Bible
Study: Isaiah 7, 10 to 14 and Luke 1, 26 to 38.
In terms
of content, today’s readings are very similar to those of Sunday. In our first
reading, we are reminded again of how Isaiah delivered a great sign to king
Ahaz who was so frightened upon hearing the news of impending disaster. Ahaz
and all the people of the kingdom needed to hear the name Emmanuel and reassure
themselves of God’s presence with them. They needed to know that their safety
and protection does not lie in weapons of war but in the fact that God is with
them.
Coming
down to our Gospel passage, we see a direct fulfilment of the sign which God
had given to king Ahaz hundreds of years earlier. The Angel Gabriel was sent by
God to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Mary is that virgin which Isaiah spoke about and she is going to be the one to
actually conceive and give birth to this child whose name is Emmanuel.
However,
instead of saying his name shall be Emmanuel in accord with Isaiah’s prophecy,
we hear Angel Gabriel saying to Mary: “And behold, you will conceive in your
womb and bear a Son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” In fact, reading
through the entire New Testament, there is no place where Jesus actually
answered the name Emmanuel or Brother Emma. Now, does this mean Ahaz was given
a wrong prophecy? Why the change of name from Emmanuel to Jesus?
To resolve
this confusion, it is important to state that Jesus had two names. Isaiah
revealed his first name which defines who Jesus is, God with us. And the Angel
Gabriel revealed his second name which defines the role he would play among men
– Saviour of the mankind.
In a
similar vein, we all have two names; one which appears on our certificate and
one which defines who we are. As means of identity, our names may vary but the
kind of life we live must reflect our true name which is Christian. We must be
Christ-like otherwise we fall short of what our name stands for. If we allow
sin reign in our lives, it only shows we don’t know who we are.
Like Mary,
we often wonder, how are we to live out the meaning of our names as Christians,
given our attraction to sin and the abundance of temptations around us? The answer
to question is the same answer the Angel gave to Mary. It is by the power of
the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that produced a child in Mary’s womb is
still with us today filling us with supernatural power not only to avoid sin
but to live exactly as Christ did by loving God and our neighbours as
ourselves.
All it
takes is for us to believe that with God, nothing is impossible. If God made
Elizabeth conceive at old age, God can help us get rid of our sinful past and
act on us to be truly Christians. Faith activates the presence and power of the
Holy Spirit in our lives.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, may I never forget my real name which is Christian. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu.
No comments:
Post a Comment