Whats Happening In RE
The Manger and the Mass
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
In preparation for Christmas staff and students in Religious Education have taken some time to read the birth narratives of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and reflect on how the Eucharist is the continuation in our time of this same revelation. The image sourced from HERE has helped us understand how the Jesus of 2000 years ago is the same Jesus who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, continues to be present to us in the Eucharist.
In the presence of baby Jesus?
There were many people who came into contact with Jesus during his life. Some paid him homage as a King, as the Messiah, as the Saviour who would save us from our sins and as Emmanuel - God with us. There were others, like King Herod, who were threatened by Jesus and sought to do him harm. There were also others who were indifferent to Jesus and his message. Pontius Pilate, for example, washed his hands saying “I am innocent of this man's blood” (Mt 27:24).
Even though not all these people were sensible to or acknowledged who Jesus really is, they all had contact with God in the flesh. How incredible to speak to God in the same way as to any other person! What would you say? What do you think He would say in return?
“I will be with you always”
Why would God come and privilege only a small number of people of a particular time in a small pocket of the world with His presence? Jesus promised He would “be with us always, even until the end of time” (Mt 28:20). How does he deliver on this promise? In short, it's the Mass. Even though it looks and sounds different to what took place in the dead of night, in Bethlehem, in a little cave, in piercing cold, the Mass makes present the same reality. In the Liturgy of the Word, Jesus, the Word of God is present. By the Holy Spirit, the texts of Sacred Scripture are speaking to each of us God’s Word. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Jesus becomes physically present in the consecrated bread and wine. The Word becomes flesh and dwells amongst us (John 1:14). Whether or not you are sensible to this reality or acknowledge it, the whole point of the Mass is that Jesus becomes as present to us as He was, in His infant self wrapped in bands of cloth, to the shepherds and the wise men.
The Manger and the Mass
In the Mass, the Catholic school becomes Bethlehem, literally a “House of Bread”. The school hall becomes the stable in which Jesus was born. We become the animals who are fed from the manger which was literally a feeding trough. Note that in French, manger means “to eat”. And who lies in the manger? Baby Jesus who, in his adult life, will say “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35). Who are the first invited to pay homage to God in the flesh but the shepherds; people who dwell in darkness, the lowliest and least worthy people in society who do the jobs that are least recognised for their prestige. The three wise men are the ones who, seeking an explanation of their existence, see in created things a sign of something beyond the material. Following the path of the star they are brought to the ultimate revelation of the meaning of our lives; the child Jesus. Just as the blind, the lame, the lepers and the sinners came to Jesus for healing, we come to the Eucharist to be healed of all the things that prevent us living our lives the way God intended. But even more than that, through the Eucharist, God enters our world and reunites us to Him in the communion of love intended from the beginning of Creation.
Take some time to read the birth narratives found in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew in preparation for Christmas.
The Birth of Jesus According to Luke
Luke 2:1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
| The Birth of Jesus According to Matthew
Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
The Visit of the Wise Men Matthew 2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. |
David Chaston | KLA/Religious Education