THE BIBLE – DISCOVERY YEAR ‘O7
COMMENT FOR ADVENT 4 ---24-12-06
Micah 5: 2-5a
The serene beauty of this passage stands out in Micah’s tortured writing. The reference in 2 Kings 18:13 says little of the shock of the homeless survivors, Micah among them, near Lachish after the Assyrian onslaught in 701 BCE. Micah proclaims “all this is for the transgressions of Jacob…” Then his faith in the God of the covenant affirms there will be a recovery from Bethlehem - “to the ends of the earth….peace.”
Psalm 80; 1-7
This psalm put the desperate needs of the covenant people in Micah’s time in liturgical form. The remaining families of Judah needed a Divine Shepherd “enthroned upon the cherubim” offering blessing and continued care. The covenant people believed that help would or could come from no other source.
Hebrews 10: 5-10
The writer appeals to those Christians who grew up with a system of sacrifices. But here, Christ is both High Priest and sacrifice, offering on a spiritual plane the Peace of God.
Are there echoes of sacrifices in our use of animals for medical research? Or in the “sacrifices demanded of young people while lacking the patience and will to seek peace through conflict resolution?’ Is this the way we reject the “peace on earth” offered in the Advent message?
Luke 2: 1-20
Such is the beauty and charm of this story, and its message so powerful, that we do not worry much about its historical basis. The birth of the expected Messianic Figure was in Bethlehem, witness of today’s cruelty and hostilities. An event of such promise can only be told by angels, and only the outcasts of society – shepherds - because of their occupation- could hear the news. This message gives us clues about how the whole human race can live together in peace.
Note:-
Love and blessings for the Christmas Season.
This series will be resumed early in 2007.
We wish Graydon and Patricia our thanks for a great job with the readings each week.
We wish them both a very happy Christmas and New Year.
We hope that he will return again in 2007.
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