Reading 1
Mi 5:1-4a
Thus says the LORD:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
and the rest of his kindred shall return
to the children of Israel.
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
and they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.
Reading II
Heb 10:5-10
Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.
Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll,
behold, I come to do your will, O God.’“
First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings,
holocausts and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in.”
These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, :Behold, I come to do your will.”
He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this “will,” we have been consecrated
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Gospel
Lk 1:39-45
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
Meditation: Micah 5:1-4
He shall be peace. (Micah 5:4)
For centuries Jews well versed in Scripture pondered Micah’s mysterious promise that someone would come from Bethlehem to “shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord” (Micah 5:3). Over time, Bethlehem, the City of David, became a place of hope, the place from which one who would “be peace” (Micah 5:4) would come.
How unlike the Bethlehem of today! The city that once witnessed the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is now a frequent witness to violence. Most recently, Arab-Israeli tensions escalated there in 2002 when Israeli soldiers entered Arab homes and houses of worship searching for Palestinian militants. This incursion prompted a group of militants to entrench themselves in the Church of the Nativity. Weeks of bloodshed and anxious negotiation followed until the situation reduced to its previous level of manageable tension.
In this holy season, as we look once more to Bethlehem, let’s pray for peace in that city. Imagine the effect it could have on the world if Bethlehem were to become a place of reconciliation and healing! Imagine the effect it could have on the centuries-long animosity between Jews and Christians and Muslims. Imagine the grace that could flow from there to the whole Middle East and beyond. As Pope Benedict XVI has often urged, we should “pray in a special way for the birthplace of our Redeemer and for the men and women who live and suffer there. Look, O Lord, upon this corner of the earth, your homeland, which is so very dear to you! Let your light shine upon it! Let it know peace!”
Let’s also pray for peace within our own homes—the little “domestic Bethlehems” scattered throughout the world. For if we can foster peace and unity at home, we can become powerful witnesses to the gospel. And Christ can be born in the hearts of all who are touched by our example.
“Jesus, Prince of Peace, reign in love over the place of your birth and all who live there! Bring an end to violence and hatred there, and fill it with peace instead.”
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