Repetition Leads to Faith

We should take notice when the Church repeats something. In the Liturgy, we repeat ‘Lord have mercy’ many times, along with other prayers. In the Scriptures, even the Holy Authors repeat stories within the text. So, when the Church repeats the same story over and over, we notice.

Today is the Fifth Day of Christmas and the Church is still celebrating. We celebrate by feasting instead of fasting. We also celebrate by retelling the story of His Nativity over and over again. Today’s repeat reminds us that He suffered like we suffer, and that the world is against Him.

BRETHREN, he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I, and the children God has given me. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Hebrews 2.11-18

When the wise men departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.” But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaos reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Matthew 2.13-23

Why would the Church dwell on the killing of children and the suffering of Christ? Why not just tell the story of His Nativity and the song of the shepherds? It is the repeat emphasis that is teaching us a lesson.

We’re supposed to see that our union with Him (see Hebrews above) and the world’s hatred from Him (see Matthew above) combine to deepen our faith. If the world hates God, it will hate us. That isn’t a threat. It is comforting news. We are in good company with God.

If all we ever heard from the Church is how the angels sang at His birth, we would wonder why our lives are so filled with temptation and suffering. If we only ‘saw’ the Magi giving Him gifts, we would forget that Herod tried to trick them into helping kill the Newborn Christ.

As I said on Christmas Day, God always gives us what we need to believe and follow Him. From the moment we are born and baptized, He is helping us to remain free from death. Just as He sent His angels to warn the Magi, He gives us His Church to warn us about the world.

Are we listening? We must learn to trust the Church and lean not on our own understanding. (See Proverbs 3.5) God can only protect us if we listen to His Church. Today, the Church is telling us something about faith. Are we listening?