F
Fidelis
Guest
2004 Vince Contreras
- Status
F
Fidelis
Guest
From: Romans 1:1-7
Commentary:
1-15. These opening verses of the letter are a combination of greeting, introduction of the writer and the prologue to the entire text. The passage deals with themes in no particular order–in line with the style of some other Pauline letters, especially Romans itself.
Three matters are being covered here–Paul’s introduction of himself, and his plans to visit Rome (vv. 1, 5, 9-15); who the immediate recipients are and their particular situation (vv. 6-8, 11, 15); and, finally, Paul’s purpose in writing to the faithful at Rome (outlined in his greeting–vv. 2-4, 15 and, to a lesser degree, v. 9).
1-2. The word “gospel”, which St Paul uses very often, here refers to the purpose of his vocation: he has been designated to preach the Gospel of God. This is obviously not a reference to the written
Gospels; he is speaking of something complex and profound, already articulated by Christ in his preaching. Jesus said of himself that he had come to bring Good News (cf. Mt 11:15; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 4:18; etc.), as the prophets had foretold (especially is 61:1, which Jesus quoted).
"As an evangelizer, Christ first of all proclaims a kingdom, the
Kingdom of God; and this is so important that, by comparison,
everything else becomes ‘the rest’, which is ‘given in addition’ (cf.
Mt 6:33).
“As the kernel and center of this Good News, Christ proclaims
salvation, this great gift of God which is liberation from everything
that oppresses man but which is above all liberation from sin and theEvil One” (Paul VI, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”, 8 and 9).
When he was about to ascend into heaven, Jesus charged his Apostles to proclaim the Good News (Mk 16:15; cf. Mt 28:19-20) which was to be “the source of all saving truth and moral discipline” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 7). For the Apostles this Good News was nothing more or less than Jesus Christ and his work of salvation. That is why the Gospel (which the Church is given to hand on to all generations) is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as passed on to us by the
Apostles. “The promises of the New Alliance in Jesus Christ, the
teaching of the Lord and the Apostles, the Word of life, the sources of grace and of God’s loving kindness, the path of salvation–all these things have been entrusted to her. It is the content of the Gospel, and therefore of evangelization” (“Evangelii Nuntiandi”, 15). Thus we can say with St Thomas Aquinas (cf. “Summa Theologiae”, I-II, q. 108, a.1; “Commentary on Rom.” 1, 1) that the core of the Gospel has to do with uniting men and God, a union which takes a perfect form in Christ but an imperfect one in us. The superiority of the Gospel over the Old Law consists in the grace of the Holy Spirit, which Christ confers on us. Therefore, the Gospel, to which the Apostles dedicated themselves, is, at one and the same time, a series of truths revealed by our Lord, the saving power of grace and the Church-in-action.
St Paul wants to speak about Christ and his saving Gospel, but he cannot avoid making reference to himself and the mission entrusted to him; this he does by using three words which are full of meaning: he is a “servant” of Jesus Christ, called by God to be his “apostle” (envoy), “set apart” or designated by God to preach the Gospel. These three words tell the whole story of his vocation, and each of them encapsulates something of the mystery which Paul will expound in his epistle–the mercy of God, who saves men, justifies them, sanctifies them and sends them out.
Comtinued…
Commentary:
1-15. These opening verses of the letter are a combination of greeting, introduction of the writer and the prologue to the entire text. The passage deals with themes in no particular order–in line with the style of some other Pauline letters, especially Romans itself.
Three matters are being covered here–Paul’s introduction of himself, and his plans to visit Rome (vv. 1, 5, 9-15); who the immediate recipients are and their particular situation (vv. 6-8, 11, 15); and, finally, Paul’s purpose in writing to the faithful at Rome (outlined in his greeting–vv. 2-4, 15 and, to a lesser degree, v. 9).
1-2. The word “gospel”, which St Paul uses very often, here refers to the purpose of his vocation: he has been designated to preach the Gospel of God. This is obviously not a reference to the written
Gospels; he is speaking of something complex and profound, already articulated by Christ in his preaching. Jesus said of himself that he had come to bring Good News (cf. Mt 11:15; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 4:18; etc.), as the prophets had foretold (especially is 61:1, which Jesus quoted).
"As an evangelizer, Christ first of all proclaims a kingdom, the
Kingdom of God; and this is so important that, by comparison,
everything else becomes ‘the rest’, which is ‘given in addition’ (cf.
Mt 6:33).
“As the kernel and center of this Good News, Christ proclaims
salvation, this great gift of God which is liberation from everything
that oppresses man but which is above all liberation from sin and theEvil One” (Paul VI, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”, 8 and 9).
When he was about to ascend into heaven, Jesus charged his Apostles to proclaim the Good News (Mk 16:15; cf. Mt 28:19-20) which was to be “the source of all saving truth and moral discipline” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 7). For the Apostles this Good News was nothing more or less than Jesus Christ and his work of salvation. That is why the Gospel (which the Church is given to hand on to all generations) is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as passed on to us by the
Apostles. “The promises of the New Alliance in Jesus Christ, the
teaching of the Lord and the Apostles, the Word of life, the sources of grace and of God’s loving kindness, the path of salvation–all these things have been entrusted to her. It is the content of the Gospel, and therefore of evangelization” (“Evangelii Nuntiandi”, 15). Thus we can say with St Thomas Aquinas (cf. “Summa Theologiae”, I-II, q. 108, a.1; “Commentary on Rom.” 1, 1) that the core of the Gospel has to do with uniting men and God, a union which takes a perfect form in Christ but an imperfect one in us. The superiority of the Gospel over the Old Law consists in the grace of the Holy Spirit, which Christ confers on us. Therefore, the Gospel, to which the Apostles dedicated themselves, is, at one and the same time, a series of truths revealed by our Lord, the saving power of grace and the Church-in-action.
- In addressing the Christians at Rome the Apostle uses, of his two names–Saul and Paul–the one he has used since his first missionary journey (cf. Acts 13:9), a Roman name indicating his Roman citizenship (cf. Acts 16:37; 22:25-28). It was in fact quite common for Jews to use two names–a national name, Hebrew or Aramaic, and another name, Greek or Latin, for dealings with people from other countries in the Empire. We find a number of examples of this in the New Testament–John-Mark, Symeon-Niger (Acts 13:1), Tabitha-Dorcas (Acts 9:36), etc.
St Paul wants to speak about Christ and his saving Gospel, but he cannot avoid making reference to himself and the mission entrusted to him; this he does by using three words which are full of meaning: he is a “servant” of Jesus Christ, called by God to be his “apostle” (envoy), “set apart” or designated by God to preach the Gospel. These three words tell the whole story of his vocation, and each of them encapsulates something of the mystery which Paul will expound in his epistle–the mercy of God, who saves men, justifies them, sanctifies them and sends them out.
Comtinued…
F
Fidelis
Guest
“Servant”: this title, also used by St James (Jas 1:1), St Peter (2 Pet 1:1) and St Jude (Jud 1), comes from the Old Testament. There the great prophets and guides of the chosen people described themselves as “servants” of Yahweh (cf., for example, Samuel: 1 Sam 3:9f; Abraham: Ps 104:6; David: 2 Sam 24:10; Moses, Aaron, Solomon, etc.), and the entire people of Israel is called the “servant” of God (Is 49:3); but most prominently there is the Messiah, the “Servant” of God to the extent of actually giving his life (Is 41:9; 42:1; 49:6; 53:11). In the world of the Hebrew religion “servant of God” is the equivalent of “worshipper
of God”, one who offers religious worship: this notion of servant did
not carry the overtones of inhuman debasement that it had in
Greco-Roman culture. When St Paul says that he is a “servant” (or “slave”) of Jesus Christ he is implicitly saying that he renders him religious adoration.
“Apostle”: this word designates preachers of the Gospel, particularly the twelve chosen disciples of Jesus (cf. Mt 10:24 and Mk 3:16-19) it was quite logically applied to Matthias when he became one of the Twelve (Acts 1:25). Christ himself designated Paul an apostle when he appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 26:16-18; Gal 1:15-16), called him to the faith and charged him with his mission to preach. By describing himself as “called to be an apostle”, St Paul is saying that he is on an equal footing with the Twelve–for example, Peter, James
and John, whom he calls “pillars” of the Church (Gal 2:9)–since he
received his calling from Christ himself, as had been the case with the other Apostles (cf. Acts 9:3-18), and not from the leaders of the community of Antioch (Acts 13:2-3).
“Set apart”: this refers to the mission entrusted to St Paul of
preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. Possibly it also refers to Paul’s place in God’s eternal plan; in this sense he can say that he was “set apart” ever since he was in his mother’s womb (Gal 1:15; cf. Jer 1:5; Is 49:1).
St John Chrysostom comments on this verse as follows: “If Paul
constantly recalls his vocation it is in order to show his gratitude.
This gift, which he did not solicit, took him by surprise; he simply
obeyed and followed the divine inspiration. As regards the faithful,
they too, as he himself says, have been called to holiness” (“Hom. on Rom”, 1).
3-4. Scholars are now confident that in Rom 1:3-4 St Paul is quoting from a Christological formula or hymn (like that in I Tim 3:16 or Phil 2:6-11)–probably used in the very earliest Christian liturgy. In these two verses St Paul offers, as it were, a summary of Christology: Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, is the Son sent by his Father God (v. 3). From all eternity he is God, equal to the Father, and in the fullness of time he has taken up a human nature which was initially capable of experiencing pain (v. 3) and was later glorified (v. 4).
The Incarnation did not involve any change, as far as the Word was concerned, either in his divine nature (which he did not shed and which did not alter) or in his being a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, by the Incarnation he assumed a human nature, being born of a Virgin (cf. Lk 1:27, 35): and so the Son of God became the Son of David, of the lineage of David. The phrase “according to the flesh” actually emphasizes the lowliness which the Incarnation implied–fragility, suffering, self-emptying, humiliation (cf. Jn 1:14 and note; Phil 2:7).
During Christ’s life on earth prior to his Resurrection, although it
was united to the Word, his human nature, especially his body, was not fully glorified. Moreover, although it is true that during that period of his life he showed his divinity by his miracles (cf. In 2:11) and by words confirmed by those miracles (cf. Jn 10:37ff), it is also true that his human nature was to the forefront most of the time. After the Resurrection, his human body and soul were fully glorified and therefore from then on his divine nature was the more apparent. This real change which took place in Christ’s human nature when he rose from the dead, and the fact that his divinity became more manifest and he was more easily recognized to be God, are captured in what St Paul says here in v. 4.
Continued…
of God”, one who offers religious worship: this notion of servant did
not carry the overtones of inhuman debasement that it had in
Greco-Roman culture. When St Paul says that he is a “servant” (or “slave”) of Jesus Christ he is implicitly saying that he renders him religious adoration.
“Apostle”: this word designates preachers of the Gospel, particularly the twelve chosen disciples of Jesus (cf. Mt 10:24 and Mk 3:16-19) it was quite logically applied to Matthias when he became one of the Twelve (Acts 1:25). Christ himself designated Paul an apostle when he appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 26:16-18; Gal 1:15-16), called him to the faith and charged him with his mission to preach. By describing himself as “called to be an apostle”, St Paul is saying that he is on an equal footing with the Twelve–for example, Peter, James
and John, whom he calls “pillars” of the Church (Gal 2:9)–since he
received his calling from Christ himself, as had been the case with the other Apostles (cf. Acts 9:3-18), and not from the leaders of the community of Antioch (Acts 13:2-3).
“Set apart”: this refers to the mission entrusted to St Paul of
preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. Possibly it also refers to Paul’s place in God’s eternal plan; in this sense he can say that he was “set apart” ever since he was in his mother’s womb (Gal 1:15; cf. Jer 1:5; Is 49:1).
St John Chrysostom comments on this verse as follows: “If Paul
constantly recalls his vocation it is in order to show his gratitude.
This gift, which he did not solicit, took him by surprise; he simply
obeyed and followed the divine inspiration. As regards the faithful,
they too, as he himself says, have been called to holiness” (“Hom. on Rom”, 1).
3-4. Scholars are now confident that in Rom 1:3-4 St Paul is quoting from a Christological formula or hymn (like that in I Tim 3:16 or Phil 2:6-11)–probably used in the very earliest Christian liturgy. In these two verses St Paul offers, as it were, a summary of Christology: Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, is the Son sent by his Father God (v. 3). From all eternity he is God, equal to the Father, and in the fullness of time he has taken up a human nature which was initially capable of experiencing pain (v. 3) and was later glorified (v. 4).
The Incarnation did not involve any change, as far as the Word was concerned, either in his divine nature (which he did not shed and which did not alter) or in his being a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, by the Incarnation he assumed a human nature, being born of a Virgin (cf. Lk 1:27, 35): and so the Son of God became the Son of David, of the lineage of David. The phrase “according to the flesh” actually emphasizes the lowliness which the Incarnation implied–fragility, suffering, self-emptying, humiliation (cf. Jn 1:14 and note; Phil 2:7).
During Christ’s life on earth prior to his Resurrection, although it
was united to the Word, his human nature, especially his body, was not fully glorified. Moreover, although it is true that during that period of his life he showed his divinity by his miracles (cf. In 2:11) and by words confirmed by those miracles (cf. Jn 10:37ff), it is also true that his human nature was to the forefront most of the time. After the Resurrection, his human body and soul were fully glorified and therefore from then on his divine nature was the more apparent. This real change which took place in Christ’s human nature when he rose from the dead, and the fact that his divinity became more manifest and he was more easily recognized to be God, are captured in what St Paul says here in v. 4.
Continued…
F
Fidelis
Guest
The words “according to the Spirit of holiness” can refer both to
Christ’s divine nature (in the same way as “according to the flesh”
refers to his human nature) and to the action of the Holy Spirit, whose effects were more easily seen after the Resurrection, especially from Pentecost onwards (cf. Jn 7:39 and note on same).
assist him; he must have the interior help of the Holy Spirit, who
moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and ‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth’ (Second Council of Orange III, “De Gratia”, can. 7; “Dei Filius, ibid.”)” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 5).
Christians, by virtue of their Baptism, should live in line with what
that means: they are called to be saints and their whole life should be a pursuit of holiness: “In baptism, our Father God has taken possession of our lives, has made us share in the life of Christ, and has given us the Holy Spirit” (J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By, 128). “We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen attentively to that cry of St Paul: ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1 Thess 4:3). Today, once again, I set myself this goal and I also remind you and all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints” ([St] J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 294).
The formula “grace and peace” seems to be St Paul’s own: it is a
combination of the usual Greek greeting at the start of letters and the Hebrew shalom (peace). The Apostle uses this double greeting very often (cf., for example, 1 Cor 1:3 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; etc). It is a Christian greeting, referring to the gifts the Holy Spirit brings us. Jewish and pagan greetings wished people material prosperity or good fortune; the Apostle’s are wishes for something higher–divine benevolence, which comes in the form of the gift of sanctifying grace and the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and interior peace, which derives from reconciliation with God brought about by Christ. These gifts, according to the Apostle, come to us from God our Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Lord, who is equal to the Father. Thus we see Christian life as being inserted in the intimate life of the Blessed Trinity, for “grace and peace” came from the goodness and mercy of God, by way of the Incarnation of the Word and the Redemption wrought by him.
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”.
Christ’s divine nature (in the same way as “according to the flesh”
refers to his human nature) and to the action of the Holy Spirit, whose effects were more easily seen after the Resurrection, especially from Pentecost onwards (cf. Jn 7:39 and note on same).
- Here St Paul refers to the mission given him by God the Father
through Jesus Christ at the time of his conversion (cf. Acts 9:15) and which he mentions explicitly in his letter to the Galatians (cf. Gal 2:7). Within the world-wide mission implied in being an apostle called by Christ himself, St Paul was given a special mission of his own–to be the Apostle of the Gentiles; he mentions this mission at the beginning of this letter to show why he should be addressing the Christians at Rome, a church which he had not founded.
assist him; he must have the interior help of the Holy Spirit, who
moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and ‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth’ (Second Council of Orange III, “De Gratia”, can. 7; “Dei Filius, ibid.”)” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 5).
- “Called to be saints”: literally “called saints”. This is not just a
way of speaking: St Paul really is saying that Christians are “called” in the same kind of way as the Israelites were so open called through Moses (Num 10:14). In the Christians’ case, the calling is to form the new people of God, one of whose characteristic features is holiness. Basing itself on this and other Pauline texts, the Second Vatican Council has this to say: “As Israel according to the flesh which wandered in the desert was already called the Church of God (cf. 2 Ezra 13:1; cf. Num 20:4; Deut 23:1 ff), so too, the new Israel, which advances in this present era in search of a future and permanent city (cf. Heb 13:14), is called also the Church of Christ (cf. Mt. 16:18) …]. The followers of Christ, called by God not in virtue of their works but by his design and grace, and justified in the Lord Jesus,
have been made sons of God in the baptism of faith and partakers of the divine nature, and so are truly sanctified” (“Lumen Gentium”, 9 and40).
Christians, by virtue of their Baptism, should live in line with what
that means: they are called to be saints and their whole life should be a pursuit of holiness: “In baptism, our Father God has taken possession of our lives, has made us share in the life of Christ, and has given us the Holy Spirit” (J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By, 128). “We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen attentively to that cry of St Paul: ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1 Thess 4:3). Today, once again, I set myself this goal and I also remind you and all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints” ([St] J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 294).
The formula “grace and peace” seems to be St Paul’s own: it is a
combination of the usual Greek greeting at the start of letters and the Hebrew shalom (peace). The Apostle uses this double greeting very often (cf., for example, 1 Cor 1:3 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; etc). It is a Christian greeting, referring to the gifts the Holy Spirit brings us. Jewish and pagan greetings wished people material prosperity or good fortune; the Apostle’s are wishes for something higher–divine benevolence, which comes in the form of the gift of sanctifying grace and the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and interior peace, which derives from reconciliation with God brought about by Christ. These gifts, according to the Apostle, come to us from God our Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Lord, who is equal to the Father. Thus we see Christian life as being inserted in the intimate life of the Blessed Trinity, for “grace and peace” came from the goodness and mercy of God, by way of the Incarnation of the Word and the Redemption wrought by him.
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”.
F
Fidelis
Guest
From: Matthew 1:18-24
Commentary:
From the moment of engagement onwards, a certificate of divorce was needed in the event of a break in the relationship between the couple.
The entire account of Jesus’ birth teaches, through the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (which is expressly quoted in verses 22-23) that: 1) Jesus has David as His ancestor since Joseph is His legal father; 2) Mary is the Virgin who gives birth according to the prophecy; 3) the Child’s conception without the intervention of man was miraculous.
Mary’s silence is admirable. Her perfect surrender to God even leads her to the extreme of not defending her honor or innocence. She prefers to suffer suspicion and shame rather than reveal the work of grace in her. Faced with a fact which was inexplicable in human terms she abandons herself confidently to the love and providence of God. God certainly submitted the holy souls of Joseph and Mary to a severe trial. We ought not to be surprised if we also undergo difficult trials in the course of our lives. We ought to trust in God during them, and remain faithful to Him, following the example they gave us.
Continued…
Commentary:
- St. Matthew relates here how Christ was conceived (cf. Luke
1:25-38): “We truly honor and venerate (Mary) as Mother of God, because she gave birth to a person who is at the same time both God and man” (“St. Pius V Catechism”, I, 4, 7).
From the moment of engagement onwards, a certificate of divorce was needed in the event of a break in the relationship between the couple.
The entire account of Jesus’ birth teaches, through the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (which is expressly quoted in verses 22-23) that: 1) Jesus has David as His ancestor since Joseph is His legal father; 2) Mary is the Virgin who gives birth according to the prophecy; 3) the Child’s conception without the intervention of man was miraculous.
- “St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture praises Joseph as `a just man’. In Hebrew a just man means a good and faithful servant of God, someone who fulfills the divine will (cf. Genesis 7:1; 18:23-32; Ezekiel 18:5ff.; Proverbs 12:10), or who is honorable and charitable toward his neighbor (cf. Tobias 7:6; 9:6). So a just man is someone who loves God and proves his love by keeping God’s commandments and directing his whole life towards the service of his brothers, his fellow men” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 40).
Mary’s silence is admirable. Her perfect surrender to God even leads her to the extreme of not defending her honor or innocence. She prefers to suffer suspicion and shame rather than reveal the work of grace in her. Faced with a fact which was inexplicable in human terms she abandons herself confidently to the love and providence of God. God certainly submitted the holy souls of Joseph and Mary to a severe trial. We ought not to be surprised if we also undergo difficult trials in the course of our lives. We ought to trust in God during them, and remain faithful to Him, following the example they gave us.
Continued…
F
Fidelis
Guest
- God gives His light to those who act in an upright way and who trust in His power and wisdom when faced with situations which exceed human understanding. By calling him the son of David, the angel reminds Joseph that he is the providential link which joins Jesus with the family of David, according to Nathan’s messianic prophecy (cf. 2 Samuel 7:12). As St. John Chrysostom says: “At the very start he straightaway reminds him of David, of whom the Christ was to spring, and he does not wish him to be worried from the moment he reminds him, through naming his most illustrious ancestor, of the promise made to
all his lineage” (“Hom. on St. Matthew”, 4).
- According to the Hebrew root, the name Jesus means “savior”. After our Lady, St. Joseph is the first person to be told by God that salvation has begun.
- “Emmanuel”: the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, quoted in this verse,
foretold about 700 years in advance that God’s salvation would be
marked by the extraordinary event of virgin giving birth to a son. TheGospel here, therefore, reveals two truths.
This is how Christian tradition has always understood it. Indeed the Church has officially condemned an interpretation denying the messianic sense of the Isaiah text (cf. Pius VI, Brief, “Divina”, 1779). Christ is truly God-with-us, therefore, not only because of His God-given mission but because He is God made man (cf. John 1:14). This does not mean that Jesus should normally be called Emmanuel, for this name refers more directly to the mystery of His being the Incarnate Word. At the Annunciation the angel said that He should be called Jesus, that is, Savior. And that was the name St. Joseph gave Him.
The second truth revealed to us by the sacred text is that Mary, in
whom the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is fulfilled, was a virgin before and during the birth itself. The miraculous sign given by God that
salvation had arrived was precisely that a woman would be a virgin and a mother at the same time.
“Jesus Christ came forth from His mother’s womb without injury to her maternal virginity. This immaculate and perpetual virginity forms, therefore, the just theme of our eulogy. Such was the work of the Holy Spirit, who at the conception and birth of the Son so favored the Virgin Mother as to impart fruitfulness to her while preserving inviolate her perpetual virginity” (“St. Pius V Catechism”, I, 4, 8).
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”.
K
kmmd
Guest
Thanks for the post. I have a question that was asked of me in relation to today’s reading and the name of Jesus. Specifically the question was asked like this: "Isaiah says ‘…the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel’…But she didn’t, she named him Jesus.
I read what you wrote, about God is with us, and I know that’s what Emmanuel means, but It is a bit troubling because, at least in my missal, it says she “shall name him Emmanuel” and then the Gospel today tells how the angel instructed Joseph: “You are to name him, Jesus”. I know that there must be some simple explanation which is obscured because of translations or something. But could you help me out? I had this conversation with my mother last night and I would love to get back to her with a satisfactory explanation.
Thanks so much
I read what you wrote, about God is with us, and I know that’s what Emmanuel means, but It is a bit troubling because, at least in my missal, it says she “shall name him Emmanuel” and then the Gospel today tells how the angel instructed Joseph: “You are to name him, Jesus”. I know that there must be some simple explanation which is obscured because of translations or something. But could you help me out? I had this conversation with my mother last night and I would love to get back to her with a satisfactory explanation.
Thanks so much
F
Fidelis
Guest
That’s a good question and one I used to ask myself. The Navarre Commentary above helps us with the answer:
So, the instruction given to Joseph by the angel is to make clear that the birth of Jesus is fulfilling the prophesy of Isaiah 7:14. Emmanuel who he is in his essence --God in the flesh – not, properly speaking, his personal name. Jesus (“God helps,” or “saves”) is his name and also describes what he will do, that is, save us from sin.
Hope this helps.
K
kmmd
Guest
Thanks so much for the response. I will pass the information on.
What joy it is to ponder these mysteries. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. How awesome is our God!
What joy it is to ponder these mysteries. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. How awesome is our God!
- Status