“Bethlehem-Ephrata! Least do they reckon thee among all the clans of Juda? Nay, it is from thee I look to find a Prince that shall rule over Israel. Whence comes He? From the first beginning, from ages untold! Marvel not, then, if the Lord abandons His people for a time, until she who is in travail has brought forth her Child; others there are, brethren of His, that must be restored to the citizenship of Israel. Enabled by the Lord His God, confident in that mighty protection, stands He, our Shepherd, and safely folds His flock; fame of Him now reaches to the world’s end…”
Prophecy of Michaeas, 5: 2-4 [link]
We can tell that we are near Christmas at last, because we have very unusually a bit of the prophecy of Micah (Greek, Michaeas), which is very significant to the Christmas story. If you remember, when those wise men of the East arrived in Jerusalem, expecting to find the newborn King of the Jews in Herod’s palace, a very confused Herod asked his scribes where the Child was to be born. They, just as confused, reached for this prophecy of Micah.
The reading is quite clear. Ephratha was the old name of Bethlehem – the ancestral home of King David. Writing long after the time of David, Micah is talking about God’s promise of a new David, Who would be born at the original David’s home town. And yet, shockingly, the new David has a more ancient origin, a very ancient origin. This new David is the moment when God enters history powerfully after a long period of abandonment – centuries of a prophet-less Israel. But then God arrives as a shepherd to reunite the separated clans of the nation – for Micah says that the remnant of the Jews will gather around him – and the Shepherd-King would even draw non-Jews into his union – for Micah says that he will extend his power to the ends of the earth and bring peace. It is no wonder Herod panicked and killed every young boy his soldiers could get their hands on – a worldly king with a limited rule under Rome like him could not tolerate being removed and replaced by a high-king of all Israel and of all mankind, born only a few miles down the road in Bethlehem.
“Give audience, Thou that art the Guide of Israel,
Psalm 79 [link]
that leadest Joseph with a shepherd’s care.
Thou Who art enthroned above the Cherubim,
reveal thyself to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses;
exert Thy sovereign strength, and come to our aid.
O God, restore us to our own;
smile upon us, and we shall find deliverance…
Long ago, Thou didst bring a vine out of Egypt,
rooting out the heathen to plant it here;
Thou didst prepare the way for its spreading,
and it took root where Thou hadst planted it,
filled the whole land.
How it overshadowed the hills,
how the cedars, divinely tall,
were overtopped by its branches!
It spread out its tendrils to the sea,
its shoots as far as the great river.
Why is it that in these days Thou hast levelled its wall,
for every passer-by to rob it of its fruit?
See how the wild boar ravages it,
how it gives pasture to every beast that roams!
God of hosts, relent, look down from heaven,
look to this vine, that needs thy care.”
The psalm this weekend is an ancient song of Israel, for the nation was the vine planted by the God the Shepherd and requiring His protection. Centuries later, He would stand among the people in the person of Christ and say, I AM the vine and My heavenly Father is the vinedresser, so stay attached to Me. The Gospel reading is extraordinary because the pre-born S. John the Baptist dances at the sound of the voice of the Holy Mother, just as we Catholics tend to dance with joy at news from the Blessed Virgin. Yes, of course, she was visiting S. Elisabeth pregnant and we have always spoken of S. John leaping at the presence of his pre-born Lord. But it is striking, that Luke speaks of Mary’s greeting, which at once furnishes us with some words for our Hail Marys, as Elisabeth exclaims aloud, Blessed art thou, and blessed the fruit of thine womb.
“In the days that followed, Mary rose up and went with all haste to a town of Juda, in the hill country where Zachary dwelt; and there entering in she gave Elizabeth greeting. No sooner had Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, than the child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth herself was filled with the Holy Ghost; so that she cried out with a loud voice, ‘Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb. How have I deserved to be thus visited by the mother of my Lord? Why, as soon as ever the voice of thy greeting sounded in my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed art thou for thy believing; the message that was brought to thee from the Lord shall have fulfilment.'”
Gospel of S. Luke, 1: 39-45 [link]
That’s all I have for this weekend. I wish you the very best for holy festival of the Nativity of our Lord. I pray that you will deepen your prayer, join your heart to His Sacred Heart, and let Him be born anew in the depths of your heart, making His home within you, and establishing peace with you forever.
Catholic Louth and Mablethorpe 