The Christmas Gospel

In the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus the names of the historical figures Caesar Augustus, Quirinius and Herod stand out.  These men do not enter into the manger scene.  They generally escape our imagination and interest, even if they played significant roles in the ruling Roman Empire.  Yet the Evangelist, St. Luke, makes a special effort to link them to the birth of Jesus.  The references to these men ground the events of the Gospels in world history.  They emphasize the point that the birth of Jesus really happened, and it happened at a specific point in time, around the time of these rulers of the Roman Empire.  So the birth of Jesus is more than just a heart-warming story.  It is a world event.

​The names of Augustus, Quininius and Herod also hold a different, far greater significance in light of the Nativity of Christ.  Some years ago at the Synod on the Word of God a recent Holy Father indicated that the birth of Jesus is not simply another world event, but the event that gives meaning to all events.  He states: 
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“The history of salvation is not a small event, on a poor planet, in the immensity of the universe. It is not a minimal thing, which happens by chance on a lost planet. It is the motive for everything, the motive for creation. Everything is created so that this story can exist, the encounter between God and his creature.”   

When we celebrate Christmas and hear the account of the birth of Christ, may we be fully aware of how this is not just one more event in world history.  It is the climax that gives meaning to our lives, our actions and our events, as it does for all peoples and all times. 

​By: Fr. John Kohler