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One morning I was reading an advent devotional by Louie Giglio, and was reminded that this season is all about Jesus. His birth and what a gift He is to us! My children were discussing the gifts the Magi gave to Jesus, and it got us to research the presents and their meaning, and it blew me away! Join me as we dive into the background surrounding Jesus’ birth, the thoughtful gifts given to Jesus by the Magi, and our own opportunity to be adopted by God. Luke 2 (NIV) The Birth of Jesus 2 “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to 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. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.” Background Jesus came to us through very meager means. His mother, Mary, was very young and poor; likely between 12 and 14 years old. Because of the divine conception, and she was not yet married, many people questioned the father of the baby. Most assumed she was not a virgin, and she would have dealt with the questioning of her reputation her entire life. The Birth of Jesus Foretold 26 “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.” But Mary was chosen for a reason – she had a very pure love for God and stayed devoted to Jesus His entire earthly life. We see her showing up again and again throughout Jesus’ life and ministry and witnessed his crucifixion in her 40’s. Mary was Jewish and had been educated in the Old Testament prophecies at a young age, as is evidenced in Luke 1:54-55. Even at her young age, she knew the magnitude of what God had chosen her to do and with great bravery she accepted it (Luke 1:38) and praised Him. 54 “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” When Joseph, who was promised to Mary, realized she was pregnant, he was planning to quietly end the engagement. This spoke greatly of his loving character, because during that time, it was acceptable to kill an unfaithful woman by stoning. But as we know in Matthew 1:18-25, an angel came and spoke to Joseph about the situation. And Joseph, in his faithfulness to God, accepted this information, married Mary, and adopted her unborn baby. Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV) Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son 18 “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” I so appreciate that Jesus was born not to rich people with power and influence; but instead poor, everyday people. And when an angel and a great heavenly host come out to announce the birth of Jesus, they didn’t appear to the “important” people – they appeared to lowly shepherds (Luke 2:8-20). God loves and values everyone the same – what a beautiful and powerful assurance! And that we would remember that in our treatment of others! “Mary shines as a symbol of God’s desire to use the obscure and the ordinary. What encouragement from this simple peasant girl who now stands as one of the most loved women of all time! In her book, All the Women of the Bible, Edith Deen wrote of Mary, “Though she never traveled any farther than from Palestine to Egypt, and then by donkey, her story still travels to the farthest corners of the earth.” (Kristine Brown, crosswalk.com) “Let’s learn from Mary’s example today. Let’s remember to live humbly and step out with boldness. Like Mary, we can all be part of God’s remarkable story.” (Kristine Brown, crosswalk.com) Thoughtful Gifts by the Magi Matthew 2 (NIV) The Magi Visit the Messiah 2 “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” As mentioned in Matthew 2:11, The Magi/Wise Men/Kings (depending on your translation), gave 3 gifts of great value. Gold was a kingly gift for the King of Kings and may have symbolized His royalty. Frankincense was incense used by priests and was given to Jesus to acknowledge He was part of the priesthood. It may have symbolized His deity. And Myrrh was used in anointing oils and embalming ointment and may have symbolized Jesus’ eventual death and sacrifice for us. All three gifts have a Temple connection. “… As described in 1 Kings 6:20-22, the walls of the Most Holy Place and the altar within it were completely overlaid with—you guessed it—gold. As with gold, frankincense may also have an implied connection with the Temple worship of the Old Covenant. Burning incense at the altar was a key part of the sacrificial system prescribed by God for use in the Tabernacle and, later, in the Temple itself. According to Exodus 30, however, not just any incense would do. A specific recipe of spices mixed with “pure frankincense” (v. 34) was to be consecrated as “pure and holy” (v.35) and was the only incense permitted at the altar. Just like the first two gifts, there is a Temple connection with myrrh as well. Exodus 30 tells us that liquid myrrh was a main ingredient in the anointing oil used to ceremonially prepare the priests, the instruments, the altar, and the Temple itself before sacrifices could be made. Again, parallels to Jesus’ consecrated life and sacrificial death are immediately noticeable.” (Scott James, crosswalk.com) Our Adoption into God’s Family This reminded me of Galatians 4:4-5: Galatians 4:4-5 (NIV) 4 “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” When we invite Jesus into our life, He adopts US to be His children and to be part of His family. (And if that doesn’t call us to consider adopting people into our own families!) In God’s perfect timing, He sent His Son to be born, to die and to be resurrected for US. Acknowledging Jesus as our Savior and asking for forgiveness from our sins frees us from our sin curse! Jesus came to redeem those under the law. “The word translated as “redeem” is from the Greek root word exagorazo. This is the same word used to buy a slave out of bondage.” (bibleref.com) We are slaves to our sinfulness with no hope of escape! But with Christ, we find forgiveness and belonging! If you haven’t already, give yourself to Jesus today! It’s not too late! John 3:16 (NIV) 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Conclusion As we go through this season, Lord, help us to stay focused on You. You are an incredible gift to us…from your humble beginnings, to your terrible death, and to your miraculous resurrection. You have made it possible for us to to be free of our chains to sin and death. May we spend these celebratory weeks drawing closer to You, our Creator! May we give ourselves, and encourage those around us, to accept the best gift of our lives and invite You into our life. Jesus, You truly are the best gift! As Handel wrote in the “Hallelujah Chorus” of “Messiah,” And He shall reign And He shall reign And He shall reign forever and ever King of kings (Forever and ever) And He shall reign (Hallelujah! Hallelujah!) And He shall reign forever and ever King of kings! and Lord of lords! King of kings! and Lord of lords! And He shall reign forever and ever Forever and ever Forever and ever Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
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Riječki nadbiskup mons. Ivan Devčić danas je već tradicionalno iz naše samostanske blagovaonice uputio svoju Božićnu poruku vjernicima Riječke nadbiskupije. Poruku donosimo u cijelosti: Kulturno ozračje u kojem se dogodilo Isusovo rođenje kao izazov za nas Draga braćo i sestre! Na tragu događanja vezanih uz proslavu Rijeke kao Europske prijestolnice kulture 2020., kao i mojega pisma na početku ove pastoralne godine, u kojem sam pozvao na promišljanje naše kulture pastorala i pastorala kulture, pozivam vas da, slijedeći Evanđelja po Luki i Mateju, u božićnom vremenu ove godine razmišljamo i meditiramo o kulturi u kojoj se dogodio prvi Božić, tj. Isusovo rođenje, te da se u susretu s njome zapitamo u kojoj i kakvoj kulturi mi danas živimo i božićujemo. Kultura prihvaćanja Čitamo li pod tim vidom Evanđelje po Luki, odmah na početku nailazimo na navještenje anđela Gabrijela Mariji da je našla milost kod Boga te će začeti i roditi Sina kojemu će nadjenuti ime Isus. Čuvši to, Marija je najprije Božjem glasonoši postavila pitanje: „Kako će to biti kad ja muža ne poznajem?“ (Lk 1, 34). A kad joj je anđeo odgovorio da će Duh Sveti na nju sići i sila Svevišnjega je osjeniti te će se dijete koje će roditi zvati Sin Svevišnjega (usp. Lk 1, 35), prihvatila je poziv i anđelu odgovorila: „Evo službenice Gospodnje, neka mi bude po riječi tvojoj!“ (Lk 1, 35). Time se ona Bogu potpuno stavila na raspolaganje i tako postala protagonisticom kulture prihvaćanja. Prihvativši Božju volju, omogućila je ostvarenje njegova plana da po svome Sinu Isusu Kristu, kojega će ona po Duhu Svetom začeti i roditi, spasi ono što su prvi ljudi neposluhom svome Stvoritelju upropastili. Zbog toga Crkva u Mariji prepoznaje „Početak boljega svijeta – Mundi melioris origo“. Taj bolji svijet, utemeljen na kulturi prihvaćanja, kojemu je ona početak, nebrojeni će sljedbenici njezina božanskoga Sina, a po uzoru na nju, tijekom vjekova neumorno izgrađivati, prihvaćajući i izvršavajući kao ona Božju volju u svome životu. Rezultat su toga bezbrojna djela milosrđa i solidarnosti prema najslabijima i najpotrebitijima u društvu u kojemu su prije toga uglavnom bili prepušteni samima sebi i svojoj kobnoj sudbini. Rodivši se u siromaštvu i živeći kao siromah, Isus se toliko poistovjetio i solidarizirao s takvima, čak i s migrantima, da ih je nazvao svojom braćom izjavivši: „Što god učiniste jednom od ove moje najmanje braće, meni učiniste!“ (Mt 25, 45). Dakle, prihvaćanje slabih i nemoćnih, prognanika i beskućnika kao braće i sestara, kultura je prihvaćanja koja ima svoje početke u Mariji i njezinu božanskome Sinu Isusu Kristu. Kultura odbacivanja No oni koji su bili začetnici kulture prihvaćanja, sami su trajno bili žrtve kulture odbacivanja. Tako je Isus, zajedno sa svojom majkom Marijom i poočimom Josipom, već kod rođenja doživio neprihvaćanje i odbacivanje. To se dogodilo najprije u Betlehemu kamo su Marija i Josip morali poći radi popisa pučanstva koji se, odredbom cara Augusta, u to vrijeme provodio u cijelome carstvu na način da je svatko na popis morao ići u svoj grad (usp. Budući da je Josip, Marijin muž pred Zakonom, bio podrijetlom iz doma i loze Davidove, morao je iz grada Nazareta u Galileji, zajedno s Marijom, svojom ženom koja je bila u visokom stadiju trudnoće, poći u Betlehem, grad Davidov, koji je u Judeji. Ondje se Mariji navršilo vrijeme da rodi. U takvim slučajevima normalno bi bilo da se kod ljudi probudi osjećaj solidarnosti te da rado i velikodušno prime pod svoj krov ženu koja se u takvom stanju zatekne bez krova nad glavom. Ali ništa od toga. Stanovnici Betlehema zaključali su pred njom vrata svoga srca i svojih domova, ne želeći da im ti stranci remete njihov mir i komoditet. Budući da ih u Betlehemu nitko nije htio primiti pod svoj krov, Marija i Josip bili su primorani poći u okolicu grada gdje su pastiri čuvali svoja stada. Ondje je ona porodila Isusa, povila ga i položila u jasle. Luka bilježi da je pastire koji su, očito, bili podalje od mjesta gdje je Marija rodila, o tom radosnom događaju obavijestio anđeo Gospodnji riječima: „Ne bojte se! Evo, javljam vam blagovijest, veliku radost za sav narod! Danas vam se u gradu Davidovu rodio Spasitelj – Krist Gospodin. I evo vam znaka: naći ćete novorođenče povijeno gdje leži u jaslama“ (Lk 2, 10 -12). Čim su anđeli otišli, pastiri su odmah stali poticati jedni druge: „Hajdemo dakle do Betlehema. Pogledajmo što se to dogodilo, događaj koji nam obznani Gospodin“ (Lk 2, 15). Nakon što su to učinili, „ispripovjediše što im bijaše rečeno o tom djetetu. A svi koji su to čuli divili su se tome što su im pripovjedili pastiri“ (Lk 2, 18). Dakle, siromašni su pastiri, za razliku od stanovnika Betlehema, ne samo rado primili Josipa, Mariju i novorođenog Isusa nego su odmah počeli razglašavati, tj. naviještati da se rodio onaj čiji je dolazak Bog po prorocima davno najavio. Zbog toga ih možemo s pravom smatrati prvim glasonošama radosne i vjekovima očekivane vijesti o rođenju božanskoga Spasitelja, ali i promicateljima kulture prihvaćanja u svijetu u kojem dominira kultura odbacivanja. Tako je Isusovo rođenje s jedne strane obilježila bešćutnost i sebičnost stanovnika Betlehema, a s druge otvorenost i sućutnost pastira. To znači da je Isus već od početka bio okružen kako s ljudima koji su pripadali kulturi odbacivanja, tako i s onima čiji je životni izbor bila kultura prihvaćanja. Kao što se po jutru može znati kakav će biti dan, tako se u odnosu prema Isusu kod njegova rođenja već moglo nazrijeti sve ono što će ga pratiti i snaći tijekom njegova života. Kultura eliminiranja Prema sv. Mateju, Isus je već kao dijete iskusio i ono što bismo mogli nazvati „kulturom eliminacije“. Naime, kad su se kod kralja Heroda u Jeruzalemu pojavili mudraci s Istoka raspitujući se: „Gdje je taj novorođeni kralj židovski? Vidjesmo gdje izlazi zvijezda njegova pa mu se dođosmo pokloniti“ (Mt 2, 1-2), Herod se veoma uznemirio jer se pobojao za svoju vlast. Zbog toga je odmah sazvao svećeničke glavare i pismoznance da se raspita gdje se Krist treba roditi. Kad su mu oni odgovorili: „u Betlehemu judejskome“, on je pozvao mudrace da od njih sazna vrijeme kad se pojavila zvijezda koja ih je dovela do Betlehema. Zatim ih je poslao u Betlehem da se pomno raspitaju o djetetu jer bi mu se i on tobože želio pokloniti. Čim su otišli od kralja, odmah se pojavila zvijezda i dovela ih u Betlehem povrh mjesta gdje bijaše dijete. Kad su ušli u kuću, ugledali su dijete s majkom, poklonili mu se i obdarili ga zlatom, tamjanom i smirnom. Nakon toga ih je anđeo u snu uputio neka se ne vraćaju Herodu i neka drugim putem pođu natrag u svoju zemlju. Potom se anđeo javio Josipu u snu i priopćio mu da s djetetom i njegovom majkom bježi u Egipat „jer će Herod tražiti dijete da ga pogubi.“ Herod, pak, vidjevši da su ga mudraci izigrali, „posla poubijati sve dječake u Betlehemu i okolici, od dvije godine naniže, prema vremenu što ga razazna od mudraca“ (usp. Nadao se da će među njima biti i dijete Isus, kojega se bojao. U Egiptu su Marija i Josip zajedno s djetetom Isusom ostali do Herodove smrti i zatim su se namjeravali vratiti u zemlju izraelsku, ali kada su saznali da ondje, umjesto svoga oca, vlada Arhelaj, bojali su se poći onamo. Stoga, upućeni u snu, odu u kraj galilejski i nastane se u Nazaretu. Tako je Isus već od najranijega djetinjstva bio izložen kulturi eliminacije. Ali eliminirati ga njegovim će protivnicima uspjeti tek tri desetljeća kasnije, kada će od Pilata tražiti: „Ukloni! Ukloni! Raspni ga!“ (Iv 19, 15). I on će ih uslišati, iako je bio uvjeren da je Isus nevin! Kultura poklonstva ili štovanja Riječ „kultura“ dolazi od latinskoga glagola „colere“, koji ima više značenja, među kojima je i štovati. Po tome je kultura povezana s kultom, tj. sa štovanjem Boga. Pored onih koji su Isusa od početka prihvaćali, odbacivali ili tražili da ga se eliminira, bilo je i takvih koji su ga od rođenja štovali kao Boga. Tako Elizabeta sva radosna pozdravlja Mariju koja joj je, noseći božansko dijete pod srcem, došla u pohode: „Blagoslovljena ti među ženama i blagoslovljen plod utrobe tvoje! Ta otkuda meni da mi dođe majka Gospodina mojega?“ (Lk 1, 41 -43). Pastiri se vraćaju iz Betlehema „slaveći i hvaleći Boga za sve što su čuli i vidjeli kako im je bilo rečeno“ (Lk 2, 20). Anđeo Gospodnji im je naime rekao: „Ne bojte se! Evo, javljam blagovijest, veliku radost za sav narod! Danas vam se u gradu Davidovu rodio Spasitelj – Krist, Gospodin. I evo vam znaka: naći ćete novorođenče povijeno gdje leži u jaslama“ (Lk 2, 10-12). Pastirima se također pridružuje nebeska vojska hvaleći i slaveći Boga. Dakle, nebo i zemlja, anđeli i ljudi zajednički kliču i raduju se Spasiteljevu rođenju. Tu je i starac Šimun kojemu je Duh Sveti objavio da neće umrijeti dok ne vidi Pomazanika Gospodnjega. „Ponukan od Duha, dođe u Hram. I Kad roditelji uniješe dijete Isusa da obave što o njemu propisuje Zakon, primi ga on u naručje, blagoslovi Boga i reče: ‘Sad otpuštaš slugu svojega u miru! Ta vidješe oči moje spasenje tvoje, koje si pripravio pred licem svih naroda, slavu puka svoga izraelskoga’.“ (Lk 2, 27-32). Zatim blagoslivlja Mariju i Josipa, obraćajući se pritom posebno njoj riječima: „Ovaj je evo postavljen na propast i uzdignuće mnogima u Izraelu i za znak osporavan – a i tebi će samoj mač probosti dušu – da se razotkriju namisli mnogih srdaca!“ (Lk 2, 34-35). U isto vrijeme u Hramu se zatekla i proročica Ana koja je postom i molitvom danju i noću služila Bogu. Ona je „hvalila Boga i svima koji iščekivahu otkupljenje Jeruzalema pripovijedala o djetetu“ (Lk 2, 38). Dakle, uz mnoštvo protivnika Isus je od početka imao i mnogo poklonika koji su doista vjerovali da će on spasiti svoj narod. Ako u svjetlu rečenoga usporedimo naše vrijeme i naš odnos prema Isusu Kristu, ali i prema drugome čovjeku, možemo uočiti da se u tom pogledu nije dogodila nikakva bitna promjena. I danas imamo kulturu prihvaćanja i kulturu odbacivanja, kao i kulturu eliminiranja. Kao što se na početku prihvaćalo ili odbacivalo Isusa, štoviše nastojalo ga se ukloniti (eliminirati), tako ga se i danas prihvaća, ali i odbacuje na razne načine, a napose neprihvaćanjem nemoćnih, siromašnih, malenih, kao i nerođenih. Zbog toga ne možemo biti autentični slavitelji Božića, ako ne odbacimo kulturu neprihvaćanja i eliminacije, odnosno ako ne postanemo promicateljima kulture prihvaćanja i poklonstva. Neka nam u tome ovih svetih predbožićnih i božićnih dana prave društvo i budu uzori Marija, Josip, betlehemski pastiri, proročica Ana, mudraci s istoka i toliki drugi koji su u Isusu Kristu prepoznali Sina Božjega koji je radi nas i našeg spasenja postao čovjekom. Tom željom čestitam svima koji ovo budu čitali sretan Božić i blagoslovljenu 2020. godinu. mons. dr. Ivan Devčić, riječki nadbiskup metropolit (preuzeto s www.ri-nadbiskupija.com)