When the angels went away from them to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this
thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went in haste and found
Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known
the message that had been told them about this child. 18 All who heard it were amazed by
what had been told them by the shepherds.
19 And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her
heart. 20 Then the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as
it had been told to them. 21 When
eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name
given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Shepherds had great symbolic value in the OT
(Psalm 23). After the angels had departed,
the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found the ‘sign’ exactly as the angel had
described. The shepherds told Mary and
Joseph what the angel had told them – that the infant was Messiah and Lord. This aligns with the prophecies conveyed by the
angel Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:31-33) and the declarations uttered by both Mary
and Zechariah under divine inspiration (Luke 1:68-79). Those who heard the shepherd’s
testimony about the Savior’s birth were astonished. Mary did not fully understand the meaning of
what was going to unfold and the significance of God’s action and reflected on the
words and events surrounding her son’s birth. The shepherds left Jerusalem filled
with joy glorifying and praising God.
As devout Jews, Mary and Joseph followed the
Mosaic Law and had their child circumcised eight days after his birth and named
him Jesus as instructed by the angel Gabriel before His conception. Circumcision was a requirement of God’s
covenant with Abraham in order to become a member of God’s chosen people (Gen.
17:9-10). Salvation came through God’s
chosen people. Obedience to the Law was
also a requirement for salvation. (Mt. 5:17-18). The infant was given the name Jesus which
means God saves.
Almighty God, through your grace may we understand
the profound impact the birth of your Son had on reconciling mankind to
you. Help us to live lives worthy of so
great a love. This we pray through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen!
__________________________________
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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