Christmas, hope and Emmanuel
20
Dec
All prefixes ending in el in the Jewish language
refer to God, Gabriel means “strength of God”, who was the angel who said to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…” (Lk 1:30-31), and Immanuel (Immanu’El) prophesied in the Old Testament and quoted in Matthew 1:23: “He will be called Immanuel which means, God with us”.
This is the name of hope for Christians, and despite the dark times: economic, social and political crisis, there is a horizon ahead where we can see a clearing, a new level of civilization beyond the current difficulties.
The presence and the fact that God has come to dwell among men is not just a historical and religious significance, it means that he has introduced and grafted onto human experience a new way of living, of looking at our fellow human beings (the dignity of the previous post) and of establishing peace among us.
The peace that gives us hope is different from the pax romana or the eternal peace of philosophy: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give it as the world gives it. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Jn 14:27), so we need the presence of Jesus to have this peace.
The civilizational milestone of 1 AD to 33 AD (the dates need to be corrected, as there is a lag in the Roman calendar), is a mark that begins a new stage in human life, where the civilization of love and harmony between people has already been announced.
The more a culture of love, hope and peace advances, the closer we are to the promised civilization, more than just a promised land, a land that can and must be extended to all of humanity, also longed for by thinkers such as Edgar Morin in his book “Fatherland”, a civilization and an earthly citizenship where everyone can live together and have hope.
Christmas is a truce, but it is also a sign of hope that peace will be established among men and that the divine will finally dwell fully among us: Maranatá (Maran in Aramaic is “Lord”, and ta is “come”).
