Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons - Catholic Preaching and Homilies The Great Reversal
Dec 28, 2003
The discussion reveals how the Christmas story challenges worldly values and invites us to follow a humble King born in a stable. The reference to Caesar Augustus serves as a pivot point, redirecting focus from power to the ordinary. Bishop Barron emphasizes vulnerability in Jesus' birth and how God's strength emerges in weakness. The angels' message to shepherds highlights Jesus' mission to the marginalized. Ultimately, the narrative calls us to embrace faith in the face of fear, showcasing a radical reversal of expectations.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Christmas As A Subversive Reversal
- The Christmas story is subversive because it reverses the world's values corrupted by sin.
- Jesus arrives to turn an upside-down world right-side up by embodying self-emptying love.
Power Is Not Where The World Points
- Luke begins by naming Caesar Augustus and Quirinius but then shifts attention away from imperial power.
- The Gospel redirects us to value ordinary people over worldly greatness as the locus of God's action.
Divine Power In Humble Weakness
- God reveals his power in humility: a newborn in a manger rather than an imperial palace.
- True divine power is self-emptying love that becomes weak to accompany and heal our frailty.
