Preparing for the Historical Coming of Christ

The first focus of our preparation, during the Advent season, for the coming of Christ is on how we prepare for Christ’s historical coming into the world. This in a sense is not a real preparation at all, because Christ has already come into the world. However, we can prepare to remember the historical coming of Christ by focusing on the Gospels which recount the Christmas story. 

The Christian faith is founded in historical events in which God revealed himself to man. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the pinnacle of these historical events. We cannot understand our faith, if we do not understand what happened in the life of Christ. Therefore it is necessary to turn our eyes to the Gospels, part of the Sacred Scriptures, to become disciples of Christ. 

The Church gives us four unique Christmas Gospel readings. Each of these readings corresponds to one of the four different Christmas Masses. The Vigil Mass uses Matthew 1:1-25. The Mass during the Night uses Luke 2:1-14. The Mass at Dawn uses Luke 2:15-20. The Mass during the Day uses John 1:1-18. Most Church goers will only hear one of these four readings proclaimed, as most people only attend one Mass. Additionally, the Church allows pastors to use any of the four readings at Mass “according to the pastoral needs of each congregation.” Meaning even if you attend four Christmas Masses, you probably will not hear all four Gospel readings proclaimed. 

These prescribed readings can serve as our reading guide for preparing for Christmas. Try to set aside a few minutes to read each of these Gospel accounts. Begin with Matthew 1:1-25 which tells Matthew’s account of Jesus’s birth. If you struggle to read the genealogy at the start of this reading, then focus on Matthew 1:18-25 which tells the story of Saint Joseph and his role in the Christmas story. Next turn your attention to Luke 2:1-20 which tells the classic Christmas story focusing on the role of Mary and the visit of the shepherds. Lastly, take up John 1:1-18 which tells the Christmas story in a spiritual or mystical fashion. John can be the hardest of these Gospels to understand, but it gives us an insight into who Jesus is. 

In conclusion, let us always remember the words of the Gospel of John, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Photo: The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. 

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