! I want to love you more and to love others as you love me, but my selfishness clings to my soul and weighs me down. Purify me, Lord. Strip away every stain of egoism and self-absorption so that I can be truly free to live as you created me to live, to fulfill the mission you have given me in life…
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