Homily for the Sunday of the Epiphany - Cycle C
Readings: Mt
2:1-12 (Gospel); (First Reading) and (Second Reading)
From the Series: Reflections and Teachings in the Desert
STAR
RISING IN THE EAST
‘We saw his star as it roseb in the
east and have come to do him homage.’ (Mt 2:2)
The Gospel
for this Sunday of the Epiphany is taken from : Mt 2:1-12. Verse 1 says: After Jesus had
been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod,a
some wise men came to Jerusalem from the East. Footnote
a says “About 5 or 4 BC. Herod was king of Judaea, Idumea and Samaria from 37-4
BC, Cf. Lk 2:2.”
Parallel text is Lk 2:1-17 that says: The birth of Jesus and the visit of the shepherds – Now at this time
Caesar Augustusa issued a decree for a census of the whole world to
be taken (v. 1). This census – the firstb – took place while
Quirinius was governor of Syria (v. 2), and everyone went to his own town to be
registered (v. 3). So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and
travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of
David’s House and line (v. 4), in order to be registered together with Mary,
his betrothed, who was with child (v. 5). While they were there the time came
for her to have her child (v. 6), and she gave birth to a son, her first born.c
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there
was no room for them in the inn (v. 7). 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 (v. 8). The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory
of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified (v. 9), 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 (v. 10). Today in the town of David a savior has been born to
you; he is the Christ the Lordd (v. 11). And here is a sign for you;
you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger (v. 12).
And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host,
praising God an singing (v. 13): ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace
to men who enjoy his favor’e (v. 14). 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’ (v. 15). So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying
in the manger (v. 16). When they saw the child they repeated what they had been
told about him (v. 17)… Footnote a says “Roman emperor from 30 BC to 14 AD.; Footnote b says “The
first of a series. The translation sometimes given, ‘The census preceded that
which was held when Quirinius was governor of Syria’ is difficult to justify
grammatically. The historical circumstances are little known. Most scholars put
the census of Quirinius in 6 AD, but the only authority for this is Josephus
who is doubtfully reliable in this matter, cf. Ac 5:37+. The most probable explanation
is that the census which was made with a view to taxation took place about 8-6
BC as part of a general census of the empire, and that it was organized in
Palestine by Quirinius who was specially appointed for the purpose. Quirinius
might have been governor of Syria between 4 and 1 BC and if so Lk’s expression
would then be a rough approximation. Jesus was born certainly before Herod’s
death (4 BC), possibly in 5-6 BC. The Christian Era, established by Dionysius
Exiguus (6th Century) is the result of a false calculation, cf. note
to Lk 3:1; Footnote c says “In biblical Greek, the term does not
necessarily imply younger brothers but emphasizes the dignity and right of the
child”; and Footnote d says “He
is, therefore, the expected Messiah; but he is also called ‘Lord’, a title the
OT reserves for God. A new era is beginning.”
Verse 2 says: ‘Where is the infant
king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it roseb and have
come to do him homage.’ Footnote b
says “Alternative translation
(Vulg. ‘in the east’. Same alternative for v. 9.”
Parallel text is Nb 24:17 that
says: I see him-but not in the present,
I behold him-but not close at hand; a starg from Jacob takes the
leadership, a scepter arises from Israel. It crushes the brows of Moabh
the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.i Footnote g says “In
the ancient East a star signified a god and, consequently, the deified king.
See also Is. 14:12. Here the word seems to refer to the Davidic dynasty from
which the Messiah was to come.”;
Footnote h says “For ‘sceptre’ the Greek reads ‘a man’; for
‘brows’ it has ‘chiefs’. The same Hebr. word means ‘sides’ (of the head) and
‘frontiers’; and Footnote i says “Here
referring to Bedouin tribes. The poem goes on to enumerate those of Israel’s
enemies who lived on the borders of Canaan.”
Verses 3, 4 and 5 say: When King Herod heard this,
he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the
chief priests and the scribes of the people,c and inquired of them
where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for
this is what the prophet wrote… Footnote c says “Doctors
of the Law; usually, but not always, from the ranks of the Pharisees (3:7+).
Together with the high priests and the elders they constituted the Great
Sanhedrin.”
Parallel for verse 5 is Jn 7:42 says: “Does not scripture say that the
Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem?t
Footnote t says “Add. ‘where David was’, ‘of David’, or
‘where he was’. Only Christ’s intimates knew that he had been born in Bethlehem.”
Verse 6 says: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you
will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.
Parallel is Mi 5:1 that says: But you, (Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the leasta of the clans of
Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; his
origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old.b
Footnote a says “‘the least’ Greek; ‘small’ Hebr.”;
Hebr. and Greek add ‘to be.’; and b
says “Ephrathah (to which Micah apparently attaches the etymological meaning
of ‘fruitful’, connecting it with the birth of the Messiah) originally
indicated a clan related to Caleb, 1 Ch. 2: 19,24,50 and settled in the
district of Bethlehem, 1 S. 17:12, Rt. 1:2; the name later came to be used of
the town itself, Gn. 35:19; 48:7; Jos. 15:59; Rt. 4:11, hence the gloss in the
text. Micah is thinking of the ancient origin of the dynasty of David, 1 S
17:12; Rt. 4:11, 17, 18-22; in ‘(Bethlehem) Ephrathah’ the evangelist will recognize
an indication of the Messiah’s birthplace”.
Verses 7 to 11 says: Then Herod summoned the wise
men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star
appeared, And sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’
he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do
him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And
there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward and
halted in over the place where the child was.d The sight of the star
filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his
mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening
their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.e
Footnote d says “Obviously the evangelist is thinking of a miraculous star; it is futile
to look for a natural explanation.”; and Footnote e says “The
wealth and perfumes of Arabia (Jr 6:20; Ezk 27:22). The Fathers see in them symbols
of the royalty (gold), divinity (incense), passion (myrrh) of Christ. The
adoration of the Magi fulfills the messianic prophecies of the homage paid by
the nations to the God of Israel, cf. Nb 24:17; Is 49:17; Is 60:5f; Ps 72:10-15.
Parallel texts for verse 11 are:
1. Ps
72:10-15 - …the kings of Tarshish and of
the islands will pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts
(v. 10); all the kings will do him homage, all the nations become his servants
(v. 11). He will free the poor man who calls to him, and those who need help
(v. 12), he will have pity on the poor and feeble, and save the lives of those
in need (v. 13). He will redeem their lives from exploitation and outrage,
their lives will be precious in his sight. (Long may he live, may gold from
Sheba be given him!)I Prayer
will be offered for him constantly, blessings invoked on him all day long.j
Footnote i says “Probably a prayer for the Messiah added
later”; Footnote j says “Another translation ‘He (the Messiah) will
pray (intercedes) for him (the poor man) and bless him.’”
2. Is
49:23 - Kings will be your foster-fathers, their queens your nursing mothers.
They will fall prostrate before you, faces to the ground, and lick the dust at
your feet. You shall then know that I am Yahweh; and that those who hope in me
will not be put to shame.
3. Is
60:5 - At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full;
since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to
you.
Verse 12 says: But they
were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own
country by a different way.
Parallel is 1 K 13:9f that says: …for I
have had Yahweh’s order: ‘You are to eat or drink nothing, nor return by the
way you came’.
The First Reading is from Is 60:1-6, which is under
the title: The glorious resurrection of Jerusalema Footnote a says “The
poem of ch. 60 and 62 for a whole. In style and thought they resemble ch. 40-55
and must have been composed either by the author of the Book o Consolation or
at least by one of his immediate disciples.”
Parallel texts are:
1. Is
45:14 - Thus says Yahweh: The peasants of Egypt and the traders of Cush, and
the tall men of Seba, will submit to you and be yours; they will follow you in
chains. They will bow down before you, they will pray to you: ‘With you alone
is God, and he has no rival; there is no other god’.
2. Tb
13:9 -Jerusalem, Holy City, God scourged
you for your handiwork. Yet still will take pity on the sons of the
upright.
3. Rv
21:9-27 - I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out
of the heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husbandd
(v. 2). One of the seven angels that had the seven bowls full of the seven last
plagues came to speak to me, and said, ‘Come here and I will show you the bride
that the Lamb had married’ (v. 9). In the spirit, he took me to the top of an
enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from
God out of heavenj (v. 10). It had all the radiant glory from God and
glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond (v. 11).
Footnote d says “The
new and joyful wedding of Jerusalem and her God has taken place, cf. Is 65:18;
61:10; 62:4-6; the Exodus ideal has at last been achieved, cf. Ho 2:16+;
and Footnote j says “i.e. the renewal in these present, messianic
times; the transformation of humanity by an act of God.”
Verse 1 says: Arise, shine out, for your light has
come, the glory of Yahweh is rising on you…
Parallel texts are:
1. Is
2:5 - House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of Yahweh.
2. Tb
13:11 - A bright light shall shine over all the regions of the earth; many
nations shall come from far away. From all the ends of the earth, to dwell
close to the holy name of the Lord God, with gifts in their hands for the King
of heaven. Within you, generation after generation shall proclaim their joy,
and the name of her who is Elect shall endure through the generations to come.
3. Ps
102:16 - When Yahweh builds Zion anew, he will be seen in glory;
4. Ba
4:24 - as the new neighbors of Zion now witness your captivity so will they
soon see you rescued by God who will intervene, in the great glory and splendor
of the Eternal.
5. Ep
5:14 - and anything illuminated turns into light.b That is why it is
said:c Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will
shine on you
Footnote
Verse 2 says: though night still covers the earth
and darkness the peoples. Above you Yahweh now rises and above you his glory
appears.
Parallels are:
1. Is
9:1 - The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light on those who
live in a land of deep shadow a light has shown.
2. Ex
24:1 6 - …and the glory of Yahwehf
settled on the mountain of Sinai, for six days the cloud covered it, and on the
seventh day Yahweh called to Moses from inside the cloud. Footnote f says “In
the Priestly tradition, cf. 13:22+,
the ‘glory of Yahweh’ is the manifestation of God’s presence. This ‘glory’ is a
fire clearly distinguished (here and in 40:34-35) from the cloud that
accompanied and surrounds it. The fire and the cloud are images borrowed from
the great theophanies with a thunderstorm for their setting, 19:16+, but they
have a more profound significance: the brilliant light (which needs no storm
for appearance 33:22, and which later leaves is glow on face of Moses, 34:29)
stands for God’s unapproachable majesty. It fills the newly erected tabernacle,
40:34-35, and will fill the Temple of Solomon, 1 K 8:10-11, On the eve of the
destruction of Jerusalem Ezekiel saw the glory leaving the city, Ezk 9:3;
10:4,18-19, 11:22-23; later he sees it returning to the new Temple, Ezk 43:1f;
for Ezekiel the ‘glory’ assumes a shining, human form, Ezk. 1:26-28. In other
texts, and particularly in the Psalms, the glory of Yahweh simply expresses
God’s majesty and the honor due to him, often with eschatological overtones; or
else it indicates God’s miraculous power, Ex. 15:7, cf. the ‘glory’ of Jesus,
Jn 2:11; 11:;40.”
Verse 3 says:
The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.
Parallel texts are:
1. Rv
21:24 -The pagan nations will live by its light and the kings of the earth will
bring it their treasures.
2. Ps
102:22 - Nations and kingdoms will be united and offer worship to Yahweh
together.
Verse 4 says: Lift up your eyes and look round; all
are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and your
daughters being tenderly carried.
Parallel texts are:
1. Is
49:18-22 - Thus speaks the Lord Yahweh:
I beckon to the nations and hoist my signal for the people.k They
will bring back your sons in the cloak,l they will take your
daughters on their shoulders. Footnote k says “In
5:26, this signal called in the invader, now it proclaims salvation”; and
Footnote l says “As babes are tenderly carried.”
2. Tb
14:7 - …and will bless the God of the ages by upright conduct. All the
Israelites spared on those days will remember God in sincerity of heart. They
will come and gather in Jerusalem and thereafter dwell securely in the land of
Abraham, which shall be their own. And those who sincerely love God shall
rejoice. And those who commit sin and wickedness shall vanish from the earth.
3. Ba
5:5-6 - Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the
heights and turn your eyes to the east: see your sons reassembled from west to
east at the command of the Holy One, jubilant that God has remembered them (v.
5). Though they left you on foot, with
enemies for an escort, now God brings them back to you like royal princessb
carried back in glory (v. 6). Footnote b says “Lit.
‘sons of the kingdom’ Vulg. And some Greek MSS; ‘as (on) a royal throne’ Greek.
On this second Exodus, cf. Is 40:3+”.
Verse 5 says: At this
sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full; since the riches of
the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you;
Parallel texts are:
1.
Ps 45:12 - Daughter of Tyre will solicit your
favor with gifts, the wealthiest nation.
2.
Ps 72:10 - …the kings of Tarshish and of the
islands will pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts (v.
10);
3. Mt 2:11 - And going into the house they saw the child with his
mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their
treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.e
Footnote e says “The
wealth and perfumes of Arabia (Jr 6:20; Ezk 27:22). The Fathers see in them
symbols of the royalty (gold), divinity (incense), passion (myrrh) of Christ.
The adoration of the Magi fulfills the messianic prophecies of the homage paid
by the nations to the God of Israel, cf. Nb 24:17; Is 49:17; Is 60:5f; Ps
72:10-15.”
Verse 6 says: Camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and
Ephah; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the
praise of Yahweh.b Footnote b says “The riches of the sea (i.e. of the maritime
powers. Phoenicia and Greece) come by ship from the west. The riches of the
East and of Egypt come by caravans across the desert of Syria and Sinai
respectively. Midian, Ephah and Sheba are people of Arabia. The liturgy applies
this text to the visit of the Magi, Mt 2:1-12; the immediate significance of
the text is somewhat different but its worldwide outlook, cf. Is 45:14+, makes
the application apt.”
Parallel texts are:
1.
Ex 2:15 - When
Pharaoh heard of the matter he would have killed Moses, but Moses fled from
Pharaoh and made for the land of Midian.f And he sat down beside a
well. Footnote f says “Midian lies to the south of Edom and to the
east of the gulf of Aqaba. Gn 25:1-4 connects the Midianites with a group of
Arab tribes descended from Abraham’s wife Keturah. These nomads frequent the
highways of Palestine, Gn 37:28,36, and of the Sinai peninsula, Nb 10:29-32;
they raid as far afield as Moab Gn
36:35, where they later come to blows with the Hebrews, Nb 22:4,7; 25:6-18;
31:1-9, Jos 13:21. They were to be soundly beaten by Gideon, Jg 6-8; cf. Is
9:3; 10:26; Ps 83:9. At ‘the end of times’10:29-32; Midian will come and pay
homage to Yahweh, Is 60:6”.
2.
1 K 10:1 -
The queen of Sheba visits Solomona
Now the fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Shebab
she came to test him with difficult questions. Footnote a – says
“The kingdom of Sheba was the SW portion
of the Arabian peninsula, but the queen mentioned ruled more probably over one
of the Sabaean settlement of N. Arabia. The Hebr. Bible distinguishes between
the more usual Sheba (used here)and Seba which it associates more closely with
Cush, or Ethiopia, Gn 10:7; Is 43:3; 45:14. The name Seba came to be used for
the far S., just as Tarshish stand for the W. limits of the earth, Ezk 38:13
and Ps 72:10. Sheba is several times mentioned in association with Dedan,
another Arabian group, Gn 10:7; 25:3; Ezk 38:13, figuring as one of the great
tribes of traveling merchants, Ezk 27:20f; Jr 6:20; Jl 4:8; Jb 6:19. This
far-off people will come to do homage to the future king, Ps 72:10,15, in the
new Jerusalem, Is 45:14 and 60:6f, cf. Mt 2:11”; and Footnote b says “Unintelligible,
lit. ‘for the name of Yahweh’; phrase absent from 2 Ch 9:1.”
The Second Reading
is from Ep 3:2-3,5-6, under the title Paul, a servant of the mystery.
Parallel text is Col 1:24-29 that says: It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I
am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has
still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. m
I became the servant of the Church when God made me responsible for delivering
God’s message to you, the message which was a mystery hidden for generations
and centuries and has now been revealed to his saints. It was God’s purpose to
reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans. The
mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory:n this is the Christ
we proclaim, this is the wisdom I which we thoroughly train everyone and
instruct everyone, to make them all perfect I Christ. Footnote m says “Lit. ‘all that is lacking from the
sufferings of Christ…Church’. Jesus suffered in order to establish the reign of
God, and anyone who continues his work must share this suffering. Paul is not
saying that he thinks his own sufferings increase the value of his redemption
(since that value cannot be increased) but that he shares by his sufferings as
a missionary in those that Jesus had undergone in his own mission, cf. 2 Co.
1:15, Ph. 1:20+. These are the sufferings predicted for the messianic era, Mt.
24:8, Ac. 14:22 , 1 Tm.
4:1+, and are all part of the way n which God had always intended the Church to
develop. Paul feels that, being the messenger Christ has chosen to send to the
pagans, he has been especially called on to experience those sufferings”;
and Footnote n says “Previously,
when it had seemed (to the Jews) that pagans could never be saved, as salvation
was restricted to ‘Israel’, pagans had seemed to be without a Messiah and
consequently to be deprived of all hope, Ep. 2:12. The ‘mystery’ or secret of
God that had now been revealed was that the pagans too were, and had been, all
called to be saved through union with Christ, and so to reach eternal glory ,
cf. Ep. 2:13-22; 3:3-6.”
Verse 2 says: You have probably heard how I have been
entrusted by God with the gracea he meant for you… Footnote a
ays “V.
1 (continued by v. 15) breaks off abruptly, the parenthetical development of vv 2-14 being suggested by the
mention of pagans in v. 1. On the grace of being apostle of the pagans, cf.
3:7f; Rm. 5:1; 15:15f; 1 Co. 3:10; Ga. 2:9.”
Parallel texts are:
1. Ep
4:1- I, prisoner in the Lord, implore you therefore to lead a life worthy of
your vocation.
2. Ph
1:13 - My chains, in Christ, have become famous not only all over the
Praetorium a but everywhere… Footnote a says “If
Paul is writing from his house-arrest in Rome, this must refer to members of
the Praetorian guard (two were quartered just outside the city wall). If Paul
is writing from Ephesus or Caesaria, he is referring to the staff of the
Praetorium which was the name of the official residence of the governor in each
of those cities.”
3. Col
4:18 - Here is a greeting in my own
handwriting-Paul. Remember the chains I wear. Grace be with you.f
Footnote f says “Add. (Vulg.) ‘Amen’, cf. Ph 4:2.”
4. 2
Tm 2:9…it is on account of this that I have my own hardships to bear even to
being chained like a criminal-but they cannot chain up God’s news
Verse 3 says: and
that it was by a revelationb that I was given the knowledge of the
mystery, as I have just described it very shortly. Footnote b says “Cf.
2 Co 12:1,7. The immediate reference is what was revealed to Paul on the way to
Damascus, cf. Ga. 1:16; Ac. 9:15; 22:21;
26:16-18.”
Parallel
text is Rm 16:25 that says: Doxologyj
Glory to him who is able to give you the strengthk to live according
to the Good News I preach, and in which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation
of a mysteryl kept secret for endless ages…
Footnote j says “Most authorities place this doxology here,
but in some it appears at the end of ch. 15 or 14; others omit. A solemn
presentation, cf. Ef 3:20; Jude 24-25, of the main points of the letter”;
Footnote k says “Firmly grounded in doctrine and strong in
Christian practice. Cf. 1:11; 1 Th 3:2,13; 2 Th 2:17; 3:3; 1 Co 1:8; 2 Co 1:21;
Col 2:7; and l says “The
idea of a ‘mystery’ of wisdom, v. 27; 1 Co 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:2-3, long hidden
in God and now revealed, v. 25; 1 Co 2:7,10; Ep 3:5,9f; Col 1:26, is borrowed
by Paul from Jewish apocalypse, Dn 2:18-19+, but he enriches the content of the
term by applying it to the climax of the history of salvation: the saving cross
of Christ, 1 Co 2:8; the call of the pagans, v. 26; Rm 11:25; Col 1:26-27; Ep
3:6, to this salvation preached by Paul, v. 25; Col 1:23; 4:3; Ep 3:3-12; 6:19,
and finally the restoration of all things in Christ as their one head, Ep
1:9-10. See also 1 Co 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Ep 5:32; 2 Th 2:7; 1 Tm 3:9,16; 2
Tm 1:9-10; Mt 13:11p+; Rv 1:20; 10:7; 17:5,7.”
Verse
5 says: This mystery that has now been
revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophetsc was
unknown to anyone in past generations…Footnote c says “The NT prophets, cf. 2:20+. The OT prophets
had only an obscure and imperfect knowledge of the mystery of the Messiah, cf 1
P 1:10-12; Mk 13:17”.
Parallel texts are:
1. 1 Co 7:40
- She would be happier, in my opinion,
if she stayed as she is-and I too have the Spirit of God,l I think.
Footnote l says “Var. ‘of Christ’”.
2. 2 Co 11:5
- For a woman, however, it is a sign of
disrespect to her headv if she prays or prophesies unveiled; she
might as well have her hair shaved off. Footnote c says “I.e.
her husband, since she seemed to be claiming equality with her husband. A
woman’s veil was a sign of subjection, v. 10.”
Verse
6 says: It means that pagans now share the
same inheritance,d that they are part of the same body, and that the
same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.
Footnote d says “I.e.
as the Judeo-Christians, cf. 2:19.”
Parallel texts are:
1. Ep 4:11 - And
to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some,
evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; h Footnote h says “Paul
limits his list to charisms that relate to teaching and which are the only ones
that apply in this context, vv. 13-15.”
2. Jh 14:26 -
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of
all I have said to you. r Footnote r says “In
place of the departed Christ, the faithful will have the Spirit, 14:16, 17;
16:7, cf. 1:33+. He is the ‘parakletos’
who intercedes with the Father, cf. 1 Jn. 2:1, and whose voice is heard
in human courts, 15:26,27, cf. LK. 12:11p., Mt. 10:19-20p. Ac. 5:32. He is the
Spirit of truth, leading men to the very fullness of truth, 16:33, teaching
them to understand the mystery of Christ – fulfillment of the scriptures,
5:39+, the meaning of his words, 2:19+, of his actions, and his ‘signs’, 14:26,
16:13, 1 Jn. 2:20f,27, all hitherto obscure to the disciples, 2:22, 12:16,
13:7, 20:9. In this way the Spirit is to bear witness to Christ, 15:26, 1 Jn.
5:6,7, and shame the unbelieving world, 16:8-11”.
3. Ep
2:12-19…do not forget, I say, that you had no
Christ g and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no
part in the covenants with their Promise, h you were immersed in the
world, without hope i and without God.j But now in Christ
Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close,
by the blood of Christ.k (v. 13) For he is the peace between us, and
has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them
apart,l actually destroying in his own person the hostility (v. 14).
Caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. m This was to create one single New
Man n in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace… (v. 15).Through
the cross, to unite them both in single Bodyo and reconcile them
with God. I his own person he killed the hostility (v. 16) Later, he camep
to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to
those who were near at hand (v. 17). Through him, both of us have in the one Spiritq our way to come
to the Father (v. 18). So your are no longer aliens of foreign
visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s households.
Footnote g says “I.e.
‘you had no Messiah.’; Footnote h says “The
successive covenants made by God with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David etc.;
cf. Ex 19:1+; Lv 26:42,45; Si 44-45; Ws 18:22; 2 M 8:15; Rm 9:4.”; Footnote
i says “The pagans had many gods but not the one true God, 1 Co 8:5f.;
Footnote j says “The wall separating the court of the Jews
from the court of the pagans in the Temple, cf. Ac 21:28f.’ Footnote k says “The
crucifixion of Christ that brought together Jews and pagans vv 14-15, and
reconciled both with the Father vv. 16-18. Footnote l - The wall
separating the court of the Jews from the court of the pagans in the Temple,
cf. Ac. 21:28f. Footnote m- The Mosaic Law gave the Jews a
privileged status and separated them from pagans. Jesus abolished this Law by
fulfilling it once for all on the cross, Col. 2:14+”; Footnote n says “This
new man is the prototype of the new humanity that God recreated (2Co. 5:17+) in
the person of Christ, the second Adam (1 Co. 15:45) after killing the sinfully
corrupt race of the first Adam in the crucifixion (Rm. 5:12f, 8:3, 1 Co.
15:21). This New Adam has been created in the goodness and holiness of the
truth, 4:24, and he is unique because in him the boundaries between any one
group and the rest of the human race all disappear, Col. 3:10f, Ga. 3:27f).
Footnote o – This ‘single Body’ is both the physical body of Jesus
that was executed by crucifixion, Col 1:22+, and the Church or ‘mystical’ body
of Christ in which, once they were reconciled, all the parts function in their
own place, 1 Co 12:12+”; Footnote p says “Through
the apostles who in his name preached the Good News of salvation and peace”;
Footnote q says “The one spirit that gives life to the single
body (of Christ who is one with his Church) is the Holy Spirit who has changed
the form of the body now it has risen, and by doing so has come down on each of
the parts of which it is made up. The Trinitarian structure of this section is repeated in v. 22”;
and Footnote r says “Paul
inserts vv. 14-18 (how Christ has united pagans and Jews) between his
contrasting descriptions of pagans before (vv. 11-13) and after (19-22)
conversion.”
The star of Mt 2:9 is
the angel of the Lord that announced to the shepherd the birth of Jesus Christ
in Lk 2:9.
Wayne Blank, in the article
“The Host of Heaven” at www.keyway.ca says:
“The
"host of heaven" is a term used in reference to two different
entities ("anything having existence, living or unliving") in the
Scriptures, stars and planets, and angels. The original Hebrew word most-often
translated as "host," whether referring to stars, or angels, is
(pronounced) tsaw-baw and
means a great mass, or a massive organization -
appropriate, since there are a vast number of both stars and angels. The same
word is also often used to refer to an army, which, considering what will
accompany Christ at His return, is also very accurate”.
For biblical references on this assertion,
please confer Gen 1:31-2:1; Dt 4:17-19; 2 Ch 33:3-5; Ne 9:6; 1 K 22:19; Is
37:16; Lk 2:13-14; Col 2:18; and Rv 19:14.
Zeitgeist, the movie, has another explanation for this star of Bethlehem when it says that the star
in the East is the star Sirius (the Dog Star, Sothis to the Egyptians), that
when it aligns with the three bright stars in Orion’s belt all point to the
place where the sun rises on December 25, which signifies the birth of the sun.
This birth of the sun on December 25 is also called the birthday of Jesus
Christ.
Zeitgeist, the movie, also
believes that Bethlehem (House of Bread), the place of Jesus Christ’s birth,
refers to the constellation Virgo, personified as a virgin holding a sheaf of
wheat, which means a “house of bread.”
The first Reading talks
about the glorious resurrection of Jerusalem. Incidentally, the event of the
sun rising in the east at winter solstice (Dec. 25) is also the mythical story
of the glorious resurrection of the sun after it was said to have undergone a
death of three days in December 22, 23, and 24 and resurrected on December 25
when the sun rises again on the south to start its travel one degree to the
north latitude.
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