Gerard Van Honthorst: Adoration of the Shepherds
Thursday, December 23, 2021
Joy and Zechariah
Relying on Christmas
“The office of prophet was due to a direct call from God. It was not the result of heredity, just as it was not a permanent gift but a transient one, subject entirely to the divine will”. (Senior 877) Today joy comes upon us from the depths of fear as a people lifts hope high . . . waiting for the coming of the Messiah.
Full of symbols and imagery, this book of prophecy signals an impending change when a new Jerusalem will replace the vanquished one. Many of the ancients settled on the simple understanding that a new city would rise physically from the foundations of the old; and in so doing, they missed the greater portent of the Messiah’s coming. The apostle John (2:19) records Christ’s promise to raise up again the ruined temple in three days. And so does Jesus promise to return from the dead to rescue the faithful. This is an event to celebrate, even in the midst of despair and fear.
Verse 2:10: Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the Lord.
Today we celebrate the arrival of the master healer and we remember that joy is most sweet when it fulfills the age-old promise to arrive in the hour of sorrow. Christ’s joy offers new life in the face of death, and dims the memory of all suffering. For Christ’s joy is found in God’s infinite mercy and the power of the Spirit to bring us God’s never-ending love. Let us rejoice with the shepherds and angels at this marvelous entrance God makes into our lives . . . in the sweet person of Mary’s child.
Click on the Nativity image above for a site that hosts famous paintings of this event and others in the life of Christ, or visit: http://www.jesus-story.net/painting_birth_christ.htm
If this week’s Noontimes call you to search for more ways to encounter Joy or urge you to investigate the New Testament, click on the word Joy in the categories cloud in the blog’s right hand sidebar and choose a reflection, or enter those words in the blog search bar.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990. 877. Print.
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