나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

December 20

1st Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14

The Sign of Immanu-el (Continuation)
------------------------------------------------------
[10] Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, [11] ”Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it
be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” [12] But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I
will not put the Lord to the test.” [13] And he said, “Hear then, O house of David!
Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? [14] Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and
bear a son,and shall call his name Immanu-el, [which means 'God is with
us].'"

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

[오늘의 제1독서는, 가톨릭 교회의 전례력에 있어, 여기를 클릭하면 읽을 수 있는,
가해 대림 제4주일 제1독서(이사야 7,10-14)와 동일하다]

7:10-17. Even though the king did not listen, the Lord offers him a sign that he
has no reason to fear the threats made by the kings of Israel and Syria: a maiden
will conceive and bear a son, who will be called Immanuel; within a few years,
before the boy reaches the age of reason, the two kingdoms that Ahaz fears will
be laid low, and Judah will enjoy even greater prosperity than it had prior to the
Assyrian threat.

The prophet’s words, which at the time and taken literally would have been easy
enough for the protagonists to understand, can have further significance: and as
Revelation develops this becomes clearer. Verse 14 has three elements in it
which, taken separately and together, can be read as a sign of peace and
salvation--the mother, the child, and his name; “Immanuel”. The mother is a
maiden, that is, a young woman who has had no children previously. This could
refer to the young wife of Ahaz or to some other young woman. In any event, by
setting her pregnancy in the context of a sign given to the king, the point is that
something quite important is involved. It is not surprising, therefore, that, to stress
this, later interpreters, particularly those who translated the text into Greek in the
second century BC, translated the Hebrew word for “young woman” into the Greek
word for “virgin”. Later, the evangelists St Matthew (Mt 1:23) and St Luke (Lk
1:26-31) indicated that the virginity of Mary was the sign that her son was the
Messiah, the true God with us, who brings salvation.

The child, the son, is the most significant part of the sign. If the prophecy refers
to the son of Ahaz, the future King Hezekiah, it would be indicating that his birth
will be a sign of divine protection, because it will mean that the dynasty will
continue. If it refers to another child, not yet known, the prophet’s words would
mean that the child’s birth could manifest hope that “God was going to be with
us”, and his reaching the age of discretion (v. 16) would indicate the advent of
peace; the child’s birth would, then, be the sign that “God is with us”. In the New
Testament, the deeper meaning of these words find fulfillment: Mary is Virgin and
Mother, and her Son is not a symbol of God’s protection but God himself who
dwells among us.

The word “Immanuel" is a prophetic indication of the revelation that the child’s
birth implies, just as the names of Isaiah’s sons also contain revelation --
Shear-jashub, which means “a remnant shall return” (7:3), and Mahershalal-
hash-baz, meaning “the spoil speeds, the prey hastens” (8:1-3). In the New
Testament, the name conveys the joyful news that Jesus is truly “God with us”.

Christian tradition has treated this lsaian oracle with great reverence: “Learn from
the prophet himself how all this could come to pass. Does it, perhaps, follow the
laws of nature? Absolutely not, replies the prophet: 'Behold, a virgin.... What a
miracle! A virgin will become a mother and remain a virgin! [...] It is fitting that he
who enters into human life to save all mankind [...] should be born of a woman of
perfect integrity who has given herself wholly to Him” (St Gregory of Nyssa, "In
Diem Natalem Christi", 1136).

Therefore, expounding the Church’s interpretation, the Second Vatican Council
has this to say: “The Holy Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament,
as well as ancient Tradition, show the role of the Mother of the Savior in the
economy of salvation in an ever clearer light and draw attention to it. The books
of the Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of
Christ into the world was slowly prepared. These earliest documents, as they
are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full reve-
lation, bring the figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually
clearer light. When it is looked at in this way, she is already prophetically
foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our
first parents after their fall into sin (cf. en 3:15). Likewise she is the Virgin who
shall conceive and bear a son, whose name will be called Immanuel (Is 7:14;
Mic 5:2-3; Mt 1:22-23). She stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord,
who confidently hope for and receive salvation from Him. With her the exalted
Daughter of Sion, and after a long expectation of the promise, the times are
fulfilled and the new economy established, when the Son of God took a human
nature from her, that He might in the mysteries of His flesh free man from sin”
("Lumen Gentium", 55).

The fact that the oracle was spoken in a specific historical context does not
mean that it does not have a more transcendental that is, messianic meaning;
in the light of salvation history, past events should be read as part of God’s plan
of salvation and of its climax, the advent of Jesus Christ. Only by adopting this
viewpoint can we see that what happened in the Old Testament, taken as a
whole and many of the stages in it, are a prophecy of New Testament events,
a “preparation for the Gospel”. Therefore, a Christian reading of the text, which
in a way enjoys “hindsight" and gives a messianic interpretation to the
Immanuel Oracle, is perfectly compatible with its literal meaning.

The Words of the prophet, which find fulfillment in Christ, have been given many
lovely spiritual interpretations: “This Immanuel, born of the Virgin, eats curds and
honey, and asks each of us to provide him with the curds that he eats [...]. Our
good deeds, our sweet and noble words, are the honey eaten by the Immanuel
born of the Virgin [...]. For truly he consumes our good words and intentions and
actions, and feeds us, in turn, with a spiritual food that is greater and divine. As
soon as we realize that to welcome the Savior is a blessing, and open wide the
doors of our hearts, we will prepare for him the ‘honey’ and all his feast, and he
will bring us to the great feast of the Father in the kingdom of heaven, that is in
Christ Jesus" (Origen, "Homilae In Isaiam", 2, 2).

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38

The Annunciation and Incarnation of the Son of God
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[26] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city
of Galilee named Nazareth, [27] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was
Mary. [28] And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord
is with you!" [29] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and
considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. [30] And
the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. [32] He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give
to Him the throne of His father David, [33] and He will reign over the
house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there will be no end."
[34] And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no
husband?" [35] And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; there-
fore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. [36] And
behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a
son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37]
For with God nothing will be impossible." [38] And Mary said, "Behold,
I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your
word." And the angel departed from her.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

26-38. Here we contemplate our Lady who was "enriched from the first
instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holi-
ness; [...] the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by
divine command, as `full of grace' (cf. Luke 1:28), and to the heavenly
messenger she replies, `Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done
unto me according to thy word' (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of
Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of
Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly to God's saving will and
impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the
Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with Him, serving
the mystery of Redemption, by the grace of Almighty God. Rightly,
therefore, the Fathers (of the Church) see Mary not merely as
passively engaged by God, but as freely cooperating in the work of
man's salvation through faith and obedience" (Vatican II, "Lumen
Gentium", 56).

The annunciation to Mary and incarnation of the Word constitute the
deepest mystery of the relationship between God and men and the
most important event in the history of mankind: God becomes man,
and will remain so forever, such is the extent of His goodness and
mercy and love for all of us. And yet on the day when the Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity assumed frail human nature in the pure
womb of the Blessed Virgin, it all happened quietly, without fanfare of
any kind.

St. Luke tells the story in a very simple way. We should treasure
these words of the Gospel and use them often, for example, practising
the Christian custom of saying the Angelus every day and reflecting on
the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

27. God chose to be born of a virgin; centuries earlier He disclosed
this through the prophet Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23).
God, "before all ages made choice of, and set in her proper place, a
mother for His only-begotten Son from whom He, after being made
flesh, should be born in the blessed fullness of time: and He con-
tinued His persevering regard for her in preference to all other crea-
tures, to such a degree that for her alone He had singular regard"
(Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus," 2). This privilege granted to our Lady of
being a virgin and a mother at the same time is a unique gift of God.
This was the work of the Holy Spirit "who at the conception and the
birth of the Son so favored the Virgin Mother as to impart fruitfulness
to her while preserving inviolate her perpetual virginity" ("St. Pius V
Catechism," I, 4, 8). Paul VI reminds us of this truth of faith: "We
believe that the Blessed Mary, who ever enjoys the dignity of virginity,
was the Mother of the incarnate Word, of our God and Savior Jesus
Christ" ("Creed of the People of God", 14).

Although many suggestions have been made as to what the name
Mary means, most of the best scholars seem to agree that Mary
means "lady". However, no single meaning fully conveys the richness
of the name.

28. "Hail, full of grace": literally the Greek text reads "Rejoice!",
obviously referring to the unique joy over the news which the angel
is about to communicate.

"Full of grace": by this unusual form of greeting the archangel reveals
Mary's special dignity and honor. The Fathers and Doctors of the
Church "taught that this singular, solemn and unheard-of-greeting
showed that all the divine graces reposed in the Mother of God and
that she was adorned with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit", which meant
that she "was never subject to the curse", that is, was preserved from
all sin. These words of the archangel in this text constitute one of
the sources which reveal the dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception
(cf. Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus"; Paul VI, "Creed of the People of God").

"The Lord is with you!": these words are not simply a greeting ("the
Lord be with you") but an affirmation ("the Lord is with you"), and they
are closely connected with the Incarnation. St. Augustine comments
by putting these words on the archangel's lips: "He is more with you
than He is with me: He is in your heart, He takes shape within you,
He fills your soul, He is in your womb" ("Sermo De Nativitate Domini",
4).

Some important Greek manuscripts and early translations add at the
end of the verse: "Blessed are you among women!", meaning that God
will exalt Mary over all women. She is more excellent than Sarah,
Hannah, Deborah, Rachel, Judith, etc., for only she has the supreme
honor of being chosen to be the Mother of God.

29-30. Our Lady is troubled by the presence of the archangel and by
the confusion truly humble people experience when they receive praise.

30. The Annunciation is the moment when our Lady is given to know
the vocation which God planned for her from eternity. When the arch-
angel sets her mind at ease by saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary," he is
helping her to overcome that initial fear which a person normally experi-
ences when God gives him or her a special calling. The fact that Mary
felt this fear does not imply the least trace of imperfection in her: hers
is a perfectly natural reaction in the face of the supernatural. Imperfec-
tion would arise if one did not overcome this fear or rejected the advice
of those in a position to help--as St. Gabriel helped Mary.

31-33. The archangel Gabriel tells the Blessed Virgin Mary that she is
to be the Mother of God by reminding her of the words of Isaiah which
announced that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, a prophecy which
will find its fulfillment in Mary (cf. Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 7:14).

He reveals that the Child will be "great": His greatness comes from His
being God, a greatness He does not lose when He takes on the lowli-
ness of human nature. He also reveals that Jesus will be the king of
the Davidic dynasty sent by God in keeping with His promise of sal-
vation; that His Kingdom will last forever, for His humanity will remain
forever joined to His divinity; that "He will be called Son of the Most
High", that is that He really will be the Son of the Most High and will
be publicly recognized as such, that is, the Child will be the Son of
God.

The archangel's announcement evokes the ancient prophecies which
foretold these prerogatives. Mary, who was well-versed in Sacred
Scripture, clearly realized that she was to be the Mother of God.

34-38. Commenting on this passage John Paul II said: "`Virgo fidelis',
the faithful Virgin. What does this faithfulness of Mary mean? What
are the dimensions of this faithfulness? The first dimension is called
search. Mary was faithful first of all when she began, lovingly, to seek
the deep sense of God's plan in her and for the world. `Quomodo fiet?'
How shall this be?, she asked the Angel of the Annunciation [...]."

"The second dimension of faithfulness is called reception, acceptance.
The `quomodo fiet?' is changed, on Mary's lips, to a `fiat': Let it be
done, I am ready, I accept. This is the crucial moment of faithfulness,
the moment in which man perceives that he will never completely
understand the `how': that there are in God's plan more areas of
mystery than of clarity; that is, however he may try, he will never
succeed in understanding it completely[...]."

"The third dimension of faithfulness is consistency to live in accordance
with what one believes; to adapt one's own life to the object of one's ad-
herence. To accept misunderstanding, persecutions, rather than a
break between what one practises and what one believes: this is consis-
tency[...]."

"But all faithfulness must pass the most exacting test, that of duration.
Therefore, the fourth dimension of faithfulness is constancy. It is
easy to be consistent for a day or two. It is difficult and important to
be consistent for one's whole life. It is easy to be consistent in the
hour of enthusiasm, it is difficult to be so in the hour of tribulation.
And only a consistency that lasts throughout the whole life can be
called faithfulness. Mary's `fiat' in the Annunciation finds its fullness
in the silent `fiat' that she repeats at the foot of the Cross" ("Homily
in Mexico City Cathedral", 26 January 1979).

34. Mary believed in the archangel's words absolutely; she did not
doubt as Zechariah had done (cf. 1:18). Her question, "How can this
be?", expresses her readiness to obey the will of God even though at
first sight it implied a contradiction: on the one hand, she was con-
vinced that God wished her to remain a virgin; on the other, here was
God also announcing that she would become a mother. The archangel
announces God's mysterious design, and what had seemed impossible,
according to the laws of nature, is explained by a unique intervention
on the part of God.

Mary's resolution to remain a virgin was certainly something very
unusual, not in line with the practice of righteous people under the
Old Covenant, for, as St. Augustine explains, "particularly attentive
to the propagation and growth of the people of God, through whom the
Prince and Savior of the world might be prophesied and be born, the
saints were obliged to make use of the good of matrimony" ("De
Bono Matrimonii", 9, 9). However, in the Old Testament, there were
some who, in keeping with God's plan, did remain celibate--for exam-
ple, Jeremiah, Elijah, Eliseus and John the Baptist. The Blessed
Virgin, who received a very special inspiration of the Holy Spirit to
practise virginity, is a first-fruit of the New Testament, which will
establish the excellence of virginity over marriage while not taking
from the holiness of the married state, which it raises to the level of
a sacrament (cf. "Gaudium Et Spes", 48).

35. The "shadow" is a symbol of the presence of God. When Israel
was journeying through the wilderness, the glory of God filled the
Tabernacle and a cloud covered the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus
40:34-36). And when God gave Moses the tablets of the Law, a cloud
covered Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:15-16); and also, at the Transfiguration
of Jesus the voice of God the Father was heard coming out of a cloud
(Luke 9:35).

At the moment of the Incarnation the power of God envelops our Lady
-- an expression of God's omnipotence. The Spirit of God--which, accor-
ding to the account in Genesis (1:2), moved over the face of the waters,
bringing things to life--now comes down on Mary. And the fruit of her
womb will be the work of the Holy Spirit. The Virgin Mary, who herself
was conceived without any stain of sin (cf. Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus")
becomes, after the Incarnation, a new tabernacle of God. This is the
mystery we recall every day when saying the Angelus.

38. Once she learns of God's plan, our Lady yields to God's will with
prompt obedience, unreservedly. She realizes the disproportion be-
tween what she is going to become--the Mother of God--and what she
is--a woman. However, this is what God wants to happen and for Him
nothing is impossible; therefore no one should stand in His way. So
Mary, combining humility and obedience, responds perfectly to God's
call: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done according
to your word."

"At the enchantment of this virginal phrase, the Word became flesh"
([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", first joyful mystery). From the pure
body of Mary, God shaped a new body, He created a soul out of
nothing, and the Son of God united Himself with this body and soul:
prior to this He was only God; now He is still God but also man.
Mary is now the Mother of God. This truth is a dogma of faith, first
defined by the Council of Ephesus (431). At this point she also begins
to be the spiritual Mother of all mankind. What Christ says when He is
dying--`Behold, your son..., behold, your mother" (John 19:26-27) --
simply promulgates what came about silently at Nazareth. "With her
generous `fiat' (Mary) became, through the working of the Spirit, the
Mother of God, but also the Mother of the living, and, by receiving into
her womb the one Mediator, she became the true Ark of the Covenant
and true Temple of God" (Paul VI, "Marialis Cultus", 6).

The Annunciation shows us the Blessed Virgin as perfect model of
"purity" (the RSV "I have no husband" is a euphemism); of "humility"
("Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord"); of "candor" and "simplicity"
("How can this be?"); of "obedience" and "lively faith" ("Let it be done
to me according to your word"). "Following her example of obedience
to God, we can learn to serve delicately without being slavish. In Mary,
we don't find the slightest trace of the attitude of the foolish virgins, who
obey, but thoughtlessly. Our Lady listens attentively to what God
wants, ponders what she doesn't fully understand and asks about what
she doesn't know. Then she gives herself completely to doing the di-
vine will: `Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me
according to your word'. Isn't that marvellous? The Blessed Virgin, our
teacher in all we do, shows us here that obedience to God is not servile,
does not bypass our conscience. We should be inwardly moved to
discover the `freedom of the children of God' (cf. Romans 8:21)" ([St]
J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 173).

　

*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.