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“Particularly at Christmas, we read or listen to the Gospel infancy narratives of Jesus’ birth romantically through our childhood experience. Luke and Matthew wrote them for adult Christians in their communities. We must read or listen to them and reflect on them through the lens of our adult experience, relating them to our faith, charity, hope, and the challenges of Christian life.”
Father Eugene LaVerdiere’s above words express the sentiment of his book, The Firstborn of God: The Birth of Mary’s Son, Jesus, Luke 2:1-21. LaVerdiere presents a liturgical analysis of the Lukan birth narrative, thus “rediscovering” the story of Christmas for an adult audience. It unveils the mystery of the Passion, death, and Resurrection as key to understanding the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ. We tend to experience the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth separate from his death and Resurrection. However, as LaVerdiere demonstrates, we not only celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas, but his entire life. By meditating on Christ’s birth, we recognize that “the Passion and Resurrection bring out the full meaning of Jesus’ birth.” This discovery connects us to the rich tradition found in the Gospel stories. In The Firstborn of God: The Birth of Mary’s Son, Jesus, Luke 2:1-21, LaVerdiere relates this message in an accessible yet sophisticated manner and once again illustrates the significance of the Gospels in shaping our theology and our spiritual lives.
