‘So all the generations…’Reflections on the Nativity Gospels, #3Matthew 1:1-17 As it turns out, the three lists of the ancestors of Christ that open the Gospel of Matthew are not merely endless, but rather endlessly fascinating. They are a keynote to Matthew’s...
“All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord…’’Reflections on the Nativity Gospels, #4Matthew 1:18-25 In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to...
‘We have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him’Reflections on the Nativity Gospels, #5Matthew 2:1-12 When the ‘fullness of the time had come,’ St. Paul tells us, God sent forth His Son (Galatians 4:4). The most impressive manifestation of Christ’s...
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah…’Reflections on the Nativity Gospels, #6Matthew 2:1-12 ‘A light for revelation to the Gentiles.’ So the elder Symeon called the baby Jesus as he held in infant in his arms (Luke 2:32). The clearest symbol of this enlightenment...
‘They rejoiced with exceedingly great joy’Reflections on the Nativity Gospels, #7Matthew 2:1-12 The Magi, or Wise Men, have always been a blessed part of the Christmas season, as well as enjoying a prominent role in Western religious art. Did Matthew perhaps have an...
