Love always: Gives, Love is not self-seeking, Love cannot keep anything for itself. This kind of love is increasing foreign to us. It is this love that gives us courage and compels us to be faithful no matter what the cost. The moral courage and conviction we lack, the absence of zeal and fervor in our faith is easily cured, if we purposely incline ourselves towards God. Of course, money and material goods are not evil but good indeed, we really need money - to purchase food, clothing and shelter - in other words - to survive on this earth/the world. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to secure the physical well-being of yourself and your loved ones through the use of money. In fact, the desire is good. Then, Why should God care if people love money more than God and neighbour? It is because 'Greed is the discovered love of material riches.' Greed or avarice is called a "deadly" or "capital" sin because it gives rise to wickedness and other sins.

Therefore, we should love God above all things and our neighbour as ourselves, but sadly, we can begin to love money more than God. 'Greed or avarice is called a "deadly" or "capital" sin because it gives rise to other sins.' God cares about these matters because God cares about us. Exaggerated love of money does not hurt God - it does not diminish God himself in the least if we do not worship him. No, excessive love of money hurts all of us. It often leads to actions that are obviously sinful, such as corruption, wickedness, evil, cheating, stealing, bribing and iniquity.

But even if avarice and materialism did not lead to other sins it will still be harmful to us. Simply put it, if we love money more than God and more than other people, we make ourselves - usually sooner rather than later - miserable, and wretchedly unhappy. Hence, most of us have to struggle against avarice, a grave impediment to our own happiness of others.

Even though, God constantly uses material things to show his love and power. After all, matter is not evil, when God created the physical universe, everything God created was "very good." God plan for us is simple. Our loving God wants to give us all good things - especially eternal life.

Hence Living without God today means facing life and death as no generation before us has done. It entails giving meaning to our lives not only in the absence of a super being, but now without the forces and trends that gave hope to the past several generation of secularists, agnostics and atheists. By beginning of the 21st century, the modern faith that human life is heading in a positive direction has been undone, giving way to the earlier religious faith it replaced, or to no faith in God of all. Today life is much too much trouble, far too strange, to arrive at the end of it and then be asked what you make of it and have to answer, "Scientific humanism" and "Artificial Intelligence". That won't do. A poor show. Life is a mystery, love is a delight. Therefore, I take it as axiomatic that one should settle for nothing less than the infinite mystery and the infinite delight, that is, God. Of course, the most convincing explanation for human love is divine love. More accurately, all we need is the One Who is Love. God is Love.

We tends to forget that God loves us not only more than we love anyone else, but more than we love ourselves. Because of his great love for us, God urges us to ponder and contemplate: the 3 things that last; Faith, Hope, Love and the greatest of these "is love". It's obvious that this thing called love occupies the mind, hearts, emotions and lives. "My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8 - "We ourselves saw and we testify that the Father sent his Son as saviour of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him/her, and he/she in God. - 1 John 4:14-15 - "Who can overcome the world? Only the man/woman believes that Jesus is the Son of God: Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood; with the Spirit as another witness - since the Spirit as another witnesses, the Spirit, the water and the blood, and all three of them agree. We accept the testimony of human witnesses, but God's testimony is much greater, and this is God's testimony, given as evidence for his Son." - 1 John 5:5-9 -

Best of all, the promise of eternal life is a gift, freely offered to us by God. When we come to God and are justified (that is, enter a right relationship with God) nothing preceding justification, whether faith and good works, earn grace. But then God plants his love in our hearts, and we should live out our faith by doing acts of love. Only God's grace enables us to love others, these acts of love please Him, and He promises to reward them with eternal life.

Thus, good works are meritorious, when we first come to God in faith, we have nothing in our hands to offer Him. Then God gives us grace to obey his commandments in love, and He rewards us with salvation when we offer these acts of love back to Him. Since no gift be forced on recipient - gifts always can be rejected - even after we become justified, we can throw away the gift of salvation, we throw it away through grave sin. "The wages of sin is death." 

But the grace filled relationship with God and our obedience, hope and love in Him, combined with our faith, will be rewarded with eternal life. Amen! 

Obedience is for children, obviously, and children are prone to disobedience. Jesus was the ultimate obedient one. "I always do what is pleasing to (God)," he said - John 8:39 - "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his works" - John 4:34 - Imagine that! Jesus, the fully liberated one, does not do His own will. He obeys " the one who sent me."

For Saint Paul, obedience is one of Jesus' defining characteristics. It is what makes him the Lord. Once Jesus became human, "He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death" - Philippians 2:8 - Because of His total obedience, God exalted Him to such an extent that everyone should bow before him. His obedience transforms him into the one who is to be obeyed. In fact, His always doing what is pleasing to the Father is the basic of His authority. He is to be obeyed because He obeys.

This has great significance for how we ought to live our lives, Saint Paul contrasts his beloved Philippians - "you have always obeyed" - with the "crooked and perverse generation" in whose midst they live. Their obedience is a sure sign that God is at work in them. - Philippians 2:12-15 -

Our call is not to be "creative," to be freelancers raising our own opinions above the truth given by the Holy Spirit. It is to be obedience to God's will, indeed to live within that will. The more we obey, the more God will ask us to obey. "When God finds a person determined to obey him, He takes the life of that person in His hands...... Minute by minute, He defines the gestures and words of that person, his way of making use of His time, in short everything." - Psalms 139 - 

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL MAKE YOU HIS OWN - Turn to Him at every moment and He will more and more make you His own.

The little word "obey" pops up repeatedly throughout Apostle/Saint Paul's letters. There is the obedience of faith - Romans 1:5, 16:26 - obedience to the Church's teaching - Romans 6:17 - obedience to the Good News - Romans 10:16 - obedience to the Truth - Galatians 5:7 - and obedience to Christ Jesus - 2 Corinthians 10:5 - Therefore, Obey God and know life's ultimate joy.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the "Holy Trinity" who exercises the power of the Father and the Son in creation and redemption. The Holy Spirit is the power by which believers come to Christ and see with new eyes of faith and helped to comprehend their work with God.

And there are two kinds of knowledge of Christ; that is, the speculative and the practical. The speculative is obtained by study, and the practical only through the experiencing and encountering of the Holy Spirit, Who leads us to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. The Holy Spirit moves even souls dedicated to sorcery and magic. Such souls in their darkness may be searching for the truth.

- No soul is beyond conversion / conversion of heart to God -

"They travelled the whole length of the island, and at Paphos they came in contact with a Jewish magician called Bar-jesus. This false prophet was one of the attendants of the proconsul Sergius Paulus who was an extremely intelligent man. The proconsul summoned Barnabas and Saul and asked to hear the word of God, but Elymas Magos - as he was called in Greek - tried to stop them so as to prevent the proconsul's conversion to the faith.

Then Saul, whose other name is Paul, looked him full in the face and said, You utter fraud, you imposter, you son of the devil, you enemy of all true religion, why don't you stop twisting the straightforward ways of the Lord? Now watch how the hand of the Lord will strike you; you will be blind, and for a time you will not see the sun. That instant, everything went misty and dark for him, and he groped about to find someone to lead him by the hand. The proconsul, who had watched everything became a believer, being astonished by what he had learnt about the Lord." - Acts 13:6-12 -

Man in search of God. In the act of creation, God calls every being from nothingness into existence. "Crowned with glory and honour," man is, after the angels, capable of acknowledging "how majestic is the name of the Lord in all the earth." Even after losing through his sin his likeness to God, man remains an image of his Creator, and retains the desire for the one who calls him into existence. All religions bear witness to men's essential search for God.  - CCC # 2566 - CCC # 296; CCC # 355; CCC # 28 - 

Cf. - Made him lord over the work of your hands, set all things under his feet. - Psalms 8:6 - 

Cf. - And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said: "We are all his children". - Acts 17:27-28 -

God calls man first. Man/Woman may forget his/her Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him/her; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God's initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and actions, this drama engages the heart. It unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation. - CCC # 2567 - CCC # 30; CCC 142 

- For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain. - Romans 1:19 -

Seek Yahweh while he is still to be found,

call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked man abandon his way,
the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn back to Yahweh who will take pity on him,
to our God who is rich in forgiving;
for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways not your ways - it is Yahweh who speaks. - Isaiah 55:6-8 -

But you will seek Yahweh your God from there, and if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul, you shall find him. In your distress, all that I have said will overtake you, but at the end of days you will return to Yahweh your God and listen to his voice. For Yahweh your God is a merciful God and will not desert or destroy you or forget the covenant he made on oaths with your fathers. - Deuteronomy 4:29-31 -

Since God who made the world and everything in it, is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he dependent on anything that human hands can do for him, since he can never be in need of anything; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything - including life and death - to everyone.

From one single stock he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed how long each nation should flourish and what the boundaries of its territory should be. And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said: "We are all his children."'

Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man. 'God overlooked that sort of things when men were ignorant, but has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead. - Acts 17:24-31 -

Every man and woman has an intellect and a will. The intellect is oriented to knowing the cause of all things which we experiences as effects in this world. By an ascent of truth. It is possible (and some human beings have been able) to ascend to the knowledge that God exists and is one truth, love, Creator and provident. Of course, this can be known through reason. Yet, it is not enough for anyone.

This action of both the intellect and will is called faith. Faith is unlike all other human knowledge. It is unlike human science, opinion and doubt because faith is not knowledge of the mind, convinced by the inner character of the evidence, but the mind convinced by the strength of the will adhering in personal reverence for the one revealing. Faith involves then the simultaneous movement of the intellect and will. Faith is a participation in a divine way of knowing in which we look at the world from God's point of view. It can never suffer a merely human explanation.

***  "Our faith cannot remain a private affair between my/your God. The symbol of "shoes-off" serves as a reminder that each time when we remove our shoes, we are one with fellow Malaysians, sharing in the same practice everyday. Through this pertinent symbol, Jesus is calling us to integrate our faith with life. We cannot have a split Christianity or religiosity. Our faith must go beyond ritualistic worship. We must be seen living what we profess in Church so that Malaysian Christian are able to encounter Jesus in the life-history of our people.

As Malaysians Christians who respond to the call of Jesus, we realize that He is asking us to understand faith as a way of life, a way of manifesting Jesus in and through the way we live. Then we shall be able to encounter and experience Him in worship as well as in life and in history of our nation. Then our discipleship will be authentic and credible in the sight of fellow Malaysian believers of the world religions.

Jesus the Shoes-off Barefoot One of Malaysia is the same person in real life and at worship. The way He is before the Father is the way He is before his fellow Jews. He prays to the Father - John 17:1-26 - and the same time lived out his faith in the context of the Jewish society by curing the sick, - Mark 2:1-12 - manifested the Father's preferential love to the sinners and tax-collectors, - Mark 2:15-17 - defended the primacy of person over the Sabbath, - Mark 2:23-28 - and even sacrificed Himself - Mark 15:33-39 - to bring about the Kingdom of God. - Mark 1:15 -

To be his followers, we cannot be two different persons, one in Church and one in real life.

Our reverence for God must be demonstrated in our respect for persons in society. How can we say we love God when we behave like a tyrant at home toward our spouses, children and colleagues? How can we worship God with such manifestation of piety when we constantly ill-treat our servants at home, condone corrupt practices, exploit the workers we employ, prostitute the dignity of women, and perpetuate the oppression of the marginalized, and even the destruction of our environment?"

***  BY REVEREND FR. JOJO M. FUNG S.J.

 -     WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY     - 

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 - 

I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself, but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He/She will glorify me, since all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine." - John 16:12-15 -

Your generous contribution and support is profoundly cherish. I sincerely pray that: God blessing be upon you, always. Amen! Bank transfer: Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah - Public Bank Berhad account no. 4076577113 - Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  

"WISHING YOU A BLESSED CHRISTMAS"

- IMMANUEL - GOD IS WITH US - EMMANUEL - GOD WITH US -

Before I was a baptised Catholic Christian, I always ask and contemplate: What is the purpose of life? "Why did God make you and I?" The answer: "God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in the next." This is the whole reason for our existence. Jesus answered the question even more briefly and concisely: "I came so that you might have life and have it more abundantly." - John 10:10 - Amen!

God's plan for you and I is simple. Your loving Father wants to give you all good things - especially eternal life. Jesus died on the cross to save us all from sin and the eternal separation from God that sin causes (CCC # 599-623). When God saves us, He makes us part of his Body, which is the Church. - 1 Corinthians 12:27-30 - The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church teaches what the apostles taught and what the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible teaches: We are saved by grace, but not by faith alone. - James 2:24 -

If you are a Catholic and someone asks you if you have been "saved" you and I should say, "I am redeemed by the Blood of Christ, I trust in Him alone for my salvation. - Philippians 2:12 -

Only the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church was founded by Jesus, and only it has been able to preserve all Christian truth without any error - and great numbers of people are coming to see this. "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7 -

What do we mean when we say that Saint Augustine of Hippo lived the theology that he write? Are we implying, for instance, that other theologians have not lived up to their principles? No. That possibility is not what concerns us here. It is more than a question of setting down on paper a series of abstract principles and then applying them in practice. Christianity is more than a belief; it is a life. That is to say, it is a belief that is lived and experienced and expressed in action. The action in which it is expressed, experienced and lived is called a mystery. This mystery is a sacred drama which keeps ever present in history the Sacrifice that was once consummated by Christ Jesus on Calvary. 

One would think that this should have been the doctrine first attacked; but the Virgin Birth was accepted by believers and early heretics alike. It would have been silly to try to convince anyone of the Virgin Birth if he/she did not already believe in the Divinity of Christ; that is why, probably, it would have been unwise for Mary to speak of it until after the Resurrection, although Joseph, Elizabeth and probably John the Baptist already knew of it - and need we say, the Son of God Himself, Who brought it all to pass... "One-texters" say that the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible speaks of Our Lord Jesus Christ as having brethren; therefore, they conclude, He was not born of a Virgin. But this claim can be answered. When a preacher in a pulpit addresses his congregation, "My dear brethren", it does not mean that everyone in the Church has the same mother. Secondly, the word "brother" is used in Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible in the wide sense, to cover not only one's relatives but friends; for example, Abraham calls Lot his brother: "Pray let us have no strife between us two, between my shepherds and thine; are we not brethren?" - Genesis 13:8 - 

It is this Christ-life, this incorporation into the Body of Christ, this union with His passion, death and resurrection as a matter of conscious experience, that Saint Augustine wrote of in his "Confessions." But Saint Augustine not only experienced the reality of Christ Jesus living in his own soul. He was just as keenly aware of the presence and action, the Birth, Sacrifice, Death and Resurrection of the Mystical Christ in the midst of human society. So now we must ask explicitly: is Christian faith also for us today a life-changing and life-sustaining hope? Is it "performative" for us - is it a message which shapes our life in a new way, or is it just "information" which, in the meantime, we have set aside and which now seems to us to have been superseded by more recent information?

To each claimant reason says, 'What record was before you were born that you were coming?'

With this test one can evaluate the claimants. (And at this preliminary stage, Christ Jesus is no greater than the others.) Socrates had no one to foretell his birth. Buddha had no one to pre-announce him and his message or tell the day when he would sit under the tree. Confucius did not have the name of his mother and his birthplace recorded, not were they to men centuries before he arrived so that when he did come, men/women would know he was a messenger from God. There were no predictions about Buddha, Confucius, Lao-tze, Mohammed, or anyone else; but there were predictions about the Lord Jesus Christ. Others just came and said, 'Here I am, believe me.' They were, therefore, only men among men and not the Divine in the human. Christ Jesus alone stepped out of that line saying, "Study and Search the writings of the Jewish people and the related history of the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans." But, with Christ Jesus it was indeed very different. Because of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible; Old Testament prophecies, His coming was not unexpected.

It is true that prophecies of the Old Testament can be best understood in the light of their fulfillment. The language of prophecy does not have the exactness of mathematics. Yet if one searches out the various Messianic current in the Old Testament, and compares the resulting picture with the life and work of Christ Jesus, can one doubt that the ancient predictions point to Jesus and the kingdom which he established?

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town about ten kilometers, south of Jerusalem, toward the end of Herod the Great's reign as king of the Jews. [37-4 B.C.] Early in His life he was taken to Nazareth, a town of Galilee. There He was brought up by His mother, Mary, and her husband, Joseph, a carpenter by trade.

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother, Perez was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother, Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother, Obed was the father of Jesse; and Jesse was the father of king David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa was the father of Jehosaphat, Jehosaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Azariah, Azariah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah; and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

Then the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Eliud, Eliud was the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob/Israel; and Jacob/Israel was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called 'Christ'.

The sum of generations is therefore: fourteen from Abraham to David; fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation; and fourteen from the Babylonian deportation to Christ. - Matthew 1:1-17 -

Jesus Christ began His public ministry when He sought baptism at the hand of John the Baptist. The Lord Jesus Christ birth stories of the Gospel According To Saint Matthew 1:17 and the Old Testament provide sufficient chronological information for human understanding. It theology are deeply interwoven with the introductory genealogy. Therefore, it is not possible to separate out the historical form and the theological date in the accounts. - Isaiah 11:1-2, 42:1-4, 61:1-3; Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34 -

In the New Testament, the Life, Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, represent for Christians God's saving act for sinful humanity. The Gospel is not a new plan for salvation which was begun in Israel, and was completed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and was also make known by the Universal Church/Catholic Church. Jesus' doctrines and messages was never intended to create a new religious movement. In fact, it is a call to repentance, and it was thoroughly in accordance with the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible and the prophetic tradition of Israel. 

It is clear that Jesus' call for repentance, that is, conversion of heart. Therefore, Christ Jesus is not just a messenger. He is more than a messenger of the Gospel. Truly, Jesus Christ is the gospel. God, the Father was present in His life, His teaching, His action, His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Thus, the Gospel is both a historical event and a personal relationship. The Passion, Death, Resurrection, and the Ascension of Jesus unleashed the kingdom of God in full power.

Christ Jesus injected new life into the ethical principles of the Law of Moses. But He did not remove or impose a new set of laws that could be enforced by external sanction; The Lord Jesus Christ prescribed a way of life for His believers, followers, and the faithful to inherit eternal life. The affirmation from the Lord Jesus Christ was to 'do this and life is yours.'

"There was a lawyer who, to disconcert him, stood up and said to him, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? What do you read there?' The lawyer replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.' 'You have answered right', said Jesus 'do this and life is yours.'" - Luke 10:25-28 - Mark 12:28-34 - Matthew 22:34-40 - John 13:34-35 -

The principle of non-violence is deeply ingrained in Jesus' teaching. In His references to "man of violence" who tried to bring in the kingdom of God by force, Jesus gave no sign that He approved of their ideals and methods.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town about ten kilometers south of Jerusalem, toward the end of Herod the Great's reign as king of the Jews ( 37-4 B.C. ) Early in His life Jesus was taken to Nazareth, a town of Galilee. There Jesus was brought up by His mother, Mary, and her husband, Joseph, a carpenter by trade. Hence Jesus was known as "Jesus of Nazareth" or more fully, "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." - John 1:45 -

Joseph apparently died before Jesus began His public ministry. The one incident preserved from Jesus' after His infancy was His trip to Jerusalem with Joseph and Mary when He was 12 years old. - Luke 2:41-52 - Since Jesus was known in Nazareth as 'the carpenter' - Mark 6:3 - He may have taken Joseph's place as the family breadwinner at an early age.

Jesus began His public ministry when He sought baptism at the hands of John the Baptist.

The next day, seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, "Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptizing with water." John also declared, "I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, "The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit." Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God." - John 1:29-34 - Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22 -

In the Old Testament, it is indicated that Jesus was Israel's anointed King, destined to fulfill His kinship as the Servant of the Lord or Servant-Messiah described centuries earlier by the prophet Isaiah. - Isaiah 11:2, 42:1, 52:13, 61:1 -

Apparently, Jesus ministered for a short time in southern and central Palestine, while John the Baptist was still preaching. - John 3:22-4:42 - However, the main phase of Jesus' preaching, and proclaim God's Good News began in Galilee after John the Baptist imprisonment by Herod Antipas. Jesus proclamation of the kingdom of God was accompanied by works of love, humility, mercy, power and miracle, including the healing of the sick and those whose were demon possessed. These works proclaimed the arrival of the kingdom of God, and when evil spirit, or demon possessed were cast out from the peoples, this proved the superior strength of the kingdom of God.

Jesus' work of miracle and healing aroused great popular enthusiasm throughout Galilee, but the religious leaders, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and teachers found much of Jesus' activity disturbing because at time, Jesus did not bound by their religious ideas, for instances, He befriended social outcasts, He cure a man on the Sabbath and put questions to them: Is it against the law on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it? Jesus forgive sins too, to prove that He has authority on earth to forgive sins. - Luke 5:17-26, 6:6-11 -

Since Jesus birth in Bethlehem by the miracle of the 'Incarnation.' (in Christian theology, the embodiment of God, the begotten Son in human flesh) Indeed, Jesus Christ had lived physically on earth. But 40 days after the resurrection, His earthly ministry ceased with His 'Ascension' into heaven. To a large extent the 'Ascension' was for the benefit of Jesus' apostles, prophets, disciples, followers and believers. They could no longer expect His physical presence. They must now wait for the promised of the Holy Spirit through whom the work of Jesus would continue.

Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus Christ. It was situated south of Jerusalem in the district known as Ephrathah, a region known for its fertile hills and valleys. Bethlehem was the burial place of Rachel, the wife of Jacob/Israel. - Genesis 35:19 - The original home of Naomi and her family, it was also the setting for much of the Book of Ruth. Bethlehem also was the ancestral home of king David - 1 Samuel 17:12 - and was rebuilt and fortified by king Rehoboam - 2 Chronicles 11:6 -

The prophet Micah predicted that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. - Micah 5:2 - a prophecy quoted in Matthew 2:6. It is significant that the King of kings who was of the house of king David, was born in David's ancestral home. According to Luke 2:11, Jesus was born in the "City of David" Bethlehem. Christ Jesus who is the "Bread of Life" was cradled in a town whose name means "House of Breads."

The Church of the Nativity which marks the birthplace of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is one of the best authenticated sites in the Holy Land. The present structure, built over the cave area which served as a stable for the inn, goes back to the time of the Roman emperor Justinian (6th century A.D.) This Church replaces an earlier building, built in A.D. 330 by Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine.

***   The Gospel of Saint John assumes the Virgin Birth, that is, we humans can be born twice: once of our parents and once of the Holy Spirit, given to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ in Baptism. This is what Our Lord Jesus meant when He told the old man Nicodemus that he must be born again, the first birth being of the flesh, the second of the spirit. What makes us Christian is this: the second birth through 'Baptism'. But notice how it relates to the Virgin Birth of Our Lord. Saint John, in the beginning of his Gospel, says that Our Lord Jesus gave us the "power to become the sons of God". Then he tells us that this happens by a birth. But he immediately distinguishes, saying that it is not like a human birth because there is in it neither blood nor sex, nor human will, but solely the power of God.

This statement of Saint John assumes a common knowledge of the Virgin Birth. But how could any Christian understand such a birth if it had not already happened? No one, who at the end of the first century read the beginning of the Gospel of Saint John, was amazed that he should speak of a new generation without sex. For by this time, the whole Christian world knew that is how Christianity had come into being. The Virgin Birth is God's idea, not man's. No one would have thought of it if it had never happened. No pagan religion has any idea of it; their myths are of the union of gods with women who bore children following a sexual union. All the love stories of Zeus and the other gods were of this anthropomorphic character. Nothing could be farther from the truth than to represent these births as "virgin birth".

Saint Paul implies the Virgin Birth of Christ by the use of a different word for "birth". Speaking of the earthly origin of the Son of God, he writes: "That Gospel, promised long ago by means of His prophets in the holy scriptures tells us of his Son, descended, in respect of his human birth, from the line of David, but in respect of the sanctified spirit that was His, marked out miraculously as the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead; Our Lord Jesus Christ" - Romans 1:1-4 - "Then God sent out his Son on a mission to us. He took birth from a woman, took birth as a subject of the law, so as to ransom those who were subject to the law and make us sons by adoption" - Galatians 4:4-5 - "He dispossessed Himself and took the nature of a slave, fashioned in the likeness of men and presenting himself to us in human form" - Philippians 2:7 - Whenever Saint Paul describes the incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, he never uses the ordinary word to describe birth which word is used in every other New Testament passage: namely, the verb gennao. But in the four instances where he touches on the temporal beginnings of the Son of God, he uses an entirely different word, genemenos which comes from an entirely different verb ginomai.

Never once does he employ the word gennao of Our Lord Jesus and His Mother, the word meaning to be born which is used throughout the New Testament: but when he speaks of the coming of Our Lord Jesus, he uses a form of the verb ginomai which means "to come into existence", "to become". In one passage - Galatians 4:23-24, 29 - he uses the verb "to be born" three times, to describe the birth of Ismael and Jacob/Israel but refuses to use it in the same chapter and context for the birth of Christ.

The New Testament speaks more than thirty times of the birth of a child and in each instance uses the word gennao but it is never once used by Saint Paul to describe the birth of Christ. Saint Paul absolutely avoids saying Our Lord Jesus Christ was born in the usual way. Our Lord Jesus was born into the human family; He was not born of it. God formed Adam, the first man, without the seed of a man; so why should we shrink from the thought that the new Adam would also be formed without the seed of a man? As Adam was made of the earth, into which God breathed a living soul, so the body of Christ was formed in the flesh of Mary by the Holy Spirit. So firmly rooted was the Virgin Birth. It was believed in even by heretics, as surely as the Crucifixion because it stood on the same footing as a historical fact.

There are two birth stories in the Gospel: those of Jesus and of John the Baptist. But notice the different stress on each story. The Gospel story of John the Baptist centre on the father, Zachary/Zechariah. The Gospel story of the birth of Jesus centre on the mother, Mary. In each instance, there were difficulties from the scientific point of view. Zechariah/Zachary was an old man and his wife; Elizabeth had long since passed the age of bearing children. "And Zachary/Zechariah said to the angel: 'By what sign am I to be assured of this? I am an old man now and my wife is far advanced in age'" - Luke 1:18 - "But Mary said to the angel, 'How can that be, since I have no knowledge of man?'" - Luke 1:34 - Mary was a Virgin with the vow of virginity. The power of God had to operate in both cases, with Zachary/Zechariah doubting and Mary accepting. For his doubt, Zechariah/Zachary was made dumb for a time.

No one ever makes a fuss against Zachary/Zechariah and Elizabeth bearing "the greatest man ever born of a woman" but some do fuss about the Virgin Birth. This is not because of the human difficulties, for to God these are surmountable. The real reason for incredulity is: the attack on the Virgin Birth is a subtle attack on the Divinity of Christ. He who believes that Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true man is never troubled with the Virgin Birth.

A second distinguishing fact is that once Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared, He struck history with such impact that He split it in two, dividing it into two periods: one before His coming, the other after it. Buddha did not do this, nor any of the great Indian philosophers. Even those who deny God must date their attacks upon Him, A.D. so and so, or so many years after His coming.

A third fact separating Him from all others is this: every other person ever came into this world came into it to live. Our Lord Jesus came into it to die. Death was a stumbling block to Socrates - it interrupted his teaching. But to Christ, death was the goal and fulfillment of His life, the gold He was seeking. Few of His words or actions are intelligible without reference to His Cross. Jesus presented Himself as a Savior rather than merely as a Teacher. It meant nothing to teach men to be good unless He also gave them the power to be good, that is, after rescuing them from the frustration of guilt.

The story of every human life begins with birth and end with death. In the Person of Christ, however, it was His death that was first and His life that was last. The Scripture describes Him as "the Lamb slain as it were, from the beginning of the world." He was slain in intention by the first sin and rebellion against God. It was not so much that His birth cast a shadow on His Life and thus led to His death; it was rather that the Cross was first, and cast its shadow back to His birth. He has been the only life in the world that was ever lived backward. As the flower in the crannied wall tells the poet of nature, and as the atom is the miniature of the solar system, so too, His birth tells the mystery of the gibbet. He went from the known to the known, from the reason of His coming manifested by His name "Jesus" or  "Savior" to the fulfillment of His coming, namely, His death on the Cross.

John gives us His eternal prehistory; Matthew, His temporal prehistory, by the way of His genealogy. It is significant how much His temporal ancestry was connected with sinners and foreigners! These blots on the escutcheon of His human lineage suggest a pity for the sinful and for the strangers to the Covenant. Both these aspects of His compassion would later on be hurled against Him as accusations: "He is a friend of sinners"; "He is a Samaritan." But the shadow of a stained past foretells His future love for the stained. Born of a woman. He was a man and could be one with all humanity; born of a Virgin, who was overshadowed by the Spirit and "full of grace," He would also be outside that current of sin which infected all men.

A fourth distinguishing fact is that He does not fit, as the other world teachers do, into the established category of a good man. Good man do not lie. But if Christ was not all that He said He was namely, the Son of the living God, the Word of God in the flesh, then He was not "just a good man"; then He was knave, a liar, a charlatan and the greatest deceiver who ever lived. If He was not what He said He was, Christ, the Son of God, He was the anti-Christ! If He was only a man, then He was not even a "good" man.

But Jesus was not only a man. He would have us either worship Him or despise Him - despise Him as a mere man, or worship Him as true God and true man. That is the alternative Jesus Christ presents. It may very well be that the Communists, who are so anti-Christ, are closer to Him that those who see Him as a sentimentalist and a vague moral reformer. The Communists have at least decided that if He wins, they lose; the others are afraid to consider Him either as winning or losing because they are not prepared to meet the moral demands which this victory would make on their souls.

If Jesus is what He claimed to be, a Savior, a Redeemer, then we have a virile Christ and a leader worth following in these terrible times; One Who will step into the breach of death, crushing sin, gloom and despair; a leader to Whom we can make totalitarian sacrifice without losing, but gaining freedom and Whom we can love even unto death. We need a Christ today Who will make cords and drive the buyers and sellers from our new temples; Who will blast the unfruitful fig tree; Who will talk of crosses and sacrifices and Whose voice will be like the voice of the ragging sea. But He will not allow us to pick and choose among His words, discarding the hard ones and accepting the ones that please our fancy. We need a Christ Who will restore moral indignation, Who will make us hate evil with a passionate intensity, and love goodness to a point where we can drink death like water.

***  BY  VENERABLE / ARCHBISHOP  FULTON  J.  SHEEN  (1895-1979)

Scriptural/Biblical theology is divided into Old Testament theology and New Testament theology, although the relation between the two also concerns scriptural/biblical theologians. Further specialization also occurs within both Old Testament and New Testament theologies. This is in keeping with the emphasis of scriptural/biblical theology upon the distinctive of the individual scriptural/biblical writers. But a big part of the task of scriptural/biblical theology is to pull together the common emphases of the scriptural/biblical writers and to seek the unity of their writings. Although these inspired writers have different contributions to make to the subject of God and His revelation, their writings are compatible with each other. Therefore, scriptural/biblical theology focuses on the diversity that exists within the larger unity of Sacred Scripture, and tries to set forth that which unifies, without ignoring the diversity.

As long as the interpreter gives sufficient attention to the distinctive of the various writers, scriptural/biblical theology can organize its work topically, according to main subjects. But because scriptural/biblical theology is interested in historical understanding, it is better to proceed chronologically. Therefore, the scriptural/biblical theologian works his way progressively through the Scared Scripture/Holy Bible, tracing the progress of revelation and the development of theological thought, from the earliest writers to the latest. The focus is not only on the religious experience of the people, but more on the revelation of God and His people's understanding His acts or deeds.

Scriptural Biblical theologians seek to find the best organizing principle or idea that serves as the center of a scriptural/biblical theology. Old Testament theologians have suggested such ideas as the covenant, the Lordship of God, the presence of God, and the people of God. New Testament theologians have mentioned the kingdom of God, grace, salvation, resurrection, and kerygma (a summary of the main points in the preaching of the earliest Christians in the Book of Acts - The Acts of the Apostles)

Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself cannot have been raised and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless; indeed, we are shown up as witnesses who have committed perjury before God because we swore in evidence before God that he had raised Christ to life. - 1 Corinthians 15:12-15 -

THE ANNUNCIATION - Luke 1:26-38 - N. T. -

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.' She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'

Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?' 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you' the angel answered 'and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her own age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.' 'I am the handmaid of the Lord,' said Mary 'let what you have said be done to me.' And the angel left her.

The Annunciation [ Luke makes the birth and infancy narratives of John parallel to those of Jesus, and gives these latter from Mary's point of view; Matthew tells them from Joseph's.]

In the sixth month [ That is, of John's conception.] the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, so highly favoured! [ The translation 'Rejoice' may be preferred to 'Hail' and regarded as containing a messianic reference. cf. Zechariah 9:9. 'so highly favoured.' that is, as to become the mother of the Messiah. Add. 'Of all women you are the most blessed' cf. 1:42 .] The Lord is with you.' - Luke 1:26-28 -

She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his rein will have no end.' [The angel's words recall several O.T. passages referring to the Messiah.] - Luke 1:29-33 -

Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?' [ Lit. 'since I do not know man'; this phrase means that Mary is in fact a virgin and perhaps expresses also she intention to remain so.] 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you' the angel answered 'and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. [In the O.T. this expression is used of the bright cloud which is the sign of God's presence. cf. Ex. 13:22+; 19:16+; 24:16+. Cf. Luke 9:34p. The conception of Jesus is effected only by God and his Spirit. ] And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.

Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.' 'I am the handmaid of the Lord' said Mary 'let what you have said be done to me.' And the angel left her. - Luke 1:34-38 -

Cf. - Daniel 8:15-16 - O. T. - As I, Daniel, gazed at the vision and tried to understand it, I saw someone standing before me looked like a man. I heard a man's voice cry over the Ulai, 'Gabriel, tell me the meaning of the vision!'

Cf. - Hebrews 2:14-16 - N. T. - Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, he too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham.

Cf. - Matthew 1:18 - N. T. - This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Cf. - Judges 6:12 - O. T. - When the angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said, 'Yahweh is with you, valiant warrior!'

Cf. - Ruth 2:4 - O. T. - Now Boaz, as it happened, had just come from Bethlehem. 'Yahweh be with you!' he said to the reapers. 'Yahweh bless you!' they replied.

Cf. - Judith 13:18 - O. T. - Then Judith raised her voice and said, 'Praise God! Praise him! Praise the God who has not withdrawn his mercy from the House of Israel, but has shattered our enemies by my hand tonight!'

Cf. - Isaiah 7:14 - O. T. - The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she call Immanuel.

Cf. - Luke 2:21; Matthew 1:21 - N. T. - 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.

Cf. - 2 Samuel 7:1-3 - O. T. - Once David had settled into his house and Yahweh had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, 'Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent'. Nathan said to the king, 'Go and do all that is in your mind, for Yahweh is with you'. 

Cf. - Isaiah 9:6 - O. T. - For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and domain is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

Cf. - Matthew 9:27 - N. T. - As Jesus went on his way two blind men followed him shouting, 'Take pity on us, Son of David'.

Cf. - Daniel 2:44; 7:14 - O. T. - In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever. - On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

Cf. - Matthew 1:19-20 - N. T. - Mary husband Joseph, being a man of honour 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.

Cf. - Mark 1:24 - N. T. - 'What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.'

Cf. - Matthew 4:3-4 - N. T. - 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves'. But Jesus replied, 'Sacred Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'. 

Cf. - Acts 3:14 - N. T. - It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just one, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life.

Cf. - Genesis 18:13-14 - O. T. - Yahweh asked Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Am I really going to have a child now that I am old?" Is anything too wonderful for Yahweh? At the same time next year I shall visit you again and Sarah will have a son.'

Cf. - Jeremiah 32:26-27 - O. T. - The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, "See, I am Yahweh, the God of all mankind: is anything impossible to me?"

Cf. - Matthew 19:25-26 - N. T. - When the disciples heard this they were astonished. 'Who can be saved, then?' they said. Jesus gazed at them. 'For men' he told them ' this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'

Cf. - Romans 4:20-21 - N. T. - Since God had promised it, Abraham refused either to deny it or even to doubt it, but drew strength from faith and gave glory to God, convinced that God had power to do what he had promised.

THE VISITATION - Luke 1:39-45 - N. T. 

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of the Lord? For the moment of your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.'

The Visitation

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. [ Commonly identified with Ain Karim. about 5m. W. of Jerusalem.] She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? [ 'my Lord' that is, the Messiah.] For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.' [ 'the Lord' that is, God. Or 'And blessed are you who have believed, because what has been promised to you by the Lord will be fulfilled.'] - Luke 1:39-45 -

Cf. - Luke 1:15 - Judges 5:24 - O. T. - Blessed be Jael among women (the wife of Heber the Kenite); among all women that dwell in tents may she be blessed.

Cf. - Judith 13:17-18 - O. T. - Overcome with emotion, the people all fell on their knees and worshipped God, exclaiming as one man, 'Blessings on you, O our God, for confounding your people's enemies today!

Cf. - John 20:29 - N. T. - Jesus said to him: 'You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen yet believe.'

THE MAGNIFICAT - Luke 1:46-56 - N. T. 

Cf. - 1 Samuel 2:1-10 - O. T. - 'My heart exults in Yahweh, my horn is exalted in my God, my mouth derides my foes, for I rejoice in your power of saving. There is none as holy as Yahweh, (indeed, there is no one but you) no rock like our God. Do not speak and speak with haughty words, let not arrogance come from your mouth. For Yahweh is an all-knowing God and his is the weighing deeds. The bow of the mighty is broken but the feeble have girded themselves with strength. The sated hire themselves out for bread but the famished cease from labour; the barren women bears seven-fold, but the mother of many is desolate.

Yahweh gives death and life, brings down to Sheol and draws up; Yahweh makes poor and rich, he humbles and also exalts. he raises the poor from the dust, he lifts the needy from the dunghill to give them a place with princes, and to assign them a seat of honour; for to Yahweh the props of the earth belong, on these he has poised the world. He safeguards the steps of his faithful but the wicked vanish in darkness (for it is not by strength that man triumphs). The enemies of Yahweh are shattered, the Most High thunders in the heavens. Yahweh judges the ends of the earth, he endows his king with power, he exalts the horn of his Anointed.'

Cf. - Isaiah 29:19 - O. T. - But the lowly will rejoice in Yahweh even more and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel.

And Mary said: 'My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great thing for me. Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him. He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away. He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy - according to the promise he made to our ancestors - of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.'

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.

The Magnificat

And Mary [ Not 'Elizabeth'. a var. with only slight MS support. Mary's canticle is reminiscent of Hannah's 1 Sam. 2:1-10 and of many other O.T. passages. Apart from the main textual similarities noted in the margin there are two characteristic O.T. ideas: -1- God comes to the help not of the rich and powerful but of the poor and the simple, Zep. 2:3+, cf. Matt. 5:3+.- 2- Ever since Abraham received the promises, Gen. 15:1+; 17:1+, Israel has been God's favoured one., cf. Deut. 7:6+, etc.] said:

'My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.

Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.

He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
- according to the promise he made to our ancestors -
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.'

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home. [ It is probable that Mary stayed with Elizabeth until John's birth and circumcision but Luke's habit is to round off one episode before passing to the next, cf. 1:64, 67; 3:19-20; 8:37-38.] - Luke 1:46-56 -

Cf. - Isaiah 61:10 - O. T. - I exult for joy in Yahweh, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels.

Cf. - 1 Samuel 2:1 - O. T. - My heart exults in Yahweh, my horn is exalted in my God, my mouth derides my foes, for I rejoice in your power of saving.

Cf. - Habakkuk 3:18 - O. T. - But But I rejoice in Yahweh, I will exult in God my saviour.

Cf. - 1 Samuel 1:11 - O. T. - 'Yahweh Sabaoth! If you will take notice of the distress of your servant, and bear me in mind and not forget your servant and give her a man-child, I will give him to Yahweh for the whole of his life and no razor shall ever touch his head.'

Cf. - Luke 11:27 - Genesis 30:12-13 - O. T. - Leah's slave girl Zilpah gave birth to a second son by Jacob. Then Leah said, 'What happiness! Women will call me happy!'

Cf. - Psalms 126:3 - O. T. - What marvels indeed he did it for us, and how overjoyed we were!

Cf. - Psalms 111:9 - O. T. - Quickly he comes to his people's rescue, imposing his covenant once and for all; so holy his name, commanding our dread.

Cf. - Psalms 103:17 - O. T. - yet Yahweh's love love for those who fear him, lasts from all eternity and for ever, like his goodness to their children's children, as long as they keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Cf. - Psalms 89:10 - O. T. - You split Rahab in two like a carcase and scattered your enemies with your mighty arms.

Cf. - Psalms 138:6 - O. T. From far above, Yahweh sees the humble, from far away he marks down the arrogant.

Cf. - Sirach / Ecclesiasticus 33:12 - O. T. - Some he has blessed and made more important, some he has hallowed and set near him; others he has cursed and humiliated by degrading them from their positions.

Cf. - Ezekiel 17:24 - O. T. - And every tree of the field will learn that I, Yahweh, am the one who stunts tall trees and makes the low ones grow, who withers green trees and makes the withered green. I, Yahweh, have spoken, and I will do it.

Cf. - John 5:11 - Luke 12:19 - N. T. - He replied, 'But the man who cured me told me, "Pick up your mat and walk".

Cf. - Psalms 98:2-3 - O. T. - Yahweh has displayed his power; has revealed his righteousness to the nations, mindful of his love and faithfulness to the House of Israel.

Cf. - Isaiah 41:8-9 - O. T. -You, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham my friend. You whom I brought from the confines of the earth and called from the ends of the world; you to whom I said, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you, not rejected you'.

Cf. - Genesis 12:3 - O. T. - 'I will bless those who bless you: I will curse those who slight you. All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you.'

Cf. - Genesis 13:15 - O. T. - All the land within sight I will give to you and your descendants for ever.

Cf. - Genesis 22:18 - O. T. - All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.

THE BENEDICTUS - Luke 1:67-79 - N. T. 

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue and he has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David, even as he proclaimed, by mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times, that he would save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us, Thus, he shows mercy to our ancestors, thus, he remembers his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham that he would grants us, free from fear, to be delivered from the hands of our enemies, to serve him in holiness and virtue in his presence, all our days. And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him. To give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins; this by the tender mercy of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.'

The Benedictus

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:[ In the full sense of the term, because Zechariah not only utters a hymn of thanksgiving (vv. 68-75) but also foresees the future (vv. 76-79)]

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited [ God is said to 'visit' when he intervenes notably in history, Ex. 3:16+] his people, he has come to their rescue.
and raised up for us a power for [ Lit. 'a horn of' cf. Ps. 75:4+] salvation
in the House of his servant David,
even as he proclaimed,
by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times,
that he would save us from our enemies
and from the hands of all who hate us.

Thus, he shows mercy to our ancestors,
thus he remembers his holy covenant.
the oath he swore
to our father Abraham
that he would grant us, free from fear,
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and virtue
in his presence, all our days.

And you, little child,
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord [ That is, God, as in 1:16-17, not the Messiah.]
to prepare the way for him.
To give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins;
this by the tender mercy [ 'tender mercy' lit. 'bowels of mercy', 'will bring'; var. 'has brought.'] of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun [ That is, either the messianic era or the Messiah himself.] to visit us,
to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet
into the way of peace.' - Luke 1:67-79 -

Cf. - Psalms 41:13 - O. T. - Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from all eternity and for ever! Amen. Amen!

Cf. - Psalms 72:18 - O. T. - Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who alone performs these marvel!

Cf. - Psalms 106:48 - O. T. - Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel, from all eternity and for ever! Here, all the people are to say, 'Amen'.

Cf. - Psalms 111:9 - O. T. - How can a youth remain pure? By behaving as your word prescribes.

Cf. - Psalms 132:17 - O. T. 'Here, I will make a horn sprout for David, here, I will trim a lamp for my anointed.

Cf. - Psalms 136:24 - O. T. - And snatched us from our oppressors, his love is everlasting!

Cf. - Leviticus 26:42 - O. T. - I shall remember my Covenant with Jacob, and my Covenant with Isaac and my Covenant with Abraham; and I shall remember the land.

Cf. - Psalms 106:45 - O. T.  For their sake, he remembered his covenant, he relented in his great love.

Cf. - Psalms 105:8-9 - O. T. - Remember his covenant for ever, his word of command for a thousand generations, the pact he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac.

Cf. - Matthew 7:19-20 - N. T. - Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.

Cf. - Genesis 22:16-18 - O. T. - The angel of Yahweh called Abraham a second time from heaven, 'I swear by my own self - it is Yahweh who speaks - because you have done this, because you have not refused me your son, your only son. i will shower blessings on you, I will make you descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.'

Cf. - Matthew 11:10 - N. T. - To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom Sacred Scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way before you. 

Cf. - Matthew 16:14 - N. T. - 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets'. 'But you,' he said 'who do you say I am?' Then Simon Peter spoke up, 'You are the Christ,' he said 'the Son of the living God'.

Cf. - Luke 1:16-17 - 

Cf. - Isaiah 40:3 - O. T. - A voice cries, 'Prepare in the wilderness a way for Yahweh. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert.

Cf. - Micah 3:1 - O. T. - Then I said: Listen now, you princes of the House of Jacob, rulers of the House of Israel.

Cf. - Acts 13:25 - N. T. - Before John ended his career he said, "I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal."

Cf. - 2 Peter 1:19 - N. T. - So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.

Cf. - Isaiah 9:1 - O. T.  - The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.

Cf. - Isaiah 42:6-7 - O. T. - I, Yahweh, have called you to serve the cause of right; I have taken you by the hand and formed you; I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.

Cf. - John 8:12 - N. T. - When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: 'I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life'.

Cf. - Isaiah 11:6 - O. T. - The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion cub feed together with a little boy to lead them.

Cf. - Jeremiah 6:14-15 - O. T. - They dress my people's wound without concern: "Peace! Peace!" they say, but there is no peace. They should be ashamed of their abominable deeds. But not they! They feel no shame, they have forgotten how to blush. And so as others fall, they too shall fall; they shall be thrown down when I come to deal with them - says Yahweh.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS AND VISIT OF THE SHEPHERDS - Luke 2:1-21 - N. T. -

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 travelled 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 saviour 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 throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:

                                     'Glory to God in the highest heaven,
                                     and peace to men who enjoy his favour'.

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.

The Birth Of Jesus And Visit Of The Shepherds

Now at this time Caesar Augustus [ Roman emperor from 30 B.C. to 14 A.D.] issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This census - the first [ The first of a series. The translation sometimes given. 'This 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 A.D. but the only authority for this is Josephus who is doubtfully reliable in this matter, cf. Acts 5:37+. The most probable explanation is that the census, which was made with a view to taxation, took place about 8-6 B.C. as part of a general census of the empire, and that it was organised in Palestine by Quirinius might have been governor of Syria, between 4 and 1 B.C. and if so Luke's expression would then be a rough approximation. Jesus was born certainly before Herod's death (4 B.C.) possibly in 8-6 B.C. The 'Christian era' established by Dionysius Exiguus (6th century) is the result of a false calculation, cf. note to Luke 3:1.] - 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 travelled 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.[ In scriptural/biblical Greek, the term does not necessarily imply younger brothers but emphasises the dignity and rights of the child.] 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. - Luke 2:1-8 -

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 saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.[ He is, therefore, the expected Messiah; but he is also called 'Lord' a title the O.T. reserves for God. A new era is beginning.] 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 throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:
                               'Glory to God in the highest heaven,
                               and peace to men who enjoy his favour.'[ Lit. to men (who are the object) of (God's) benevolence.' the current translation, 'peace to men of good will' based on the Vulgate does not render the usual sense of the Greek term. Another, less certain, reading is 'peace on earth, and among men divine benevolence.']

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 [ A favourite theme of Luke 1:64, 2:28, 5:25-26, 7:16, 13:13, 17:15,18, 18:43, 19:37, 23:47, 24:53, Cf. Acts 2:47+] for all they had heard and seen it; it was exactly as they had been told. - Luke 2:1-21 -

Cf. - Matthew 2:1 - N. T. - After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of king Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east.

Cf. - 1 Samuel 16:1-13 - O. T. - Yahweh said to Samuel, 'How long will you go on mourning over Saul when I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.' Samuel replied, 'How can I go? When Saul hears of it he will kill me'. Then Yahweh said, 'Take a heifer with you and say, "I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh". Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and then I myself will tell you what you must do; you must anoint to me the one I point out to you.'

Samuel did what Yahweh ordered and went to Bethlehem. The elders oft he town came trembling to meet him and asked, 'Seer, have you come with good intentions towards us? 'Yes,' he replied 'I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, 'Surely Yahweh's anointed one stands there before him', but Yahweh said to Samuel. 'Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart'.

Jesse then called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, 'Yahweh has not chosen this one either'. Jesse then presented Shammah, but Samuel said, 'Yahweh has not chosen this one either'. Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, 'Yahweh has not chosen these'. He then asked Jesse, 'Are these all the sons you have?' He answered. 'There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep'. Then Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes'. Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. Yahweh said, 'Come, anoint him, for this is the one'. At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of Yahweh seized on David and stayed with him from that day on. As for Samuel, he rose and went to Ramah.

Cf. - John 7:42 - N. T. - Does not Sacred Scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem?

Cf. - Matthew 1:18 - N. T. - 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.

Cf. - Matthew 1:25 - N. T. - Joseph 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.

Cf. - Exodus 24:16-18 - O. T. - The cloud covered the mountain, and the glory of Yahweh 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. to the eyes of the sons of Israel the glory of Yahweh seemed like a devouring fire on the mountain top. Moses went right into the cloud. He went up the mountain, and stayed there for forty days and forty nights.

Cf. - Tobit 5:4-5 - O. T. - And now, my child, find some trustworthy man to travel with you - we will pay him for his time until you arrive back - and then go and collect the money from Gabael. Tobias went out to look for a man who knew the way to go with him to Media. Outside he found Raphael the angel standing facing him (though he did not guess he was an angel of God).

Cf. - Matthew 1:19-20 - N. T. - After Herod's death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said. 'Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.

Cf. - Luke 1:12-16 -

Cf. - Matthew 1:18-22 - N. T. - 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 honour 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 fulfill the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet.

Cf. - Isaiah 9:5-6 - O. T. - For there is a child born for us, and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

Cf. - Luke 19:38 -

Cf. - Ezekiel 3:12 - O. T. - The spirit lifted me up, and behind me I could hear a tumultuous shouting, 'Blessed be the glory of Yahweh in his dwelling place.'

Cf. - Isaiah 1:3 - O. T. - The ox knows its owner and the ass its master's crib, Israel knows nothing, my people understands nothing.

Cf. - Luke 2:51 -

Cf. - Genesis 37:11 - O. T. - His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the thing in mind.

Cf. - Luke 1:64; 2:28, 38; 5:26; 7:16; 13:13 -

THE CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS - Luke 2:21 - N. T. -

When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

Cf. - Luke 1:59 -

Cf. - Leviticus 12:3 - O. T. - On the eighth day the child's foreskin must be circumcised. 

Cf. - Luke 1:31 - 

Cf. - Matthew 1:21-23 - N. T. - 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 fulfill the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
                                          The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son                                                                                        and they will call him Immanuel,
a name which means 'God-is-with-us'.

JESUS IS PRESENTED IN THE TEMPLE - Luke 2:22:28 - N. T. -

And when the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord - observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord - and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. 

Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel's comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

Jesus Is Presented In The Temple

And when the day came for them to be purified [ Only the mother needed to be purified; the child, however, had to be 'redeemed.' Luke is careful to note that the parents of Jesus, like the Baptist's, observed all that the Law required.] as laid down by the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord - observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born must be consecrated to the Lord - and also to offer sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledovers or two young pigeons. [ Offering of the poor.]

Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel's comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. [ 'the Christ of the Lord' is the one whom the Lord anoints, cf. Ex. 30:22+, that is, consecrates for a saving mission; the king of Israel, God's chosen prince, is thus consecrated and thus, pre-eminently, the Messiah who is to establish the kingdom of God.] Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: - Luke 2:22-28 -

Cf. - Leviticus 12:1-6 - O. T. - Yahweh spoke to Moses; he said, Speak to the sons of Israel and say: "If a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy, she is to be unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly periods. On the eighth day the child's foreskin must be circumcised, and she must wait another thirty-three days for her blood to be purified. She must not touch anything consecrated nor go to the sanctuary until the time of her purification is over. "If she gives birth to a girl, she is to be unclean for two weeks, as during her monthly periods; and she must wait another sixty-six days for her blood to be purified." "When the period of her purification is over, for either boy or girl, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a lamb one year old for a holocaust, and a young pigeon or turtledove as a sacrifice for sin."

Cf. - Exodus 13:1-2 - O. T. - Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 'Consecrate all the first-born to me, the first issue of every womb, among the sons of Israel.  

Cf. - Exodus 13:11-12 - O. T. - When Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanites - as he swore to you and your fathers he would do - and gives it to you, you are to make over to Yahweh all that first issues from the womb, and every first-born cast by your animals: these males belong to Yahweh.

Cf. - Leviticus 5:7 - O. T. - If he cannot afford an animal of the flock, he is to bring to Yahweh, as a sacrifice of reparation for the sin he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons - one for a sacrifice for sin and the other for a holocaust.

Cf. - Leviticus 12:8 - O. T. - If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for holocaust and the other for the sacrifice for sin. The priest is to perform the rite of atonement over her and she will be purified.

Cf. - Isaiah 41:1 - O. T. - Islands, keep silence before me, let the people renew their strength. Let them come forward and speak, let us appear together for judgement.

Cf. - Isaiah 42:1 - O. T. - Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have endowed him with my spirit that he may bring true justice to the nations.

Cf. - Luke 9:29; 23:35 -

Cf. - Exodus 30:22-33 - O. T. - Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 'Take the choicest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, half this weight of fragrant cinnamon - that is, two hundred and fifty shekels - and of scented cane two hundred and fifty shekels; of cassia five hundred shekels (reckoning by the sanctuary shekel) and one hin of olive oil. These you are to compound into a holy chrism, such a blend as the perfumer might make; it is to be a holy chrism. With it you are to anoint the Tent of Meeting and the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its furnishings, the lamp-stand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of holocaust with all its furnishings, and the basin with its stand. These you are to consecrate. 

Thus, they will excel in holiness, and whatever touches them will be holy. You must also anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them, so that they may be priests in my service. Then you are to say this to the sons of Israel. 'You must hold this chrism holy from generation to generation. It is not to be poured on the bodies of common men, nor are you to make any other of the same mixture. It is a holy thing; you must consider it holy. Whoever copies the composition of it or uses it on a layman shall be outlawed from his people'.

Cf. - Luke 2:20 -

THE NUNC DIMITTIS - Luke 2:29-32 - N. T. -

'Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel'.

Cf. - Isaiah 52:10 - O. T. - Yahweh bares his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Cf. - Isaiah 42:6 - O. T. - I, Yahweh, have called you to serve the cause of right; I have taken you by the hand and formed you; I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations.

Cf. - Isaiah 46:13 - O. T. - I bring my victory near, already it is close, my salvation will not be late. I will give salvation to Zion, my glory shall be for Israel.

Cf. - Isaiah 49:6 - O. T. - 'It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth'.

Cf. - John 8:12 - N. T. - When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: 'I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life'. 

THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON - Luke 2:33-35 - N. T. - 

As the child's father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected - and a sword will pierce your own soul too - so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare'.

Cf. - Luke 7:23; 12:51-53 -

Cf. - Jeremiah 15:10 - O. T. - Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land. I neither lend or borrow, yet all of them curse me.

Cf. - John 19:25-27 - N. T. - Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your son'. Then to the disciples he said, 'This is your mother'. And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

Cf. - Hebrews 12:3 - N. T. - Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage.

 Cf. - John 3:19 - N. T. - On this grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil.

Cf. - John 9:38-39 - N. T. - The man said, 'Lord, I believe', and worshipped him. Jesus said: 'It is for judgement that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind'.

THE PROPHECY OF ANNA - Luke 2:36-38 - N. T. -

There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

The Prophecy Of Anna

There was a prophetess [ A woman dedicated to God and the qualified interpreter of his intentions. Cf. Ex. 15:20; Judg. 4:4; 2 Kin. 22:14.] also , Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer.

She came by just at the moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem. [The messianic deliverance of the Chosen People, Luke 1:68, 24:21, primarily affected their capital city; cf. Is. 40:2, 52:9 (and see 2 Sam. 5:9+) For Luke, Jerusalem is God's chosen centre from which will spread his salvation: 9:31.51,53, 13:22,33, 17:11, 18:31, 19:11, 24:47-49,52; Acts 1:8+] - Luke 2:33-38 -

Cf. - Judith 8:4-5 - O. T. - As a widow, Judith stayed inside her home for three years and four months. She had an upper room built for herself on the roof. 

Cf. - 1 Timothy 5:5 - N. T. - But a woman who is really widowed and left without anybody can give herself up to God and consecrate all her days and nights to petitions and prayer.

Cf. - Luke 2:20; 9:32,51; 13:22,33 - 

THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS AT NAZARETH - Luke 2:39-40 - N. T. -

When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile, the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.    

Cf. - Luke 4:16 - 

Cf. - Matthew 2:23 - N. T. - There Joseph settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken through the prophets were to be fulfilled: He will be called a Nazarene.

- IMMANUEL - GOD IS WITH US - EMMANUEL - GOD WITH US -

"WISHING YOU A BLESSED CHRISTMAS"

Before I was a baptised Catholic Christian, I always ask and contemplate: What is the purpose of life? "Why did God make you and I?" The answer: "God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in the next." This is the whole reason for our existence. Jesus answered the question even more briefly and concisely: "I came so that you might have life and have it more abundantly." - John 10:10 - Amen!

God's plan for you and I is simple. Your loving Father wants to give you all good things - especially eternal life. Jesus died on the cross to save us all from sin and the eternal separation from God that sin causes (CCC # 599-623). When God saves us, He makes us part of his Body, which is the Church. - 1 Corinthians 12:27-30 - The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church teaches what the apostles taught and what the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible teaches: We are saved by grace, but not by faith alone. - James 2:24 -

If you are a Catholic and someone asks you if you have been "saved" you and I should say, "I am redeemed by the Blood of Christ, I trust in Him alone for my salvation. - Philippians 2:12 -

Only the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church was founded by Jesus, and only it has been able to preserve all Christian truth without any error - and great numbers of people are coming to see this. "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7 -

-     WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY     - 

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 - 

I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself, but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He/She will glorify me, since all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine." - John 16:12-15 -

Your generous contribution and support is profoundly cherish. I sincerely pray that: God blessing be upon you, always. Amen! Bank transfer: Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah - Public Bank Berhad account no. 4076577113 - Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.