Exclusively published to the Touchstone website each week, these Daily Reflections are brief commentaries on the lectionary readings contained in the St. James Daily Devotional Guide. The reflections are penned by Patrick Henry Reardon, editor of the Daily Devotional Guide and a senior editor of Touchstone. Father Reardon provides here a very brief directional clue for one of the readings each day. Long-time readers of the Daily Devotional Guide will find these reflections an additional help to their reading of Holy Scripture which they can print and keep with their Guide.

The Daily Reflections will be updated weekly.

Sunday, December 23

Matthew 1:1-17: One of the most striking features of this genealogy is indicated in verse 16. After fifteen verses tracing what one would naturally think to be the biological lineage of Jesus of Nazareth (very much like the various genealogies in the Old Testament), we suddenly learn that it is nothing of the sort. We are carefully and minutely instructed with respect to the biological lineage of Joseph, only to be informed at the last minute that there existed no biological link between Joseph and Jesus! There is a great irony in this legal – as distinct from biological – lineage. Supremely the Heir to God’s covenants with Abraham and David, Jesus is in no way dependent upon them. On the contrary, the final significance of Abraham and David is derived entirely from their relationship to Jesus.

Monday, December 24

Matthew 1:18-25: In today’s reading Joseph receives two commands that affect his legal relationship to Jesus: "Take to you Mary your wife" and "You shall call His name Jesus." In fulfilling these commands, Joseph establishes the legal relationship of King David to Jesus. It is for this reason that Joseph is here addressed as "Joseph, son of David"; this is the only instance in the New Testament where "son of David" refers to someone besides Jesus. Two other features of this text should be noted: First, the name Emmanuel, which is translated as "God with us," ties this passage to the very last verse of the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord’s promise to be with us always. Second, the expression "that it might be fulfilled," which here appears for the first of the eleven times that it is found in Matthew, more than in all of the other three Gospels combined.

Tuesday, December 25

Luke 2:1-20: This reading continues the theme of Jesus’ relationship to David. Both are born in Bethlehem, which is here called the "city of David." In the Old Testament this expression, "city of David," normally refers to Jerusalem, but Luke refers it to Bethlehem, in fulfillment of the fifth chapter of Micah (which we also read today). Bethlehem, which means "house of bread," becomes the birthplace of Him who came as the living bread from heaven. Luke’s final chapter, in fact, will speak of Christians knowing Him in the breaking of the bread, a deep reference to our Eucharistic meal. It is worth bearing in mind that the word "Christmas" means "Christ’s Mass," which makes the Church supremely "the house of bread."

Wednesday, December 26

Acts 7:59–8:8: In literally hundreds of sermons preachers have reflected on the propriety of celebrating this feast day of the Church’s first martyr on the day after Christmas (or two days afterwards in the Orthodox East). In fact, however, even before December 25 was observed as Christmas, Christians were already celebrating the martyrdom of Stephen in late December or early January. There appears to have been at Jerusalem a local tradition that Stephen was martyred during the winter that followed the spring of our salvation. Today’s reading points to the great missionary fervor poured out on the Church in heaven’s response to Stephen’s testimony.

Thursday, December 27

Matthew 2:1-15: Matthew’s Gospel contains "trial scenes" near both the beginning and the end. Indeed, the messianic trial before Pilate (27:11,29,37) already commences in today’s reading about Herod. Both trials have to do with ascertaining the true King of the Jews. (Herod, no son of David, was an Edomite usurper.) Gathered together with Herod we already see those who at the end will reject and condemn their Messiah – "the chief priests and the scribes of the people" (2:4). This is the first assembly of the Lord’s enemies. (They are the same folks that had Stephen killed yesterday.)

Friday, December 28

Matthew 2:13-23: By way of prophetic type in the Book of Genesis, it was the dreaming of a man named Joseph that originally brought the Chosen People into Egypt for their deliverance. That prophetic type is fulfilled in today’s Gospel reading, when another Joseph has a dream that results in his taking the Chosen People back to Egypt for their deliverance. According to today’s reading from Exodus (1:8-22), it was in Egypt that the little boys were sacrificed to the fears of a sinful king. This also happens in today’s Gospel.

Saturday, December 29

Deuteronomy 2:1-37: In this early part of his long, final discourse to the Chosen People (which is the bulk of the Book of Deuteronomy), Moses describes their lengthy wandering through the desert. The Bible has two "takes" on that 40 year period: First, it was "the best of times," in the sense that Israel was obliged to trust entirely in God, day by day. Second, it was "the worst of times," in the sense that Israel was repeatedly unfaithful to God and trying to the divine patience. This theological ambivalence (literally "double-meaning") of that period makes it an entirely appropriate symbol of our life in this world. One will find considerable reflection on this theme in the third and fourth chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews, which we will be reading over the next few days.

 

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