Au In the beginning was the Word
 

1.-       When we ask ourselves what the Gospel says about Jesus´ origins, we find out not to many data.  Mathew and Luke are more explicit and include the evangel of the infancy, that is not the case of Mark and John. Luke says that he had carefully gone over the whole story from the beginning (Lk 1,3). On his side, Paul prevents timothy before “fables and endless genealogies” (1 Tim 1,4; see 2P1, 16-19) and he presents Jesus on the human side, like “born of woman” (Gal 4,4), “a descendant of David” (Rom 1,3). In this catechesis we can discover what Mary treasured in her heart (Lk 2, 19)

2.-       The Gospel tells us that Jesus is not Joseph’s son and that this fact was a grave problem for the incipient family (Mt 1, 18 – 19). A message received in dreams enlightens Joseph’s dark situation, marked by suspicion and calumny: “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1, 18 . 20; see Dt 22, 20 and follow on). When the Scriptures tell that something has been made by God or by the Spirit of God certain mediations that perhaps we do not know because they were not known or because they are not communicated to us, are not excluded. What it is said is that Mary is full of grace, that the Lord is with her (Lk 1,28), that she is not an adulterer, that what she bears is a fruit of the Holy Spirit: “He shall be called Son of the Most High” (1,32).

3.-       About great personalities of the Old Testament it is said that they were a result of the action of God. Isaac (Gn 17,16), Jacob (25, 21), Samson (Jdg 1,37), Samuel (1Sam 1-2), John the Baptist (Lk 1, 12-17). Of course, in none of these cases is excluded the natural parents´ collaboration (see Heb 10,11). But the case of Jesus is specially meaningful: “See that the Virgin will conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuel, which means God with us”. (Mt 1,23) On her side, Mary undertakes the Word: “Let it be done to me” (Lk 1,38) She embraces it still without understand God’s plan: “How can this be if I am not a Virgin”. (1,34).

4.-       The evangel of the childhood tells us more things. It talks to us about Quirimus´ census (Lk 2, 1-3). From the Ancyra´s, To day’s Ankara, it is known that three census were made in the emperor Augustus´ time. One of these census took place between the years 6 and 8 B.C., and so – since Christ’s birth can be placed in the year 7 B.C. – evangel and historic data come together. And thanks to this census, thanks to this order of the emperor, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, where Joseph should register “since he belonged to David’s family” (Lk 2,4). The matter is not only legal. Jesus is also son of Joseph (2, 38), because he was born from his heart, although not of his belly. The order of the emperor of all the earth, served God’s plans , since -even being the emperor- he is under God. And he made it without knowing it, but if was the motive of that travel and Jesus was accidentally born in Bethlehem, what had a sense. All this is transmitted to us like history, like good news, in which God’s action appears, not  only like a Christmas story or like it were a lie.

5.-       The priests and masters knew it: Where is the Messiah to be born?. In Bethlehem of Judah, like the prophet said (Mt 2, 4- 6). His birth was celebrated like a history of salvation because in these events the accomplishment of the history was seen. These events were perceived like God’s work: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, said Mary (Lk 1,48). Luke does not talk about wise men, he talks about angels, God´s messengers and about shepherds who “kept watch over their flock by night: the glory of the Lord shining around them” (Lk 2, 8-9). Mathew talks about the wise men, although the matter could be interpreted like magic, fable or superstition. We can understand Luke´s decision to carry out a depuration of his story and narrate the event in another way. But, nevertheless, Mathew dared to write it down.: Where is the new born king of the Jews? We saw the rising of his star in the east. (Mt 2,2). In their way, the wise men saw accomplished their old hope: A star shall come forth from Jacob, he rises with a staff in his hand (Num 24, 17).

6.-       The astronomer J. Kepler formulated in 1606 a hypothesis, According to his computations, Jesus was born in the year 7 B.C.. By the way, in the ancient times the word magician meant also wise man, astronomer. But one thing is the astronomy and another one is the astrology, one thing is the science and another one the superstition. To day, with the facilities we have (planetariums, computers, … )(see simulation), we know that in the year 7 B.C. there was effectively a special phenomenon  like Kepler said: triple conjunction appeared the 12th of April and was repeated three times with culmination points the 29th of  May, the 3rd of October and the 4th of December.

7.-       Besides, the phenomenon could coincide with the main jewish feasts (Pasch, Pentecost, tents), the three peregrination feasts (to Jerusalem) that every jew know: Three times a year all men shall present themselves before Yahweh your God, in the place chosen by Him: in the feast of the unleavened Bread, on the feast on weeks and on the feast of Tents. And you shall not present yourselves empty-handed, but each one will offer in proportion to what he has (Dt 16, 16-17; see Mt 2,11). If that astronomic work, which to day can be reproduced in the planetarium, is superimposed over the evangelic passage, both agree perfectly. We are talking, don’t forget it, about a phenomenon that is repeated in several months time. When the wise men started his way to Bethlehem, the signal appeared again (new conjunction). The wise men were overjoyed on seeing the star again (Mt 2,10).

8.-       We can ascertain that the wise men were, like Daniel (Dn 4, 6), Jews of the Diaspora, no gentiles. Only some Jewish believers could perceive the signal that marked his way to Jerusalem. For any other people it was only an additional phenomenon, that – like it is known- was observed in the school of astronomy of Sippar in Babylon. Nevertheless, the wise men perceived it like a signal, like the Word of God. In fact the wise men saw a signal in his work, a signal shown high in the sky: the Heavens declare the glory of God (Ps 19, 2). The wise men perceived it clearly. Herod did not know it (Mt 2, 7).

9.-       When the wise men asked “where is the newborn king of the Jews?”(Mt 2,3), they placed themselves in the wolf’s mouth. At that time no births had taken place at the King’s home. Besides, like they would afterwards see, the expected king had no place where to be born, there was no place for him in the inn. (Lk 2, 7). The false king (the impostor, the foreigner, placed upon by the Romans) lived in a palace and the Messiah, the anointed by God, was born in a manger. But heavens sing in his birth the glory of God: Glory to God in the highest (Lk 2,14), say the messengers. Luke, who does not talk about the wise men, is invited to look at heavens, like Mathew. At the end, the wise men were God’s messengers; they announced Jesus´ birth.

10.-     In a dream they were warned not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their home country by another way (Mt 2,12). Jew historian Flavius Joseph reflects the repression of a very virulent messianic movement (year 6 B.C.) ordered by Herod (Mt 2,16), indicating that he punished with drastic measures such enthusiasms. (Jewish antiquities, XVII, 44 and follow on). He also gathers the popular rumor establishing God’s decision to end Herod´s dominion, since a divine signal had announced the arrival of a Jewish king (Jewish war 1, 117). Pagan writer Macrobio cited, about year 4 B.C., an Augustus allusion to the Herod´s killing: two years and under (Saturnalia V,2). Jesus parents had to emigrate (Mt 2, 14-23),. Herod died the tear 4 B.C due to a horrible illness, more and more virulent. God revenged his crimes (Jewish antiquities, XVII, 168 and follow on). Christian calendar establishes by the monk Dionysius, the year 525, presents a computation error of about 7 years, it is to say, Christ was born the year 7 B.C. Every thing is settled, the end of Herod too, cheated by the wise men: He has punt down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up those who are downtrodden (Lk 1,52).

            *Dialogue: Have we discovered what Mary treasured in her heart?