Did you know that Jesus’ birth and visitors are only contained in two of the four gospels? Those known as Matthew and Luke. Mark and John do not mention Jesus’ conception or his early years.
Luke and Matthew provide very different details about Jesus’ birth. For example:
In Charlie Brown’s Christmas, Linus reminds his friends about the true meaning of Christmas and quotes the Gospel of Luke beginning with “And there were in the same country, shepherds….” He is quoting Luke’s gospel and exemplifying Luke’s message.
The Wise Men following the star are only found in Matthew’s gospel. Traditionally, their arrival is celebrated today – on January 6. In the US, some Churches celebrate it on the second Sunday after Christmas which for us is January 7. Register to celebrate the Wise Men and their gift of discernment at Mass with Rev. AndreaGrace on Zoom tomorrow Sunday, Jan 7 at 4 PM ET. Register here.
Over time, we have conflated the story – combining them – to make them one story.
Rev. AndreaGrace wrote a paper on Charlie Brown and the “Infancy Narratives” while in seminary. You may read it here.
Hope to see you at Mass tomorrow!
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