COMMENT ON THE LITURGY OF THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
Collect
Almighty God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings
Is 61,1-3; Mt 2,19-23
Comment
Joseph, warned once again in a dream by an angel, is exhorted to leave Egypt and return to his homeland, because Herod, who had tried to kill the baby Jesus, died. He goes to live in a city called Nazareth, "so that he might fulfill what was said by the prophets".
Indeed, we do not find specific prophecies about this in the Old Testament. Therefore this association between the name of the city and Jesus is explained in relation to the Hebrew term neser, "sprout", as Jesus is the sprout that sprouted from the trunk of Jesse (father of King David), or in relation to the word nazir, "Nazirite ", the one who, such as Samson, made a particular vow to the Lord, abstaining from fermented drinks, not cutting his hair and following other rules of ritual purity. However, Jesus drinks wine and touches dead bodies to resurrect them, so this association could only be understood in terms of a total consecration to the Father.
Joseph's return to Israel demonstrates that no place can be excluded from the visit of God. Joseph is joined by the grace in Egypt, Ezekiel in Babylon and John in Patmos. God helps us in a foreign land. The world is our place of slavery and exile, while Heaven is our Canaan, our true home, our rest. We must promptly abandon the first in order to move towards the second, as soon as the grace of God calls us.
The reality of this spiritual exodus and the one who makes it possible for us is well described by the prophet Isaiah. The Servant of the Lord, protagonist of the last part of his book, is the last of the prophets and the redeemer of Israel who brings freedom to the exiles in Babylon. In Luke's Gospel we see that Jesus applied these words to himself precisely in the synagogue of Nazareth, at the beginning of his ministry. He clearly says "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled" (Lk 4:21).
Jesus is the consecrated one among the prophets, the one who has received the anointing and authority from the Father to lead mankind to salvation through his royal office. He defeats our enemies: Satan, sin and death. The words of the passage from Isaiah seem to allude to all three persons of the Trinity: "The spirit" ... "of the Lord God" (the Father) ... "is upon me" (the Son).
The passage quoted by Jesus stops after the words "to proclaim the year of the Lord's grace"; the day of vengeance and the consolation of the afflicted will in fact come to an end with his return at the end of time. When the day of his judgment comes, the saved will be like "oaks of righteousness", because they are firmly rooted in faith.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
