Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Today, eight days before Christmas begins, the Church begins the “O Antiphons,” popularized in the Advent hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." Sung as the antiphon each evening before praying Mary’s Magnificat, the “O Antiphons” also serve as the gospel acclamation for Mass. The antiphon each day celebrates the fulfillment of the messianic hopes of the Old Testament, and our hopes, all fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Today, we sing “Come, O Wisdom!”
The readings today highlight how God’s Wisdom is often counter to what we expect, and yet it fulfills every hope we have. Judah is described like a lion in today’s reading from Genesis - a lion able to devour prey, to rule by might, and worthy of homage. Through Judah, the hope for peace will be fulfilled. And yet, and yet! We have already heard from the prophet Isaiah this Advent, who tells us that on God’s holy mountain, the lion will lie down with the lamb! Yes, our hope for peace will be fulfilled, but it will be unexpected. It will not be the peace brought by the might of a lion whose teeth and claws and sheer strength arm him to do harm in order to create a fearful peace. No, in words often repeated by Pope Leo, the peace brought by the savior will be an “unarmed and disarming peace.” Our hope for peace will be fulfilled in God’s Wisdom, which surpasses our own.
The gospel reading today traces the genealogy of Jesus, pointing us to the fulfillment of the promise that a savior would come from the lineage of David and that all of Abraham’s offspring will be blessed. What we would not expect, especially in Matthew’s day, is for women to be included in this lineage, nor would we expect that some of those women included in the lineage of the savior would be Gentiles. The blessing of a savior will not come from the lineage of men and women, because women matter, too. And yes, the savior is of the lineage of David and Abraham, but also includes Gentiles, those who are not Jewish. Our hope for the recognition of the full humanity of all women and men, the full humanity of every culture and race, our equal creation in God’s image to be seen and named, is alive in Christ.
Today, we celebrate the coming of Christ, God’s Wisdom Incarnate. Today, let us open our eyes to God’s Wisdom, which surpasses our human patterns of logic. In what ways today can you welcome God’s Wisdom by living and practicing an unarmed and disarming peace? In what ways today can you welcome God’s Wisdom by receiving and celebrating the gift of each person as made in God’s image, inclusive of their gender and their culture?
Come, O Wisdom!
—Kelly Adamson