VIGIL:
Introduction: The scripture lessons for today focus on the first Christmas. In the first reading, Isaiah shows us the vindication of Israel by the Lord God. This vindication has found its fulfillment, for all of us, in the coming of Jesus as our Savior. In the second reading St. Paul recounts the history of God’s mercy to Isaiah, His chosen people. That mercy has culminated in the birth of Jesus, the Messiah Whom the Jews have been awaiting for centuries. The gospel explains the genealogy of Jesus, tracing His descent from David and His birth at Bethlehem as our Savior.
Exegesis: The genealogy of Jesus (Mt 1: 1-17): While Paul presents Jesus as a descendent of David in our second reading, Matthew traces Jesus’ genealogy from Abraham. This genealogy not only shows Jesus’ human ancestry, but also indicates that salvation history has reached its climax with the birth of the Son of God through the working of the Holy Spirit. Though we often skip over these lists of names, the gospel writers took great pains to compile the genealogies and to make several theological points in the process. Our Lord Jesus Christ was born of a line of ancestors whom Matthew arranges into three groups, of 14 patriarchs, 14 kings and 14 princes. The three groups are based on the three stages of Jewish history: i) the rise of Israel to a great kingdom by the time of David, ii) the fall of the nation by the time of Babylonian exile and iii) the resurrection of the nation after the exile. Strangely enough, the list includes a number of disreputable characters including three women of bad reputation: Tamar, Rahab and Bathsheba. Perhaps Matthew included these women in his genealogy to emphasize God's grace, to give us all hope, and to show us that Jesus is sent to save sinners. Thus, God's powerful work of salvation comes to us under the appearance of weakness. From the beginning, Matthew challenges our human expectations as to how God will fulfill our hopes for endless peace, justice, and righteousness. Luke shows us another example of this kind of challenge. The royal child, heir to King David's throne and bearer of wonderful titles, is born in poverty. He is laid in a manger because there is no room in the inn.
The three step marriage: Engagement, betrothal and marriage proper were the three stages of the Jewish marriage ceremony. The engagement was often made through the parents when the couples were only children. The betrothal was the ratification of the engagement into which the couple had previously (been) entered. It made the young man and woman husband and wife, legally married, but without cohabitation and conjugal rights for one year. The third stage was the marriage proper, which took place at the end of the year of betrothal. It was during the betrothal period that Mary miraculously conceived Jesus. The essence of Matthew's story is that in the birth of Jesus the Spirit of God is seen operating in the world as He has never done before.
Joseph the “father” of Jesus (Mt. 1: 18-25): While Luke's gospel emphasizes the role of Mary, Matthew brings Joseph to the forefront. Joseph is important to Matthew's Gospel, because Jesus came from David’s lineage through Joseph (1:1-17). The Davidic descent of Jesus is shown as both legal and natural. In other words, Jesus is descendant of Abraham and David not only by physical descent but also by God's supernatural action. The Davidic descent of Jesus is transferred not through natural paternity but through legal paternity. Matthew carefully constructs verse 1: 18 to avoid saying that Jesus was the son of Joseph. As Mary’s legal husband, Joseph became the legal father of Jesus. Later, by naming the child, Joseph acknowledged Him as his own. The legal father was on par with the biological father as regards rights and duties. Since it was common practice for couples to marry within their clan, probably, Mary also belonged to the house of David. Several early church fathers, like St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus, St. Justin and Tertullian, testify to this belief, basing their testimony on an unbroken oral tradition. Joseph is presented as a righteous man (v. 19), who obeyed God’s command rather than rigidly observing a law that would have required him to divorce Mary publicly. He resolved to divorce Mary quietly in order that he might not cause her unnecessary pain. In doing so, he serves as a model of Christ-like compassion. He also demonstrates a balance between the Law of Torah and the Law of Love. While Luke tells the story of the angel's appearance to Mary (Luke 1:26-38), Matthew tells us only that the Child was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
The divine intervention through the angel: Luke tells us of Mary's obedience (Luke 1:38) and Matthew tells us of Joseph's obedience. This is the first of three occasions on which an angel appears to Joseph in a dream. In each instance, the angel calls Joseph to action, and Joseph obeys. He is told not to be afraid of his fiancée's pregnancy, nor of the opinion of his neighbors, nor even of the requirement of the Torah that Mary be punished. He is not to hesitate, but is to wed Mary. "She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Mary's role is to bear a son, and Joseph's role is to name Him. By naming Him, Joseph makes Jesus his Son and brings Him into the house of David.
Jesus the Savior as the fulfillment of prophecy: The name, Jesus, is the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehosua, which means 'YHWH is salvation.' Just as the first Joshua (successor of Moses) saved the Israelites from their enemies, the second Joshua (Jesus) will save them from their sins. The Jews, however, did not expect a Messiah Who would save them from their sins, but one who would deliver them from their political oppressors. Matthew stresses the fact that the birth of Jesus as Savior is the fulfillment of a prophecy by Isaiah: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,' which means, 'God is with us.' “The fulfillment of the prophecy is important to Matthew’s first audience, Jewish converts, which is why he mentions the fulfillment of eleven prophetic statements about Jesus in his gospel. In the verse cited in Isaiah 7:14, the prophet spoke these words to King Ahaz in the eighth century BC. Jerusalem was under siege, and it appeared that both the city and the nation might be destroyed. Isaiah's prophecy was that a boy-child would be born and that, by the time he reached maturity, the threat from the enemy would have passed. We do not know that boy's identity, but the city and nation were both spared.
Emmanuel born of a virgin: The NRSV correctly translates ho parthenos as "the virgin" rather than "a virgin." In other words, the original uses the definite article. Isaiah referred to a young woman (almah), but Matthew's ho parthenos clearly refers to a virgin. That is why the Church has always taught Mary’s perpetual virginity. They shall name him Emmanuel,' which means, 'God is with us.' In Hebrew, El is a short form of Elohim, a name for God. Immanu-El, therefore, means "God with us," a meaning which Matthew spells out for non-Hebrew readers. Emmanuel is not a second name by which friends and neighbors will know Jesus. "Jesus" is Our Lord's true name and Emmanuel describes his role. Thus, Matthew begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus' name means "God-with-us." He will end his Gospel with the promise that Jesus will be with us "always, to the end of the age" (28:20).
Messages: 1) Look for Jesus in unlikely places and persons. During the Christmas season we, like the Magi, must give our precious gift, our lives to Jesus. We will learn to discover Him in the most unlikely places and in the most distasteful people – in those who are suffering or in distress, poverty or fear. The message of Christmas is that we can truly find Jesus if we look in the right places: in the streets, in slums, in asylums, in orphanages, in nursing homes, starting in our own homes, workplaces and town. We need to look for Him in people that we might otherwise ignore: the homeless, the sick, the addict, the unpleasant person, the rebel, or the person of different culture and lifestyle from us. True Christmas is about celebrating the coming of God among the poor, the homeless and the disadvantaged, with a message of hope and liberation for these sufferers in our world. It is about our responsibility to be part of that liberating process. It is about working to remove the shameful blot of poverty, discrimination and exploitation that is the lot of too many in our environment of prosperity. God challenges us to be like the shepherds who overcame their fear in order to seek out Jesus, or like the Wise Men who traveled a long distance to find Him. Then we will have the true experience of Christmas – the joy of the Savior.
2) Allow the Savior to be reborn in our lives. Let us remember the famous lines of Alexander Pope: “What do I profit if Jesus is born in thousands of cribs all over the world during this Christmas, but is not born in my heart?” Let us allow Him to be reborn in our lives during Christmas 2007 and every day of the New Year 2008. How should we prepare for Christ’s rebirth in our daily lives? As a first step, John the Baptist urges us to repent daily of our sins and to renew our lives by leveling the hills of pride and selfishness, by filling up the valleys of impurity, and by straightening the crooked paths hatred. Our second step in preparing for Christ’s rebirth in our daily lives is to cultivate the spirit of sacrifice and humility. It was by sacrifice that the shepherds of Bethlehem and the Magi were able to find the Savior. They were humble enough to see God in the Child in the manger. We too can experience Jesus by sharing Him with others, just as God shared His Son with us. Let us remember that the angels wished peace on earth only to those able to receive that peace, those who possessed the good will and largeness of heart to share Jesus our Savior with others in love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and humble service.
MIDNIGHT:
Introduction: The season of Advent is past and the period of anticipation is complete. Now it is time to commemorate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ which occurred some 2,000 years ago. Looking through the telescope of Christ’s resurrection, the New Testament authors as well as the Fathers of the Church reexamined the writings of the prophets to discover foreshadowings of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Today’s first reading is one of these taken, from the greatest of the prophets, Isaiah. The second reading, taken from the ‘pastoral letter’ of Paul to Titus, tells us that it is only by the saving power of God in Christ that we are enabled to live virtuously in the present with hope for the future. The gospel for the midnight Mass tells us how Jesus was born in Bethlehem and how the news of his birth was first announced to shepherd by the angels.
Exegesis: The origin of Christmas celebration: Many scholars believe that Christmas came to be placed on December 25th in order to counteract a pagan celebration called the Birth of the Unconquered Sun, a feast established by the Roman Emperor, Aurelian, in AD 274. Since December 25th was the date of the winter solstice (the year’s shortest day, after which the days begin to lengthen again showing the victory of the sun over darkness), it was chosen as the date of rejoicing. When Christianity was approved as the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Church chose this day to celebrate the birth of the true Sun – the Son of God Who conquers the power of darkness. Another theory gives Biblical support for celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December. It claims that the annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist to Zachariah occurred during the feast of Yom Kippur, around September 25th, placing the birth of John after nine months on June 25th. Since the angel tells Mary that Elizabeth is in the sixth month of her pregnancy, the Annunciation event and the conception of Jesus took place around March 25th leading to Jesus’ birth after nine months, around December 25th.
The Christmas event: While Matthew places the birth of Jesus against the background of Herod's reign, Luke places it against the background of the Roman Empire. It is generally accepted that Jesus was born in 4 B.C. Luke begins by making a subtle contrast between Caesar Augustus who failed as an inaugurator of peace, and Jesus the Savior and bringer of peace. Both Tertullian and Justin Martyr (c. 165) state that in their time the records of the 4 B.C. census still existed along with those of 28 B.C., 8 B.C. and 14 A.D. In the Roman Empire a census was taken periodically with the double object of assessing taxation and of discovering those who were liable for compulsory military service. Another hidden aim was to find out the true descendants of King David who had a claim to the throne as the king of the Jews. Luke’s purpose in mentioning the census was to provide God’s reason for, and means of, getting Mary and Joseph the eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, wherein the promised heir of David was to be born, as prophesied by Micah (5:1). Bethlehem was commonly thought of as the city of David because of David's birth and childhood there. Since travelers brought their own food, the innkeeper provided only fodder for the animals and a fire for cooking along with a spot to sleep within his walls. A manger is a feeding trough (food box) and it symbolizes the sacrificial meal that Jesus becomes, which provides sustenance for the whole world. Father Raymond Brown in his masterful book on the Infancy Narratives says that these stories are theologumena, not so much literal history but stories with a theological point – the other gratuitous and revolutionary impact of Jesus’ birth life and death. The important thing to remember is that they are stories of God’s love and Jesus’ role in history and that’s what counts, not historical details.
The First visitors: Since David was a shepherd, it seems fitting that the shepherds were given the privilege of visiting David’s successor in the stable. Besides, these shepherds were the ones in charge of the Temple sheep which were meant for daily sacrifice in the Temple of Jerusalem. No wonder, then, that these shepherds who looked after the Temple lambs were the first to see the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. Shepherding was a lonely, dirty job and shepherds found it difficult to follow all the obligatory religious customs. Hence, they were scorned as non-observant Jews. So Baby Jesus selected these marginalized people to share His love at the beginning of his earthly ministry. The shepherds expressed their joy and gratitude by “making known what had been told them" (v. 17). Just as very ordinary people later became witnesses to the resurrection, very ordinary shepherds became witnesses to the Incarnation. Other than the angels, they were the first to proclaim the Good News of Jesus' birth. Once we have been privileged to experience God's presence, we, too, have a responsibility to share that experience with other people -- to spread the word -- to proclaim the Gospel.
Good news of great joy: But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Since Luke was a Gentile convert, he establishes at the beginning of this Gospel that Jesus is for all the people -- not just for the people of Israel: "... a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord" (v. 11). The Romans thought of Augustus as savior. However, Augustus' peace was fragile. After his death, other men would assume power -- men like Nero and Caligula , whose names would be synonymous with treachery and cruelty. The angels introduced a different kind of Savior -- a Savior who would continue His saving work throughout human history. The Savior of the First Century is also the Savior of the Twenty-first Century. The Savior of Israel is also the Savior of the World.
Glory to God and peace on earth: The angels welcomed Jesus' birth singing: "Glory to God in the highest heaven" (v. 14). Later, the crowds would welcome Jesus to Jerusalem, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" (19:38). That peace is the shalom of God – life experienced in all its fullness, richness, and completeness in accord with the will of God. The angelic song conveys the message that true peace on earth is available only to those with the good will to receive it by doing the will of God, thus giving Him glory.
Christmas is not just one day, but a season which lasts for twelve days, concluding on Epiphany (12th night). The extension of the feast should remind us to continue to share our joy at the comings of the Messiah – the first some 2000 years ago, the last at the Parousia or “Second coming,” for which we all pray (Eucharistic acclamation – “Lord Jesus come in glory”), and all those occurring between the two, as we live our daily lives. As we celebrate the incarnation of the Word of God this Christmas, we might make a conscious effort, both to remember that Jesus is always with us in the Eucharist, and to share our joy in His presence with others.
Messages: Reserve a room for Jesus in your heart: Christmas asks us a tough question. Do we close the doors of our hearts to Jesus looking for a place to be reborn in our lives? There is no point in being sentimental about the doors slammed by the folk in Bethlehem, when there is no room in our own hearts for the same Jesus coming in the form of the needy. We need to reverence each human life, and to treat others respectfully as the living residences of the incarnate God. To neglect the old, to be contemptuous of the poor and to have no thought for the unemployed and the lonely, is to ignore those individuals with whom Christ has so closely identified Himself. Hence, we all need to examine ourselves daily on the doors we close to Jesus.
2) Experience Jesus the Emmanuel: The real meaning of Christmas actually is Emmanuel, God-with-us – God coming down to us; God coming alongside us; God seeking us out; God revealing Himself to us; God bringing us forgiveness, healing, comfort, moral strength, guidance. Each one of us has, deep down in our souls, an incredible hunger: a hunger for purpose and meaning; a hunger to feel and celebrate the redeeming, forgiving, sustaining love of God; a hunger to be in the presence of God. Christmas is special because it reminds us concretely that God is indeed with us. In every circumstance of life, even when we are frightened or lonely or in sorrow, God is with us. So let’s go home to the heart of Christmas and embrace Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
DAWN
Introduction: The main theme of this Mass at dawn is an invitation to enjoy, by a life of sharing love, the lasting peace and celestial joy brought by the divine Savior. St. John gives the main reason for our Christmas joy in his gospel (3: 16): “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that every one who believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life.” God showed His love for sinful man by sharing His love with us in the form of Jesus of Bethlehem Who, in turn, saved us by His suffering, death and resurrection. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah shows the Jews their God as a saving God Who will extend His redemption to His holy city. In the second reading, St. Paul tells Titus that God saves us through His Son Jesus, not because we have deserved it by our good deeds, but because of His mercy. Jesus continues His saving mission by allowing us to be reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, thus enabling us to become God’s children and heirs of eternal life. Describing the response of the shepherds to the angelic message, today’s gospel invites us to offer ourselves as a gift to Jesus, our Lord and savior, and to bear witness to Him through our lives, by sharing love with others.
Exegesis: The shepherds, the first visitors and the first missionaries: The orthodox Jews in Jesus’ time despised the shepherds because these men were quite unable to observe the ceremonial laws in all their details. In addition, shepherds had no spare time to take part in synagogue services nor to study Torah because shepherding was a full time job. These shepherds with whom Jesus chose to share His love on Christmas day might have been the special shepherds in charge of the Temple sheep which were set aside for the daily morning and evening sacrifice of unblemished lambs. No wonder their shepherds were blessed with the unique privilege of seeing the divine Child – ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’ They responded to this great privilege by witnessing to God, by praising God and by spreading the news of the birth of a Savior. “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen just as it had been told to them.” Christmas, the feast of Emmanuel – God is with us - challenges us to be like the shepherds who overcame fear to find Him, or like the Magi who traveled and searched for Him. We should have the generosity and good will to search for Him and find Him in unlikely places and persons. That is made possible for us only if we welcome Jesus of Bethlehem into our lives, by allowing Him to be reborn in us. Then we will have the real experience of Christmas – and the joy of the Savior.
The angelic choir and their angelic message: Normally, when a boy was born into a Jewish family, the local musicians congregated at the house to greet him with country music. Since Jesus was born in a stable, the angels sang the songs for Jesus that the earthly singers could not sing. The angels told the shepherds to rejoice because the Savior had come: Luke 2: 10-11: “Don’t be afraid. I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all people. This very day in David’s town, your Savoir was born – Christ the Lord." We rejoice today with those shepherds because we have a Savior who can free us from the bondage of sin. We have a Savior who liberates us from our slavery to impure, unjust and uncharitable thoughts, desires and habits. We have a Savior Who can, and will, release us from our evil addictions, heal our physical and mental diseases and free us from hatred, enmity, jealousy and bitterness.
Saviors and the Savior: History tells us that there has been no shortage of false liberators and pseudo-saviors, who have deceived generations of people all around the world. The Greek philosophers believed that education and knowledge would liberate the world. Later, rationalists like Voltaire and Rousseau taught that mere human reason, alone, provided an antidote for all human ills. Revolutionary movements, such as Communism, have offered mankind the dream of an earthly paradise. Today, many people advocate science as the solution for all human problems, while others turn to liquor, drugs or other pleasures to escape their troubles. Our century has witnessed the uncontrolled use of sex as a false liberating instrument, and Eastern mystical experiences and modern psychological techniques as routes to peace of mind and heart. Despite the claims of these various panaceas, however, the true remedy for our ills, as every Christmas reminds us, is Jesus, our divine Savior Who, alone, can give us both true liberation and lasting peace and joy.
"Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to those with good will." Christmas gives us the message of lasting peace, which we can possess only by sharing our blessings with others. This is the message contained in the celestial song of the angels, reported in Luke’s gospel: "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to those with good will." Christmas reminds us that God shared His love by giving us His Son. Hence we also must share our health, wealth and talents and other blessings with others. Just as Jesus shared His love with the poor shepherds and the humble Magi, we too are called to share our love with the less fortunate people around us. Sharing with love is the sign that one has the “good will” of which the angel spoke. The peace of Christmas is promised only to such large-hearted people, for only they are able to receive it.
Messages: 1) Be Christ-bearers and Christ-givers: Since it is Jesus Who gives real meaning to our celebrations Jesus must be reborn in us each time we celebrate Christmas. Hence let us leave a “room in the inn” of our hearts for Jesus to be reborn in our lives. Let us remember the famous lines of Alexander Pope: “What do I profit if Jesus is born in thousands of cribs all over the world during this Christmas, if He is not born in my heart?” So let us pray for the grace of Jesus’ birth in each one of us today, bringing us love, mercy, kindness and compassion to give away. Let us help all those around us to experience the newly-born Savior – Jesus within us - as sharing love in the form of compassionate words, unconditional love, full forgiveness, selfless service, merciful deeds and overflowing generosity.
2) Listen to God speaking to us every day and respond promptly as the shepherds did: There isn't one of us in this church this morning who hasn't had God speak to him or her in some personal way. It may not have happened as dramatically as it did with these shepherds, but God has indeed spoken to our soul and spirit. But, too often, we have chosen not to listen. Have we ever had an argument with a member of our family, and heard that inner voice deep down within us telling us to stop, and we knew we should stop? Have we ever had that same inner sense of knowing we needed to do something or to avoid doing something? That was the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us, the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Jesus our Savior. Whether or not we chose to listen in those cases really isn't the point. The point is that God has indeed spoken to us and He continues to speak to us right now. How are we going to respond? Will we respond as Mary did, as the shepherds did and as the magi did? Or not?
CHRISTMAS DAY
Introduction: While Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus goes back to Abraham, the father of God's people and Luke's genealogy of Jesus' ancestry goes all the way back to Adam thus embracing the whole human race, John goes back to God Himself. While the gospel selections for the Vigil, Midnight and Dawn Masses describe the history of Christmas, the selection from John’s gospel for this Daytime Mass lifts us out of history into the realm of mystery—His wonderful name is the Word. The reading tells us that the Baby in the manger is the Word of God, the very Self-expression of God. He was present at creation; He is actually the One through Whom all things were made. The prologue to the Gospel of John in today’s third reading, and the prologue to the Letter to the Hebrews in the second reading, are superb affirmations of the Person of Jesus Christ expressed in beautiful theological words and metaphors. The first reading gives us the assurance that, just as Yahweh restored His chosen people to their homeland after the Babylonian exile, Jesus the Savior will restore mankind to the kingdom of God. In the second reading St. Paul tells us how God Who had conveyed His words to us in the past through His prophets, sent His own Son so that He might demonstrate to us humans, by His life , death and resurrection, the real nature of our God. John's gospel gives a profoundly theological vision of Christ, the result of John’s years of preaching and of meditating on this wondrous mystery of God's love. While stressing the divinity of Christ, he leaves no doubt as to the reality of his human nature. In the prologue of his gospel, John introduces the birth of Jesus as the dawning of the Light Who will remove the darkness of evil from the world. He explains later in his gospel why light is the perfect symbol of Christmas: Jesus said “I am the Light of the world,” (Jn 8:12) and “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5: 14-16).
Exegesis: The paradox of incarnation: John the evangelist proclaims the incarnation of God, the most fundamental truth of Christianity, in the immortal words of his Prologue, making the connection between Jesus Christ and the Logos of God. Between the beautiful nativity stories of Matthew and Luke and the Gospel of John, there lies the great paradox of the Christian faith, the paradox of the Incarnation, the entering of God into the human story, in human form. The Prologue of John (1:1-18) can be divided into three sections: a) The Word's relationship to the Creator and Creation (1:1-5), b) The Word's relationship to John the Baptist (1:6-9) and c) The Word's relationship to the world (1:10-18).
The theology of the word made flesh: Within thirty years of Jesus' death the Christian faith had traveled all over Asia Minor and Greece and had arrived in Rome. By AD 60, there must have been a hundred thousand Greeks in the church for every Jew who had become a Christian. But Jewish ideas like the Messiah, the center of Jewish expectation, were completely strange to the Greeks. Hence, the very category in which the Jewish Christians conceived and presented Jesus meant nothing to the Greek Christians. So the problem which John faced was how to present Christianity to the Greek world around him in the Greek city of Ephesus where he lived. He found that, in both Greek and Jewish thought, there existed the concept of the “word.” For the eastern peoples, words had an independent, power-filled existence. The Greek term for word is Logos which not only means word, but also reason. Hence, whenever the Greeks used Logos, the twin ideas of the Word of God and the Reason of God were in their minds. That is why John introduces Jesus to the Greeks as the eternal, light-giving and creative power of God, or the Mind of God in poetical prose, in the very beginning of his gospel. In his Prologue, John deals with the major themes like the pre-existence of the Word, God/Word and Father/Son as distinctive but, at the same time, one; of Jesus as God, Life and Light; of the struggle between light and darkness; of the power of the light over darkness. According to John, the Word of God, Jesus, gives Life and Light. Thus John’s Prologue summarizes how the Son of God was sent into the world to become the Jesus of history, so that the glory and grace of God might be uniquely and perfectly disclosed. One of the Fathers of the Church (St Irenaeus) once said, “Gloria Deo, homo vivens,” (the glory of God is a person fully alive). If that can be said of any of us, how much more must it be true of the Word made flesh?
John the Baptizer’s role: John the Baptist renewed the prophetic tradition after Israel’s four hundred years without a prophet. Since his ministry was so powerful, some people thought of him as the Messiah. Hence John’s gospel makes a number of references to John the Baptizer always clearly establishing that he was subordinate to Jesus. He was not the Light, but came to bear witness to the Light (vv. 7-8). John's mission was to bear testimony to the Light (Jesus) -- to serve as a witness to the Light (v. 7). John died as a martyr because he showed the courage of his prophetic convictions by correcting Herod the king for his immoral life.
The Messiah rejected by his own people: “He came to what was his own, and His own people did not accept Him” (1: 11). Jesus “came home” where the people should have known Him. And it was the home folk, 'His own,' the Israelites, the chosen people, who did not receive Him. God had prepared them for centuries to receive the Messiah into their midst, but they rejected him. This rejection of the Word by Jesus' own people is restricted neither to the time of Jesus nor to that of the Fourth Gospel. Much of the world today is still in rebellion, “preferring darkness to Light, because its deeds are evil” (3:19-20). That is true of all of us at certain points in our lives, but we are not imprisoned in those moments. We can, as long as we are alive, turn to Him, repentant and believing, and become His own again. "But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God" (v. 12).
The Word became flesh and lived among us (v. 14): The Word becoming flesh is the zenith of God's revelation. God, Who spoke earlier through the prophets, now speaks through his Son (Heb. 1:1-2) and lives among us. The Word Who dwelt with God now dwells with “us,” becoming a human being like us and thus bridging the great chasm between God’s world and our world. Verse 14 declares that the God Who once dwelled among them in the Tabernacle and the Temple, now chooses to dwell among them in the Person of Jesus. In the Old Testament, Moses was not allowed to see the face of God. Now, however, we are allowed to see Jesus' glory -- and His face. Thus, the Father is fully revealed to us, because "Whoever has seen (the Son) has seen the Father" (14:9). The other Gospels depict the glory of God coming upon Jesus at the Transfiguration. John does not relate this incident, both because he sees the glory of God in all Jesus says and does, and because the hour for Jesus to be glorified is the crucifixion.
"We have all received, grace upon grace.” (v.16): The Word is full of grace and truth – attributes of God – attributes that the Word shares with God as the "Father's only Son" (v. 15). It is from this One Who is “full of grace and truth” that we receive “grace upon grace.” In other words, we draw grace from the total resources of God, an inexhaustible storehouse. Regardless of our need for grace, the supply is greater. Let us imagine ourselves standing on a sea shore watching the waves roll in. They come every few seconds, and the supply never fails. That is how God’s grace comes to us. Let us at this Christmas time try to count just some of those 'graces' showered on us. Verse 17 identifies the Word as Jesus: "The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The gift that is the truth surpasses and perfects the former gift of the Law given through Moses. Note the contrasts between Moses and Jesus: We received the law through Moses, but we receive grace and truth through Jesus Christ (v. 17). John’s prologue begins by declaring that that the Word was God (v. 1), and concludes (v.18), by proclaiming that the Son is God.
Messages: 1) A day to remember and a day to wait for: Today, while we remember and celebrate God’s first coming into our world in human form, we also look forward because the liturgy we celebrate reminds us that the Lord is going to return in his Second Coming. However, Christ is going to return, not as a Child but as a Warrior, a Judge, a mighty Savior. The liturgy calls on us to prepare His way, to be ready to be judged by Him. So we are looking back and remembering the past coming of Jesus as our Savior, and looking forward and preparing for His future coming in glory as Judge to reward and punish. In addition to these two “comings,” the Church teaches us that Christ is here now, Christ is present, Christ comes to us today, Christ comes to us every day. Christmas is actually a celebration intended to heighten our awareness of the fact that Christ has been born, Christ lives, and Christ is present now in our lives. Christmas reminds us, through the lives of the people in the Christmas narrative, of the importance of helping to bring about the presence of Christ in the world around us and of being sensitive to that presence when the Lord comes to us in the least expected people, and in unexpected places and situations. We are asked to inaugurate Christ’s kingdom in our lives by allowing Him to be born in us, by recognizing Him in others and by courageously going forth to build His kingdom of love, justice, peace and holiness in our world.
2) Remember that there is no room in the manger except for Jesus and you: There isn't room in the manger for all the baggage we carry around with us. There's no room for our pious pride and self-righteousness. There’s no room for our human power and prestige. There's no room for the baggage of past failure and unforgiven sin. There's no room for our prejudice, bigotry and jingoistic national pride. There's no room for bitterness and greed. There is no room in the manger for anything other than the absolute reality of who and what we really are: very human, very real, very fragile, very vulnerable human beings who desperately need the gift of love and grace which God so powerfully desires to give.