Although the Liturgical Year begins with Advent, January 10, 2023 marks the first day in Ordinary Time, This means that the Church moves into Year A; Sunday readings will now come from the Gospel of Matthew. The Church rotates between Matthew in Year A, Gospel of Mark...
The infancy narrative in Matthew’s gospel has a different tone from that of the Gospel of Luke; it has many Jewish overtones to it. The visit from the wise men is a good reminder that Jesus came to save all people. In Luke’s gospel we read about the humble...
Although not included in this station, Anna also proclaimed the greatness of Jesus as the messiah. Both proclamations come from people recognizing the messiah in an infant. We are reminded the Jesus will come to us in many forms, and we are called to recognize him and...
We continue with the infancy narrative from Luke’s gospel. The event described here was a legal requirement of Jewish law. The author combines two requirements, the purification ceremony after childbirth and the concentration of the first-born to the Lord.
Earlier in this gospel account, the shepherds and said to be terrified at the appearance of the angels. It is now clear that the good news of the birth of the messiah has alleviated those fears as they go to be the first to pay homage to the newborn messiah.
As is the tradition in the Gospel of Luke, the poor and oppressed are held up. In this story, only told in Luke’s gospel, the shepherds are the first to have the news proclaimed to them of the birth of the messiah. Most likely being nomads, it would be especially good...
