God is with us

Emmanuel - God is with us! 

We hear this often throughout the year and specifically during Advent that “God is with us” - but what exactly does it mean? 

It means God is present with us and for us. God is not absent or distant. God is close, always near, faithful and reliable. This is what it means. God is with us and among us as one of us - We are His people, the sheep of his flock (Psalm 98:1-3). 

In salvation history throughout the Bible you will see that there is a progression of God’s revelation of Himself to the Hebrew people. In Genesis the term used for God is Elohim - which is a generic term for god/deity coming from the Semitic root word El. For Abraham He was the family’s personal god called El Shaddai (Genesis 17:1 - translated in English often as God Almighty) who revealed that He is greater than other gods. Then through Abraham’s son Isaac and grandson Jacob, they continued the relationship with El Shaddai as their personal family God. But then God further revealed Himself to Jacob and renamed him as Israel, which became the name of the people descended from the 3 Patriarchs. Then with Moses, he was the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” who gave the Hebrew people a national identity through laws. But he further revealed himself even more personally as YHWH (Exodus 3:14), which means “I am who I am”. 

Later on the people and nation of Israel become a kingdom and under King David he is invoked as Yahweh Sabaoth - The Lord of Hosts/Armies (1 Samuel 17:45). He is the warrior God who defends and protects the kingdom of Israel and his annointed/messiah king David. 

Then in the New Testament we see that the “God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob” (Matthew 22:31–32, Acts 3:13) reveals Himself through the person of Jesus (John 1:14) the Messiah (Christ) to be the One True God of all peoples who will bring them into His family of the Church. God is now revealed as a trinity of persons - Father, Son & Holy Spirit who brings all people to Himself through Jesus and his eternal covenant (Matthew 26:28). These are the words we hear at every Sacrifice of the Mass as they are part of the words of consecration of the Eucharist. 

So in Jesus we know the Father and the Holy Spirit. God is so personal that He is Our Father (Matthew 6:9) who calls us his children (John 1:11-12). Jesus fulfills all the prophecies about God dwelling with His people (Exodus 29:45-46, Leviticus 26:11, Numbers 35:34, 1 Kings 6:13, Ezekiel 37:27, Ezekiel 43:7-9, Zechariah 2:10-11, Isaiah 57:15). 

The new Israel (which means People of God) is now the Church (Galatians 6:16). Just like Israel we have a Lawgiver greater than Moses, and a Messiah King greater than King David (Matthew 22:45) the Shepherd boy. We have the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) who is the greatest of all the prophets (Matthew 12:41, Matthew 17:1-5), who is greater than Moses and is the True Bread of Life greater than the manna in the desert (John 6:30-69). 

God IS with us. God is personally present to each one of us, living in us as His children. Even more than that we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and Jesus Himself said He would always be with us (Matthew 28:20). Jesus promised to be among us in our communal prayers (Matthew 18:20), that He and the Father would make their home in us (John 14:23) and that He is present in the “breaking of the bread” the Eucharist (Luke 24:35, John 6:53).  

This final week of Advent, take time to reflect on how and where God is present in your life. Spend some time in prayer or silence where possible. Read the Bible to understand more the biblical typology and prophecies fulfilled by Jesus and how this continues now in the Sacraments of the Church. 

Jesus wants you to be able to feel and see him, to taste him in the Eucharist so that with the eyes of faith we can can confidently say “God is with us!” (Romans 8:31)