God Alone Saves

In yesterday's first reading, Isaiah 7: 10-14, God asked Ahaz to ask for a sign. He refuses to do so, thought his kingdom is in great jeopardy. A foreign nation is about to attack Israel and destroy its treasured possessions.  Ahaz himself had given into to worshipping pagan idols, even sacrificing one of his children to a foreign god.  Israel deflected, as had Ahaz.  Part of Israel's history is deflecting to foreign gods, not trusting God on their way to the Promised Land.  As with Adam and Eve, the Israelites abandoned their covenant with God, but God did not abandon His covenant with them, or with us.  When things looked bad,. Israel lost faith. 


In yesterday's Gospel, Joseph is confronted with a situation that looks as though everything in his life had gone terribly wrong: Mary is pregnant.  Joseph plans to divorce her quietly, hoping, no doubt, that she will not be put to death, a practice in his culture in the case of a woman who conceives a child out of wedlock.  At night in a dream an angel appears to Joseph and, in effect, says to him: "You got it all wrong, Joseph.  Mary was not playing around with another man nor was she raped.  The child in her womb was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. That child is the Son of God assuming human form and He will save His people from their sins.  Do not be afraid to take Mary into your home as your wife."


You and I live in a world where everything seems to have gone terribly wrong. Pagan gods are worshipped everywhere, it seems and in every country of the world and every nation!  People seek salvation from their misery and emptiness in consumerism, materialism, power, prestige, popularity, wealth, relativism (anything seems to go--corruption, deception, violations of law). GOD ENTERS, as in Joseph's life and says to us:  "You got everything wrong. Turn to me and away from your idolatrous ways and thoughts.  As with Ahaz, our "cities," our "treasures" will eventually be destroyed. They have no power to save us. We have no power to save ourselves. Only God can save! And God comes to us, not in fire, not in an earthquake, but as an infant baby who wins the hearts of all, as does any infant.  God comes to us hidden in the consecrated host at every Catholic Mass. He comes to save us from ourselves, from our deception, corruption, selfishness, sinfulness. GOD ENTERS QUIETLY, HUMBLY, COMPASSIONATELY AND, DECEIVINGLY, WITH GOD-POWER TO MAKE US HOLY IN HIS NAME AND FOR HIS SAKE!