The Prophecy Fulfilled

In his plays, William Shakespeare often used prophecy as a literary device. One of his characters, hearing some prediction about the future, would be influenced by it, often indirectly bringing the prophecy to fulfillment by their choices. For example, in the tragedy Macbeth, the title character commits murder in order to become the king of Scotland. Macbeth’s bold wickedness is partly fueled by his belief that he is invincible, because a prophecy had told him he could not be harmed by anyone born of a woman. Only too late does Macbeth learn that his main adversary Macduff was born via what we would call Caesarean section, and thus he meets his demise at Macduff’s hands.

In our second reading today, we heard Saint Paul also refer to a prophecy: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” This is a prophecy of hope not foreboding. But like the prophecies in Shakespeare, it too is fulfilled in a very surprising way.

As a good Jew, Paul knew about all of the promises God had given to the people of Israel, the covenants made with Abraham, with Moses, and with David. Paul and other Jews of his time expected God to fulfill these covenants by sending the Messiah, the one who would redeem Israel and usher in the kingdom of God. What Paul did not expect – what no one could have expected – was that God would do this by sending his own Son, by being born into history through a woman, sharing in our humanity in all things but sin.

Marianne Stokes, Madonna and Child (1905)

On this Octave day of Christmas, we have the chance to reflect upon this mystery again – not in the abstract, but in the real and the personal. In Jesus, God has given us something much more precious than just general forgiveness of our sins. He has given us Mercy made in the Flesh, Salvation made Incarnate. Mary is the first one, as we hear in the Gospel, to reflect upon this reality. She “pondered” upon the birth of Jesus, and all of the events surrounding it, and “reflected on them in her heart.” No doubt she understood how the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to her, made through the angel Gabriel, but also the fulfillment of all of his promises made to mankind. Jesus is the answer from God to every question of life, to every longing of the human heart. God makes known his definitive self-revelation not in a decree, or a pronouncement, or a rule, but in a person. His Son has been born for us in time so that, crying out “Abba, Father!”, we may become sons and daughters of the One who exists from all time.

God’s revelation of himself in Jesus should spur in each of us a double reaction: first to really understand this Good News, and then to share it. In both of these responses, Mary is our model. The Christian cannot really properly follow Jesus without an interior life, without taking time to ponder God’s mysteries and especially how the salvation of Jesus impacts me directly. This son, born of a woman, is also God’s Son, come for my salvation. The prophecies of ancient history are fulfilled in him, and in him, I have come into communion with the one true God. This is a very important point to grasp. Jesus has come for me, to save me from my sins; he is the visible fruit of God’s love for me.

With that deeper appreciation of God's love – not just for all of humanity, but for me personally – we then are called to share it. It may not be immediately clear how Mary is a model of this as well until we realize that all of the stories of Jesus’s birth and infancy could only have come to us through her own telling. Mary is the first evangelist – the one who reflected upon God’s Good News in Jesus not just for her own sake but for the sake of others. We too must share with others the fruit of our own faith: sometimes through explicit evangelization – whether faith sharing or encouragement or generosity of heart – but probably more often through the example of daily prayer, faithful engagement with the sacraments, a joyful and peaceful spirit, and actions motivated by the love that God has shown for us. Now more than ever, we have to rediscover our identity as Christians: how our belief in the love of God made visible in Jesus must be a point of differentiation for us from the rest of the world.

My friends, as we begin a new year, as we continue our Christmas celebrations, let’s take time to ponder – as Paul did, as Mary did – how God’s ancient promises have been fulfilled in a marvelous and unexpected way. Jesus is the prophecy fulfilled – not in an abstract way, but in a personal, intimate one, in a way more marvelous than even Shakespeare could have devised. May this Eucharist help us to reflect more fully on this mystery of our salvation and make us ready to share it anew.