The Joyful Mysteries
The Birth and Childhood of Jesus
1. The Annunciation
The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and greets her, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Luke 1:28 [See Note in “Scriptural References”]. Gabriel tells Mary that with her consent she is to give birth to the Savior promised in Scripture. Mary accepts God’s will and corrects the events that were set in motion by Eve’s disobedience. She commits herself to God with perfect humility; she gives us Jesus and Victory over the grave.
God’s love and the Annunciation
Stop for a moment and contemplate this great mystery – the revelation from God that the prefigured and prophesied Messiah throughout Scripture was here among us, and his name is Jesus. The second person of the Trinity is being revealed. Think of the Trinity as a holy flame, and from this flame will be taken another flame, but with no diminution of the first. So before, where from our observational point of view there was one, that flame continues unabated and undiminished, but a new flame suddenly bursts into our midst. The Annunciation tells us that Jesus’ love of man was so intense that he even assumed human nature in the fullness of time to be among us. The Creator of the universe cannot be contained, yet Mary was to carry him within her. She was to give life to the Alpha and the Omega who would become a helpless infant entrusted to the care of this young Jewish girl and Joseph. In a miraculous instant she became the Mother of Our Lord and, 33 years later, at the foot of the cross would become our Mother.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
The sacredness of Christmas is celebrated with song and hymns. One of the earliest is the 12th Century hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. (YouTube search words: o come emmanuel choir).
Scriptural references
The Annunciation is narrated in Luke 1:26-38. The angel’s appearance to Joseph telling him of the Annunciation is described in Matthew 1:18-23. Note: The angel’s greeting to Mary is quoted from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The Revised Standard Version states, “And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” The RSVCE quote is used here simply because it ties in with the standard Hail Mary prayer to which we are all accustomed.
2. The Visitation
Mary undertakes an arduous and dangerous 100-mile journey to share the news of the Incarnation with her cousin Elizabeth who, despite advanced age and because nothing is impossible with God, is pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary brings the gift of Jesus to Elizabeth who honors Mary as “the mother of my Lord.” Elizabeth exclaims, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” Luke 1:42.
God’s love and the Visitation
The New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed in the New. The Visitation dazzles us with how it transitions the word of God from the Old to the New. In the Old Testament the Ark of the Covenant contained the word of God on stone tablets, while from the earliest of Christian traditions Mary was viewed as the Ark of the New Testament who carried the Word himself:
- The Ark in the Old Testament traveled to the hill country of Judah to rest in the house of Obededom the Gittite, outside Jerusalem. The Virgin Mary undertook a tedious and dangerous journey by travelling through the hill country to reach the house of Elizabeth, just outside Jerusalem.
- Just as David, dressed in priestly garments, danced and leaped with joy before the Ark, so does John the Baptist, the son of a priest and the last of the Old Testament prophets, leap with joy in the womb of the old Elizabeth as the young Mary draws close. (Note: 2 Samuel Chapter 6 tells the story of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.)
- David asked, “How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?” Elizabeth asked, “And why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
- The Ark remained in the house of Obededom for three months; Mary remained with Elizabeth for three months.
The Visitation tells us of God’s enduring love as the Old Covenant bridges into the New.
My Forever Friend
God makes his love available to everyone – from conception to physical death – and beyond. If you so desire, Jesus will be your friend forever. Just as was the case with John the Baptist, our relationship with Jesus begins at the instant of conception and continues forever. Ask him, and Jesus will be your My Forever Friend. (YouTube search words: forever landsborough).
Scriptural references
The Visitation is described in Luke 1:39-56.
3. The Birth of Jesus
In the holiest night since the creation, God is born of a young Nazarene virgin. “And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7.
God’s love and the birth of Jesus
God’s love is made manifest and emerges in the poorest of conditions – a manger and the abode of domesticated animals. Icons and paintings nearly always portray the manger scene with an ox and ass looking on. That is because Isaiah 1:3 tells us that the ox knows its owner, and the ass its master’s crib; but that Israel does not know, and its people do not understand. The ox and the ass would welcome him, as would the lowly shepherds. Even kings from the east with a star to guide them would make this journey to pay homage to the King of the Jews. God appears among us in the most humble and lowly of circumstances – telling the world that he understands and not to despair.
The magi had to search a long time before coming to God while the shepherds received the announcement of the Messiah directly from an angel without any perceived preparation. While God revealed himself in different ways to the shepherds and magi, they each quickly responded to God’s calling. Probably most of us are more like the magi in the sense that we may need help to find God. The irony is that this world and life abounds with signs. As did the magi, we just have to open ourselves to his Divine direction. God will never force us to believe, but the door is wide open for those that respond.
O Helga Natt (O Holy Night)
The peace and glory of Christ began in ancient Israel and has illuminated the world. Today Christians celebrate his physical entrance in this world in a manner which transcends all languages and cultures – whether Anglo, Swedish, Arabic and all points in-between and beyond. Volumes have been written throughout the ages about this night in Bethlehem, but nothing captures the love of that evening in the stable 2,000 years ago as this most favorite of all Christmas hymns, O Holy Night. We’ve all heard it a thousand times, but how often have we heard it in a language other than English? When we hear this hymn in any language we know what the message is even if we don’t understand the words. Christmas is universal and so is this song. It was composed by a Frenchman. Here is O Helga Natt sung by the Swedish baritone, Karl-Magnus Fredriksson . (YouTube search words: helga natt fredriksson). Another Swedish version is by Jussi Björling. (YouTube search words: natt jussi).
Scriptural references
Luke 2:1-20 describes the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus, including the appearance of the angels to the shepherds. Matthew 2:1-12 relates the story of the magi from the east following the Star of Bethlehem. John 1:1-2, 14 tells us that Jesus is God who became flesh and is the only Son from the Father.
4. The Presentation
The Mosaic Law was clear. It mandated that the first-born be presented to the Lord once the Mosaic time of purification was satisfied. Mary and Joseph complied. “And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. . . .” Luke 2:22. Accompany them as they approach the temple, climb the stairs, and as they listen to the prophecies of Simeon as he held the baby Jesus. In our painting the temple is dark, but not the baby Jesus. He illuminates everything and everyone close to him.
God’s love and the Presentation
Simeon solemnly told Mary that a sword would pierce her very soul and we all know it did. He prophesied that Jesus would be set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. These prophecies were fulfilled even then and continue today.
Then Simeon reached far into the future and said that Mary’s baby would be the light and revelation to the Gentiles. This is precisely what happened. The Apostles took the message of Christ from the Holy Land and it eventually spread throughout the world.
God had told Simeon that he would see the savior. The Lord always keeps his promises and Simeon knew that if he just persevered he would see the Messiah. As he grew older, he didn’t grumble or question God’s promise. He waited, and his patience and faith were rewarded. God’s time is not ours. God is eternal, and we need to recognize, hard as it may seem, that we as individuals are not the center of the universe. Time and fulfillment are not reckoned by our perspective but by that of the Eternal One.
Simeon trusted. Mary trusted. Shouldn’t we?
Were You There?
As foretold by Simeon, the Blessed Mother went to the cross just as surely as her Son. She was left to endure the pain and suffering of the cruelest of executions. She was there at the cross; Mary’s faith remained unshakable. The Negro Spiritual Were You There would reflect her anguish. The words seem as though they could have been written by her and surely must capture the grief Mary suffered and how that sword pierced her heart and soul. This version is set to scenes from the film The Passion of Christ (YouTube search words: were you there tatiana).
Scriptural references
The complete account of the Presentation in the Temple can be found in Luke 2:22-39.
5. Finding Jesus in the Temple
For three days Mary and Joseph couldn’t find their 12-year old Jesus. They returned to the temple and found him sitting with the rabbis and discussing scripture with them. “And he said to them, ‘How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” Luke 2:49. As reflected in our accompanying painting Mary draws Jesus towards her after she finds him, but he slightly resists and pulls back towards his Father’s house. We know how the story ends. He remains obedient to both, because by being obedient to Mary he honors his father and mother. Later, when the rabbinical age of 30 is reached he begins the final portion of his journey by obeying his heavenly Father, even unto death.
God’s love and finding Jesus in the Temple
Mary’s unease as she returned to Jerusalem to find her son must have approached terrifying. We should feel the same way when we put him aside. There is a gnawing in our hearts that something is wrong. Unfortunately, so many are blinded and cannot see how to alleviate the terror of disbelief. As was the case with Elijah in the cave, God wasn’t in the fire, in the wind, or in the earthquake. He was a still small voice that Elijah heard, and that we must hear. (Note: The story of Elijah in the cave is found in 1 Kings chapter 19). You should have no choice but to pay attention because that’s how God created us.
Amazing Grace
It was through amazing grace that Mary found Jesus, and it is through God’s grace we can find Jesus, if we but accept that grace. We all know the hymn, Amazing Grace. What many of us don’t know is that the lyricist was John Newton, the captain of a slave trading ship in the 1700’s. Newton was notoriously unchristian with a reputation of being the most profane of all foul-mouthed sailors. He was indeed a wretch of a man. In 1748 he experienced the most profound of spiritual conversions when his ship was saved from a violent storm in the Atlantic Ocean. Some years later he penned the verses to Amazing Grace. This wretch of a man who was lost was gifted with amazing grace and eventually became a consummate Christian poet and preacher.
If you think you’ve drifted too far from the shore, God’s Amazing Grace invites you to return. (YouTube search words: amazing Bocelli).
Scriptural references
Luke 2:41-52 tells us the story of Mary and Joseph finding Jesus in the temple.
Footnotes and Attributions
- The Annunciation by Dante Gabriel Rossetti retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
- The Visitation painting retrieved from the Tom Perna website.
- The Church of the Nativity icon was retrieved from the Legacy Icons
- The Presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple was retrieved from the Ekklesia Project
- Finding of the Savior in the Temple by William Holman Hunt retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
Last modified August 2, 2019