God’s Christmas Card
The Nativity of the Lord - Mass During the Day
Isaiah 52:7–10 / Psalm 98:3c / Hebrews 1:1–6 / John 1:1–18 or 1:1–5, 9–14
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Reflecting on the Word
By Rev. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R.
The beautiful feet of Isaiah’s messengers announcing peace and bringing glad tidings can seem distant from our lives. Living in the digital age can diminish any excitement at receiving a message, since they pour in all the time. E-mail, cell phones, and digital intersections like Facebook and LinkedIn bring instantaneous connection, obliterating time and space barriers once crossed by such “antiquated” forms as snail mail, the telegram, and . . . does anyone remember the rotary phone?
But still, at the heart of all communication is the word, and that is the image today’s readings present to us in speaking of the mystery of the Incarnation, our God becoming human. Luke’s baby of Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, is first presented in John’s Gospel as the eternal Word of creation, as life, as light shining in the darkness, as the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth, and finally, as the Word become flesh who dwelled among us, true God and true man.
Give yourself time over these days to ponder (a good Christmas word) not only the babe in the crèche but also the profound mystery of the Word of God in whom and through whom all things were made, this Word who became human, revealing the image of the invisible God. The human warmth Luke presents in his Bethlehem story is matched by John’s image of Jesus as the only Son, standing (as the New English Bible translation has it) “nearest to the Father’s heart.”
Consider/Discuss
- Do you think about Jesus as the Word of God, the Son “nearest to the Father’s heart”? What do these expressions say to you?
- How does the opening prologue of John’s Gospel speak to your life?
Responding to the Word
Eternal Word of the Father, you became human so we might become divine. Let your message penetrate deeply into our minds and hearts, and move us to bring your light and life into a world often threatened by darkness and death. Love us today into a new birth. Amen.