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Theology and history, he explained, are not mutually exclusive (or contradictory) categories. If God exists, he is the Lord of History, and history cannot be reduced to the accumulation of political, economic, and military data. If God exists, then his purposes may be fulfilled in families as much as in armies.
Mary’s virginal motherhood is a sign. It is not, however, a statement against the goodness of sex, as some heretics later claimed it was. It is rather a guarantee of God’s fatherhood—God is the only possible father of Jesus—and at the same time it is recognition of Mary’s special status as the mother of the Messiah. She was, as such, a vessel of the divine. Her body was, in a sense, like the golden vessels dedicated for Temple service. It was forbidden to use such chalices and plates at even the most dignified royal banquet. Likewise, her womb, having borne the Savior, could not return to
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This is a hallmark of biblical religion. God’s people interact with angels. And we have to ask ourselves: Why are these scenes in the Bible? Why did God inspire the sacred authors to include so many conversations between human beings and angels? The Christian tradition is clear about the matter: the biblical figures model what the Church calls devotion to the holy angels. We live with the angels as friends. Mary and Joseph model such devotion for us.
Where God abides, the angels worship. Where two or three are gathered in Christ’s name, God abides, and the angels worship. Where there is a marriage bond, there is God—within that family sacramentally—and there the angels gather and worship. In such a family, every day can be an occasion for experiencing the joy of Christmas.
