First of all, at that time the land now known as Israel was divided into two kingdoms, a northern kingdom called Israel and a southern kingdom called Judah. The northern kingdom joined with Syria to conquer Ahaz’ southern kingdom of Judah. Together they laid siege to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, and Ahaz, in his panic, turned to the larger power of Assyria to help him resist his aggressors.

That’s where Isaiah comes along and offers a sign that everything will turn out well if Ahaz relies on God rather than on a foreign power. Ahaz refuses such a sign, but Isaiah gives him the sign anyway, telling him that “A young woman shall conceive and bear a son called Immanuel,” meaning “God is with us.” This young woman is the king’s wife and the birth of a son means that Ahaz will be assured of descendants. In other words, he will not be conquered and his family, the house of David, will continue to live on.

And in reality that family line did continue down to Jesus, who. as Paul says. was a “descendant of David” and is the true “Immanuel, God with us.”

That prophecy about the young woman is what the gospel of Matthew applies to Jesus’ mother Mary, interpreting the word for “young woman” as “virgin.”

You know the rest of the story: how Joseph intended to withdraw from this holy event until a messenger from God assured him that God wanted him to be involved in the event in order to connect Jesus with the family line tracing back through the kings to David, the first of them all. This is why the gospels refer to Jesus as “Son of David” and “King of Israel.”

So much for an understanding of today’s Bible readings. Now I want to ask about your preparation for Christmas. I don’t mean putting up a Christmas tree or buying presents or practicing Christmas songs. Those are things we all do at this time of the year. But why do we do those things? It’s to prepare for the great event of Christmas Day. I don’t mean just recalling that day when Jesus was born in a stable 2000 years ago. We commemorate that every year at Christmas. Rather, our inner preparation for Christmas should be such that Christmas Day carries over into every day of the year. Jesus came to us then so that he can be with us now.

Every day of the year is the day when Jesus wants to be born in our hearts so that God can truly be “with us.” Every day of the year is a day when Jesus wants us to be born with him as children of the Father and brothers and sisters of one another. That inner birth is the only secret to true peace in the world.

In this year’s Message of Peace, Pope Leo “invites humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice.” This peace, he says, “must be unarmed, that is, not based on fear, threats or weapons. … And it must be disarming, capable of resolving conflicts, opening hearts and generating mutual trust, empathy and hope.… It is not enough to call for peace. We must embody it in a way of life that rejects every form of violence, whether it be visible or systemic.”

I pray that we will all be filled with the peace brought about by the greatest Christmas gift of all time—God’s gift to us of his only Son, our Lord Jesus: “God with us.”

Robert Chiesa, SJ