Day 31: No Other Savior

I'm Fr. Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast.
We're through prayer and meditation. The Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world.
The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 31.
To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R-I-Y to 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month.
It's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the podcast is in the Ascension app.
There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full rosary with myself and other friars. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap, follow, or subscribe for your daily notifications.
The third joyful mystery is the Nativity. Luke chapter 2 verses 1 through 20.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment when Quirinius was governor of Syria,

and all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee,

from the city of Nazareth to Judea,

the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,

because he was of the house and lineage of David to be enrolled with Mary his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night, and an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
And the angel said to them, Be not afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy, which will come to all the people. For to you is born at this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.
And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child.
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them. Today I'm going to be basing our reflection, called maybe a study, Luke's account of the Nativity.
It's going to be based a lot on the words of Pope Benedict XVI in his book, Jesus of Nazareth, the Infancy Narratives. Luke chapter 2, it starts out with this, right? In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.
Caesar Augustus was the Roman emperor from about 27 BC to 14 AD. And he's perhaps most famous for establishing what is called the Pax Romana, like the peace in the Roman empire.
And Luke says that Caesar Augustus decreed that all the world should be enrolled. All the like who is Caesar Augustus to proclaim something for all the world and this is what Pope Benedict explains that at this time the Roman Empire government like it spans the globe and uniquely there is a like a profound expanse of peace common law universal language And Pope Benedict is saying that this is going to

point to like the fullness of time. Now, Caesar Augustus came to have some of the characteristics or people treated him in some ways, spoke to him in some ways as a god.
Augustus means, one worthy of adoration.

And Caesar Augustus was called

Savior. He's called at as a God.
Augustus means, you know, one worthy of adoration.

And Caesar Augustus was called savior.

He's called a redeemer by some of the Roman people.

So there's this worldly sense of Augustus

being a type of messianic figure.

And this is going to be really important.

And Caesar Augustus, he's going to proclaim

that all the world should be enrolled.

His enrollment is a listing of people and property for the purposes of tax assessment and military conscription. The Jewish people couldn't be drafted into the Roman army.
So there's this focus on this, what we call like a Roman tribute, which is like heavy taxes. And this is something that the Romans would do both as a way to demean the people that they have conquered, but also for a revenue stream.
And it's this really kind of painful reminder to the people of Israel, to the Jewish people of Roman rule. Now, Joseph, he has to be registered to kind of respond to and to be obedient to what the emperor is asking.
He has to go to Bethlehem of Judea. Bethlehem is a small city about seven miles south of Jerusalem or 90 miles from Nazareth.
But Bethlehem is going to be really important. Okay, so Bethlehem is prophesied about by the prophet Micah.
This is Micah chapter 5 verse 2. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
And what Pope Benedict XVI is getting at in this laying out of the natural kind of context,

the historical world realities, the great power and the rule of Caesar Augustus and him calling

for this tax, this tax, which is again, it's this way of demeaning and using the people of Israel.

But it is through this, these world events that Joseph and Mary end up in Bethlehem. And it's upon their arrival here that Jesus is born in Bethlehem.
And the prophecy of Micah is fulfilled. And what Pope Benedict is pointing out and what he's saying that Luke, theist is pointing out is this is yeah there's all these world affairs happening but the king of them all the one who is above them all and working through them all is actually God there can be this move and think okay well this thing is happening that thing's happening It seems like there's no rhyme or reason to it.
It might even seem to be a departure from God or an obstacle to God and his plan. But what God is revealing is that he is ultimately the king.
It is he himself who is ultimately in control of human affairs.

There's nothing that can be happening that God can't use and respond to.

We see this again in his fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus being born in Bethlehem.

We'll see this in Jesus saving us through his obedience at the cross.

There's all of these people in charge

who think they're really the ones in power.

But what God is revealing is that he is God.

There's no other savior.

There's no other king.

There's no other redeemer, but God.

Ultimately then, the invitation is one of trust, of surrender. Before going and praying with this, a couple other notes I think of interest.
Referring to the angels saying, glory to God in the highest. Pope Benedict says this, and I think it's super beautiful.
It says, Also speaking about the shepherds, Pope Benedict says that the shepherds are at the bottom of the social ladder. They received low wages, and many of the religious Jews consider them dishonest and outside of God's covenant.
But it's these shepherds to whom God sends the angels to bring to announce the birth of the newborn king. And Pope Benedict says this about the shepherd, they represent the poor of Israel, the poor in general, God's first love.
And I think that's really beautiful. You know, before we bring it to a close with prayer, like, let's just think about like what you would be thinking if you were in Joseph's situation and you have Mary and she's, you know, nine months pregnant.
And now you're being called by this Roman emperor, this emperor who's conquered your people and who imposes this heavy burden, particularly this tax on you and the people.

Like, what would you think about that?

Like, how much would you push back on it?

How much would you kind of struggle with being open to God working through this situation?

And yet again, God is in fact the higher power using and at work in human affairs and so he fulfills prophecy i think it's just a good invitation to faith and good invitation to surrender as life happens as work happens as our boss gives us jobs as as perhaps you know of living or rent increases. So we have to look to move somewhere else.
Like, can we be open to maybe not God causing all of these things to happen, but God being able to use it all? That God sees what we can't see. And he has a power that we do not have.

So can we surrender all things that are happening,

even the human stuff,

even the things that seem like totally remote from God or even opposed to God?

Can we see these still as opportunities

for God to break into our life

and for him to bring about his perfect plan in our life?

So let's ask for the prayers of St. Joseph.
Let's ask for the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us ask for the grace of a radical surrender and confidence in God and his perfect providence.
Let us pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. All right, everybody, thanks for joining me and praying with me again today.

I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

All right, bye, friends.