BISHOP ROBERT BARRON: The mysterious fourth Christmas story of heaven battling evil

There are 3 well-known accounts of Christmas successful the New Testament. We person St. John’s austerely metaphysical mentation ("The Word became soma and dwelt among us."). And we person the much narratively dense tellings successful the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Unique to Matthew is the notation to the Bethlehem star, the massacre of the innocents, and the sojourn of the Magi. And peculiar to Luke are mentions of the census, the stable, the swaddling clothes, the shepherds and the angels. Most of us, erstwhile we ideate oregon picture Christmas, negociate to mash unneurotic Luke’s and Matthew’s renderings. 

But determination is simply a 4th Christmas communicative successful the New Testament, though it is seldom appreciated arsenic such. Found successful the twelfth section of the publication of Revelation, it makes nary notation to shepherds, Magi, oregon swaddling clothes, but it does talk of a commencement and of a dragon. The portrayal of Christmas successful the Revelation is not abstractly metaphysical but it is not straightforwardly communicative either; rather, it is highly symbolic and apocalyptic. One mightiness accidental that it is the presumption of Christmas from God’s perspective, from the highest imaginable constituent of vantage.  

Chapter 12 of the publication of Revelation commences arsenic follows: "A large portent appeared successful heaven: a pistillate clothed with the sun, with the satellite nether her feet, and connected her caput a crown of 12 stars." Catholic interpreters person consistently work this fig arsenic the Virgin Mary, and this is confirmed by what comes next: "She was large and was crying retired successful commencement pangs, successful the agony of giving birth."  

Here is the Blessed Mother, summing up successful her idiosyncratic the full past of Israel (hence the 12 stars, suggestive of the 12 tribes), astir to present the long-awaited Messiah. But past we perceive of an opponent, a cosmic foil: "Another portent appeared successful heaven: a large reddish dragon, with 7 heads and 10 horns."

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We should sermon the 4th notation of Christmas successful the Bible -- successful Revelation. (iStock)

The intent of this fearsome beast was wholly malevolent: "the dragon stood earlier the pistillate who was astir to carnivore a child, truthful that helium mightiness devour her kid arsenic soon arsenic it was born." We are meant to spot thing of bonzer value successful this atrocious threat, namely, that the accomplishment of the Son of God is met with tremendous absorption by the acheronian and fallen spiritual powers.  

Jesus represents God’s rescue operation, his effort to acceptable close his fallen creation. And this means that those forces, some disposable and invisible, that person a vested involvement successful maintaining the satellite arsenic it is volition spell to immoderate magnitude to halt him.  

With this interpretive cardinal successful mind, we tin work Luke’s much acquainted relationship with caller eyes. Mary and Joseph are making their mode to Bethlehem, not of their ain accord, but due to the fact that a domineering emperor has ordered a census of the full world.

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When they travel to the inn seeking shelter, they are turned away. The newborn kid is wrapped successful swaddling clothes, which the fathers of the religion work arsenic an anticipation of the burial cloths that will, immoderate 30 years later, wrapper his dormant body. He is laid successful a manger, the spot wherever the animals eat, for helium will, astatine the decision of his life, connection his assemblage and humor successful atonement for sin.  

Within days of his birth, his parents tone him away, for Herod is desperately trying to termination him. In a word, the Christmas communicative is not a charming communicative that we archer to children; instead, it is redolent of the large spiritual struggle, the warfare betwixt bully and evil that plays retired successful arenas some seen and unseen.  

Does each of this permission america frightened oregon discouraged? Absolutely not — and the 4th Christmas communicative makes this plain. We perceive that the pistillate clothed with the prima gave commencement to "a antheral child, who is to regularisation each the nations with a rod of iron." Instead of being consumed by the dragon, helium is snatched distant and brought to the throne of God. The meaning is clear: this kid volition triumph the large war; done him, God volition reconstruct his creation; by him, God volition found his regularisation successful the world.

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We are past told that aft the babe is taken away, "war arose retired successful heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels fought backmost but they were defeated." The babe king masters the acheronian powers. 

Jesus represents God’s rescue operation, his effort to acceptable close his fallen creation. 

And present fto america look again astatine Luke’s account. The evangelist tells america that an angel appeared the nighttime of Jesus’ commencement to shepherds keeping ticker successful the field. As is typical, the absorption to the manifestation of this other-worldly powerfulness is fear. Then, appearing with this fearsome world is "a multitude of the heavenly big praising God and saying Glory to God successful the highest."

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The Greek word rendered present arsenic "host" is "stratias," which means "army." Our words "strategy" and "strategic" travel from it. Mary and Joseph were compelled to spell to Bethlehem due to the fact that of an bid fixed by the antheral with the biggest service successful the world, but the heavenly service of the babe king is acold greater, acold stronger.  

C.S. Lewis understood this dynamic precise well, which is wherefore helium commented that God came into the satellite the mode helium did — quietly, unobtrusively, arsenic a helpless kid — due to the fact that helium had to sneak clandestinely down force lines. We are each beset by evil successful its assorted forms, wickedness that we tin spot and wickedness that we cannot see. We each consciousness threatened by the dragon. The bully quality of Christmas is that the victorious king has arrived, and truthful we don’t person to beryllium afraid. 

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