The Birth of Jesus
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke narrate the birth of
Jesus. Both give importance to the fact that Mary, being
betrothed to Joseph, became pregnant while remaining
virgin, that is, without having been touched by man.
Matthew is interested in showing that Jesus was a descendant
of David. After a summary of the birth event Matthew
points out that the virginal birth of Jesus is the fulfillment
of a messianic prophecy. Then Matthew gives a detailed
description of the visit of the Magi, followed by the
flight to Egypt.
"This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother
Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to
live together she was found to be with child through
the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a man of
honor and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to
divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do
this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid
to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived
what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth
to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is
the one who is to save his people from their sins.'
Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by
the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and
they will call him Emmanuel, a name that means 'God-is-with-us'.
When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord
had told him to do: he took his wife to his home and,
though he had not had intercourse with her, she gave
birth to a son, and he named him Jesus"
Luke on the other hand before coming to the narration
of the birth, devotes one chapter to the anteceding
events, connected with the birth of John the Baptist
and the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary.
Now at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree for
a census of the whole world to be taken. This census
- the first - took place while Quirinius was governor
of Syria, and everyone went to his own town to be registered.
So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
and traveled up to Judaea, to the town of David called
Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line, in
order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed,
who was with child. While they were there the time came
for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son,
her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger because there was no room for
them at the inn. In the countryside close by there were
shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns
to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of
the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord
shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel
said, 'Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of
great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today
in the town of David a savior has been born to you;
he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you
will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying
in a manger.' And suddenly with the angel there was
a great thong of the heavenly host, praising God and
singing:
'Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace to men who enjoy his favor'.
Now when the angels had gone from them into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has happened which the Lord
has made known to us'. So they hurried away and found
Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When
they saw the child they repeated what they had been
told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished
at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured
all these things and pondered them in her heart. And
the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they
had been told".
Children's Feast
Christ is born. A Child is given to mankind. Christmas
is the Feast of children. God becomes a baby and His
smile reveals God's message to little children. Today
in many homes a "crib" is put up. Small figures of sheep
and shepherds. Mountains covered with snow. Little streams
of flowing water. The stable with an ox and a donkey.
The angel, the star. Joseph and Mary and between them
a smiling Child lying in a manger. All is meant to make
little children understand that God is born and has
become like them. Small, helpless, poor, unable to speak,
but smiling and inviting everyone to come closer to
Him. Children gather around the crib and sing "carols"
or Christmas songs, composed in the course of many centuries
to express in a characteristic style Christmas joy.
Grown-ups also join in the singing. Jesus invites everybody
to become like little children.
"I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like
little children you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little
as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven".
Even old people are invited to emulate the innocence
and simplicity of little children. Santa Claus with
his white hair and beard becomes children's best friend
as he arrives with a sack full of toys. In some countries
children look forward to the coming of three kings,
Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar on the night of January
6th and full of joy wake up in the morning to find a
specially prepared room all full of toys.
The Christmas Tree with sweets, lights and shining stars
hanging on its branches adds to the homely Christmas
atmosphere, to create awareness of the historical event
commemorated today. God's mercy appeared in the form
of a Child and came to dwell among us.
Poverty and Virginity
Jesus as a descendant of David was of royal blood. But
this fact remained in obscurity. What at once becomes
striking is that Jesus is the son of a poor young virgin,
now spoused to Joseph, the carpenter, for which reason
Jesus became known as the son of the carpenter, the
Nazarene, not the best titles to make an impression
on the Jewish nation, or on the world. His birth at
Bethlehem, away from home, in a stable, lacking even
the little comforts of an ordinary poor family, indicates
a clear divine option for the poor. A Virgin-Mother
and the conditions of a working man were God's deliberate
choice when He decided to become present among men.
These will remain in the life of Jesus the characteristics
of His approach to solve human problems. This approach
known as Redemption consists in liberating others by
freely accepting their enslaved condition. It would
be a pity to miss this central message of Christmas
in the midst of the noise and glamour of worldly enjoyments
that have nothing to do with genuine Christmas happiness.
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