23rd December - O Emmanuel

This last of the O Antiphons is the culmination of them all. All the previous themes of the antiphons, wisdom and radiant light, kingly authority, and law, take on flesh in Emmanuel, the Incarnate King who will bring the salvation and liberation that previous antiphons have besought.

This antiphon calls out to “our King and Lawgiver.” This is very specifically meant to connect the long-awaited Messiah to Moses, the giver of the first law, and David, the great king of Israel. In very real ways, those two ancient men facilitated the salvation of Israel, specifically by fostering God’s presence with the nation. For example, while Israel prepares for entry into the Promised Land, Moses proclaims to them a message from God: “It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed” (Dt. 31:6-8;). King David also receives a message for the nation from God: “I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you...” (2 Sam. 7:9;). While God’s presence is real in these moments and situations, it remains spiritual. It remains something that can be difficult to define or grasp.

It is with the prophets that we see something new, something more tangible. In their messages we begin to witness the expectation of ‘ the one whom the peoples await,’ of an incarnate person bearing the Lord’s presence. Isaiah speaks to King Ahaz as follows: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel” – which means ‘God with us’ (Is. 7:14).

The prophet Zephaniah also speaks a message that describes several ways that God will be with his people and provide salvation:

“The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory.... Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise.... At that time, I will bring you home...when I restore your fortunes before your eyes...” (Zeph. 3:15-20).

As we have seen with all the other prophecies from the Old Testament, these messages are fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, the Incarnate Word of God. From St. Joseph’s dream, recorded in the first chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel, we learn that the Child conceived by the Holy Spirit is the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy of Emmanuel, God with us; and we learn that he is to be named Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt. 1:18-23). From the first moments of his public ministry, Jesus teaches that he has been sent “to proclaim release to the captives and...to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Lk. 4:18). As the Lord prepares to enter his sacred Paschal Mystery, Jesus tells his apostles of a new law of love and a new commandment that is fulfilled in laying down one’s life for another (Jn. 12:32-34; 13:34-35).

Ultimately, God’s revelation exhibits that He wants to be with us in our humanity, despite our sinfulness and waywardness. He wants to be with us so much that He takes on our suffering and death. Most importantly, He wants to be with us so much that He takes on human nature and is born in Bethlehem; as Emmanuel, God with us, the newborn King, and Giver of the New Law of Love.

May all of us be given the grace this Christmas to realise how much God is truly with us, enabling us to live to a greater degree this new law of Love.