[00:00:02] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore, in four bonus episodes, all of the Gospels that will be proclaimed at the Catholic Masses of Christmas on December 24th and 25th.
In each of four special episodes, we will take an in-depth look at one of the Gospels featured at the Masses of Christmas: The Vigil Mass, Midnight Mass, Mass at Dawn, and Mass During the Day. Each episode will begin with the same prayer and the same introductory information, then dive into the particular Gospel assigned to each Mass.
This episode, Episode 80, is Part II in which we will hear the Nativity of Jesus from Luke and the angel's announcement to the shepherds.
As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
The Gospels we hear at Christmas teach us many important lessons about the person of Jesus - everything from who he is, what his heritage is, and how his birth came about… to his identity as the divine Word of God, the Logos. But we still need to ask ourselves who Jesus is to each one of us? And are we willing to invite him into our hearts, our homes and our lives?
So, let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of your Son. Help us to truly appreciate the wonder of his Incarnation and to treasure his time here on earth. Teach us how to grow closer to him each day so that we welcome him with joy into our hearts and acknowledge him as Lord of our lives. We ask this through your beloved Son, Jesus, born to us in the quiet of this Bethlehem night. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:11] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's take a few moments to understand a bit more about how the Gospels begin, in general, before we listen to what God's message is for us in the Gospel of Midnight.
The first thing I want to mention is that every Gospel begins with a Preface or Prologue of some sort - some are quite short and others are quite lengthy. The prologue of John's Gospel is the longest… we'll hear that in the Mass During the Day on Christmas. The next point I want to make is that not all Gospels include Infancy Narratives - those stories relating to Jesus’ birth and childhood - only Matthew and Luke have those. The last thing I want to point out is that Matthew and Luke are the only Gospels that include the genealogy of Jesus, and what each Evangelist does with the genealogy is quite unique. Luke traces the line of Jesus backward through time, beginning with Jesus and ending with Adam. Matthew, on the other hand, traces the line of Jesus forward through time, beginning with Abraham and ending with Jesus. Beyond those specific details, we should understand that there are stories unique to each Evangelist, told from the perspective of a number of different individuals, and that every story offers a treasured glimpse into the life of Jesus and his family before he reaches adulthood and begins his public ministry.
[00:03:55] With all that in mind, let's explore the Gospel for the Mass at Night… I identified this Gospel as being from Midnight Mass, but the specific Mass occasion is Mass at Night. It just so happens that many parishes celebrate this Mass at Midnight - as does my home parish.
And this is from the Gospel of Saint Luke 2: 1-14.
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin’i-us was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among men with whom he is pleased!’
[00:06:08] If you listen to my podcast for the 2nd Sunday of Advent last year, you may remember that I said Luke focuses largely on the historicity of his Gospel - its historic authenticity. But it appears Luke may have been a bit off with the details in this passage, so let's take a look at the details he presents us…
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin’i-us was governor of Syria.”
Caesar Augustus ruled from 27 BC - 14 AD which does place these events in the correct time frame. Quirinius, however, was governor of Syria from 6 - 12 AD. While that does fall within the reign of Augustus, it does not align with the time of Jesus’ birth (which many historians now place between 6 - 4 BC). Quirinius did conduct a census, but it didn't take place until 6 AD. One source that I read suggests that the translation is wrong and that it should say: before Quirinius was governor of Syria. Okay, that would resolve one issue, but it still wouldn't reconcile the discrepancy between the time of Jesus’ birth with the date of the census. Another source that I read suggested that because Luke was writing to a primarily Gentile audience, he may have decided that the dates just didn't need to be that exact. That may be the case, but personally I doubt it. We also may learn, as time goes on, that there are details relating to these events that we simply haven't unearthed yet or that may have been lost to time. Maybe Quirinius served as governor of Syria multiple times… maybe there was more than one census… “there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, that are dreamt of in your philosophy” - to quote William Shakespeare. In other words, we just don't have all the answers right now… and maybe we never will. Be that as it may, let's leave that little conundrum unsolved and go on…
“And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.”
Luke is emphasizing Jesus' connection to David and the promise that David's throne would be established forever.
“And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son.”
Now, when the Gospel says FIRST-BORN SON, that doesn't mean there was another son! Even an only son would have been referred to as a first-born son because the first-born always holds inheritance rights.
“she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
That points to the type of extreme overcrowding that would have accompanied a large influx of travelers to the small town of Bethlehem for a census. It also serves to highlight the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth. I will include a photo on this week's Instagram post of the type of cave-like enclosure that would have sheltered Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.
“And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
We have a very stylized and romantic notion of shepherds, but that doesn't line up with how they were often perceived at the time of Jesus. Shepherds were nomadic people, outsiders, traveling with their flock and going wherever food was available. They had nearly constant exposure to blood and dung, so they were considered ritually unclean. Their service was valued by city dwellers, but THEY were not valued. They were often perceived as dishonest outsiders rather than integral members of the community. Making those lowly shepherds the first outside witnesses… the first non-family witnesses… to the birth of Jesus gives Luke the opportunity to connect Jesus’ humble birth with the poor and the outcast groups he favors throughout his Gospel.
“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.”
Rightly so, as any of us would be in that same situation.
“And the angel said to them, ‘Be not afraid;’”
Fear is the typical response to any encounter with the divine and words of reassurance such as “fear not” or “be not afraid” are necessary so that healthy fear doesn't become paralysis.
“Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased!’”
This song, sung by a multitude of angels, is a proclamation of the peace that is a hallmark of the kingdom of God, made truly and substantially present in the world by the birth of Jesus.
It is fitting that the Mass at Night, which often begins at midnight - the earliest possible celebration on December 25 - presents to us a Gospel that invites the first witnesses to come and see the newborn Savior. It is also fitting that such a beautiful hymn of peace should be sung to celebrate the birth of the one who is the personification of the kingdom here on earth.
That brings us to the end of our Christmas Midnight Gospel… but not the end of the Christmas season. That will not end until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. We learn a great deal about Jesus from the Christmas Gospels… who he is, what his human lineage is, how his birth came about, his relationship with God the Father, his identity as Son, King, Messiah, and divine Logos.
What we cannot learn from the words of Scripture is what Jesus means to us. That is something that each and every person must determine for themselves. So, I will end with one final question… are we willing to open ourselves to God's gift of grace by inviting Jesus into our hearts, our homes, and our lives? Not just at Christmas, but always?
[00:14:30] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you - safe and secure - in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening. May the peace of Christ be with you now and always and may you have a very Merry Christmas.
