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Emmanuel
Fr.
George Smiga
18
December 2004
Matthew
1:18-24
If
Jesus is our Savior, why is the world still such a mess?
If
Jesus is the King of the Universe, why is so much of the universe
still characterized by violence and hatred and evil? This
is an important question because in a few days we are going
to celebrate the birth of the Savior and it is essential that
we understand how this birth of Jesus is good news to us.
I
think we realize that the central message of Jesus was to
proclaim the Kingdom of God: a Kingdom of justice and peace,
a Kingdom of forgiveness and love, a Kingdom where the lion
and the lamb could lay down together, where there would be
no more sorrow or pain, no more hatred or death. That is the
Kingdom of God which we have been promised. But where is it?
What we find when we look at our world is war and terrorism,
misunderstanding and hatred.
So
if Jesus is Savior, where is the salvation? We would rather
not face this question but questions such as these, rise spontaneously
from those who confront evil. You have heard them as well
as I have. Why did my husband have to die? Why do I have to
live in fear of terrorism? Why did my marriage come to an
end? Why does my daughter have cancer? Questions such as these
rise spontaneously from those who suffer. They are a way of
asking: If the Savior is born and the Savior is real, where
is the salvation? If Christ, in fact, is our Savior, why does
so much evil still remain in our world?
Our
tradition, of course, points towards an answer. We believe
that we shall share in the Kingdom after our death. When we
enter heaven we will have complete happiness with God. We
also believe that when Jesus comes again at the end of the
time, He will establish God's Kingdom here on earth. The Tradition
says to us that the Kingdom is a Kingdom to come, a future
Kingdom. It will come in heaven or at the end of time. We
know this, we believe this, but what good is that future Kingdom
for those who must suffer today? Is there only future good
news? Or is there present good news that we can claim in our
own lives?
Here
is where the true mystery of Christmas becomes evident. Today's
readings point to it. Isaiah tells us that a Child will be
born called Emmanuel and Matthew in the Gospel makes it clear
that Jesus is that Child. The name, Emmanuel, is important.
It means God is with us. As we await the coming salvation,
promised us in the future, our God is not aloof. Our God has
chosen to take up our humanity. Our God is with us. As we
deal with the loss of someone we love, in death, Jesus, who
knows human sorrow and pain, is not indifferent. He is with
us. As we cope with the fear of terrorism, Jesus, who knows
human fear, is not unconcerned. He is with us. As we suffer
from the rejection and failure of divorce, Jesus, who knows
human rejection and failure is not somewhere else. He is with
us. As we confront sickness in ourselves and in our families,
Jesus, who has a human body, who felt pain, is not unconcerned.
He is with us.
The
Good News of the Christmas season is that as we await the
full salvation that is to come, God is not far off. God did
not choose to wait in some distant place until the Kingdom
arrives. God became human. God, in Christ, took up our human
nature in all of its frailty and brokenness. God, in Christ,
experienced the broken nature of our world. The mystery of
Christmas is that God became one of us and that God remains
with us.
Now
the promises are still real, and we do expect that some day
in the future we will enter the Kingdom and live in that perfection
of God's peace and justice and love. But until that day, we
are not alone. Until that day through all that we have to
suffer and endure, Jesus is Emmanuel—God with us!
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