Reading the selections from Scripture for today's liturgy I recalled a moment when a nephew was looking at several pictures put up for a family celebration. One was of yours truly atop the famous palomino horse that was dragged door to door for pictures with youngsters. The picture was taken in 1946. After his looking at the picture, the small house, the lawn that did not exist, I asked him "Do you think that was a future Lone Ranger atop the horse?" He stared a little longer and then replied, "Were you guys poor when you were little?" After attempting to tell him what life was like in Mt. Rainier, MD immediately after WWII, I was completely floored by his next question: "Who was the Lone Ranger?"
The readings today teach us much about Jesus, much we would never have learned had John not share with us his own faith experiences and the things he saw of Jesus in his later years. Surely John was not at Bethlehem ... nor were any of the other Evangelists.
Tradition, tradition, tradition has handed much of what happened that first Christmas morning. The early Christian communities, Mary and other OT writers provided insights for all who take the time to understand God speaking to us through the OT and NT authors.
If you stop and consider how the information was handed down to us, it is a remarkable faith that we have. Surely St. John would want us to see with the eyes of faith, helped by his writings. Knowing that what actually happened may have had a few different presentations over the years, we have Isaiah among several OT authors who foretold what would happen.
It is for us to use the writings of authors like St. John to strengthen our faith in the OT and NT writings.
