BIBLE STUDY # 70
The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

READING 1
NUMBERS 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses:
"Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them."

The Word of the Lord

READING 2
GALATIANS 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, "Abba, Father!"
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.

The Word of the Lord

GOSPEL
LUKE 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

Today’s Gospel is the continuation of the Gospel for the Mass at Midnight and also its finale. This whole section concerning Jesus birth is broken into three parts: Luke 2:1-7, the setting and birth of Jesus; Luke 2:8-14, the angels giving us the meaning of Jesus; and today’s gospel, Luke 2:16-21, responses to the angelic announcement.

The gospel passage starts with the same shepherds we saw in last week’s gospel, those shepherds who are marginalized in society and are ritually unclean and therefore prohibited from the synagogue and temple. They are the lowly of the lowly, but still heed the call of the angels and find Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, just as the angels said.

After they saw Jesus they, “they made known the message that had been told them about this child.” They are the first evangelizers, spreading the good news that, “today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.” It reminds me of the empty tomb in John 20:6-8: “When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went unto the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths, but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.” The shepherds spread the good news that Jesus is born, while the disciples spread the good news that Jesus s risen; but they both spread the news that Jesus is Savior, Christ and Lord. The shadow of the cross descends on the crib and it will follow him all the way to Calvary.

Here is an aside I thought you might like:

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

This is one I can honestly say I have never seen circulating in the emails so; if it touches you, you may want to forward it.

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this....

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes..

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed separate from the grave clothes.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely!

Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because.....

The folded napkin meant -
''I'm coming back!''

He is Coming Back!

It also seems to me that the shepherds had some success in their evangelizing: “All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.” Amazed and maybe gratified: those who live in darkness now have the light of the world, accepting them in their lowliness and raising them up. Good news to the underprivileged, the marginalized, and the outcasts. Good news to all those looking for meaning and peace. Good news to all who accept Jesus.

In pondering all these things, it seems to me that Mary didn’t understand what was happening to her. I think that’s why she went to see Elizabeth when both were pregnant. Elizabeth was an older women, full of grace and wisdom, and Mary went to her to talk about was happening to her. She won’t really understand until after the fact, but isn’t that the way with all of us in our own spiritual journeys? We follow God as best we can, and our path becomes clearer and clearer as we go along.

The shepherds returned from spreading the Good News, “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.” This indicates to me how much the shepherds were on fire with the love that God shows in sending his Son as our Savior, Christ, and Lord (see last week’s bible study for the definition of these 3 terms). I hope this Christmas makes the love of God real in our lives and we become on fire with faith with a desire to spread the Good News ourselves.

Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to be circumcised (as John was in 1:57-66) indicating that he was now a member of the Jewish people. Just as Gabriel told them in 1:31, they gave the baby the name Jesus, a name that means “God saves,” indicating Jesus mission in the world (see John 3:16).

The first reading comes from the Book of Numbers, a book that’s one of the first five books in the bible, collectively called the Torah (Pentateuch in Greek), the most solemn and important part of the bible for Jews. We as Christians would look on the 4 Gospels in the same way.

Today’s first reading in called “The Priestly Blessing” and is a blessing for those maintaining the purity of the community and for Nazirites, who are people set apart as sacred, dedicated, and vowed. This vow could be for a limited time period or for life. They abstained from products of the grapevine, cutting or shaving their hair, and fro contact with a corpse.

This blessing is reserved for Moses and the sons of Aaron (the priests of ancient Israel). In those days, when someone received a blessing, it was more than wishing them well; they believed the blessing would be realized and that blessing became a possession that could not be taken away. A blessing was something very tangible and important.

When God ‘shines his face’ or ‘looks upon you’ points to the intimate relationship between God and the people. When God’s face is hidden, it is a sign of misfortune, he has forgotten, he doesn’t see you: out of sight, out of mind. When 2 humans love each other, they look longingly upon each other. When they are displeased, they often say, “I can’t stand the sight of you.” Same idea here between God and the people.

The kind of peace offered here is more than well-being or wholeness; it is much broader and richer and can only be given by God.

In the second reading, Paul is arguing against certain people who insisted that non-Jews who convert to Christianity must be circumcised, observe Jewish feasts, dietary laws and purity rituals. Paul insists that “in the fullness of time,” that is when God decreed it to happen, God sent his Son to ransom us from the Law so we can be adopted sons and daughters of god (be a part of God’s community, the church). God sent us his spirit, so that we are no longer slaves to the Law, but sons and daughters of the Father (see the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-35). We are heirs to eternal life.



Fr. Phil