The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to take a moment of calm and contemplate how our faith, hope, and love is grounded in the Word that is Flesh.
The Prophet Isaiah proclaims Jerusalem Redeemed.
* [52:7–10] God leads the people back from Babylon to Zion, from whose ruined walls sentinels greet the returning exiles. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 52, n.d.)
Psalm 98 praises the Judge of the World.
* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). (Psalms, PSALM 98, n.d.)
The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews declares God Has Spoken by His Son.
* [1:1–4] The letter opens with an introduction consisting of a reflection on the climax of God’s revelation to the human race in his Son. The divine communication was initiated and maintained during Old Testament times in fragmentary and varied ways through the prophets (Heb 1:1), including Abraham, Moses, and all through whom God spoke. But now in these last days (Heb 1:2) the final age, God’s revelation of his saving purpose is achieved through a son, i.e., one who is Son, whose role is redeemer and mediator of creation. He was made heir of all things through his death and exaltation to glory, yet he existed before he appeared as man; through him God created the universe. Heb 1:3–4, which may be based upon a liturgical hymn, assimilate the Son to the personified Wisdom of the Old Testament as refulgence of God’s glory and imprint of his being (Heb 1:3; cf. Wis 7:26). These same terms are used of the Logos in Philo. The author now turns from the cosmological role of the preexistent Son to the redemptive work of Jesus: he brought about purification from sins and has been exalted to the right hand of God (see Ps 110:1). The once-humiliated and crucified Jesus has been declared God’s Son, and this name shows his superiority to the angels. The reason for the author’s insistence on that superiority is, among other things, that in some Jewish traditions angels were mediators of the old covenant (see Acts 7:53; Gal 3:19). Finally, Jesus’ superiority to the angels emphasizes the superiority of the new covenant to the old because of the heavenly priesthood of Jesus. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John we proclaim The Word Became Flesh.
* [1:1–18] The prologue states the main themes of the gospel: life, light, truth, the world, testimony, and the preexistence of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Logos, who reveals God the Father. In origin, it was probably an early Christian hymn. Its closest parallel is in other christological hymns, Col 1:15–20 and Phil 2:6–11. Its core (Jn 1:1–5, 10–11, 14) is poetic in structure, with short phrases linked by “staircase parallelism,” in which the last word of one phrase becomes the first word of the next. Prose inserts (at least Jn 1:6–8, 15) deal with John the Baptist. (John, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
Candice Tucci, O.S.F. reminds us to reflect upon our beginning with gratitude being one with a God who loves us so greatly chose to become human and enter into our human experience.
This great feast day of the Incarnation, Christmas, lives on in and through each of us. It does when we give witness to Christ Jesus’ Word, his presence in our world today. We too, through our actions can give birth to Jesus in a struggling world. May we see, hear, speak, and live as Jesus taught, so that the Christ, the New Creation, may come to fullness. Christmas IS a new beginning celebrating Christ the New Creation. (Tucci, n.d.)
Don Schwager reflects on The Word that Became Flesh and Dwelt among Us.
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:1-18 comments that today can be a noisy day. We’ll be making a joyful noise as we sing “Glory to God in the Highest” and “Joy to the World” at Mass. Many of us will be part of the controlled chaos involved in unwrapping gifts and coming together for family celebrations. Who knows? We may hear as many as forty or fifty thousand words today! Of course, this is right and good. But at the center of it all is Jesus, the Word of God who came to speak life, healing, joy, and peace into our world.
As noisy as today may be, make sure you set aside time to sit quietly and listen for Jesus’ voice. Welcome him into your heart. Let him share the good news of salvation with you. Let him tell you again that he loves you.
“Jesus, Word of the Father, come and speak your words of grace and peace to my heart.” (The Word That Became Flesh, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler shares comments on the Nativity.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes intimacy with God as a loving “yes” to Divine Presence.
Some mystics have described this Presence as “closer to me than I am to myself” or “more me than I am myself.” Many of us would also describe this, as Thomas Merton did, as the True Self. Yet it still must be awakened and chosen. The Holy Spirit is totally given and given equally to all, but must be consciously received, too. The Presence needs to be recognized, honored, and drawn upon to become a living Presence within us.
From this more spacious and grounded place, one naturally connects, empathizes, forgives, and loves just about everything. We were made in love, for love, and unto love, and it is out of this love that we act. This deep inner “yes” that is God in me, is already loving God through me. [1] (Rohr, 2022)
We are invited in the celebration of Christmas to experience Peace and Joy and to extend them to those we encounter today.
References
Hebrews, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 25, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/1?1
Isaiah, CHAPTER 52. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 25, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/52
John, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 25, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?1
Psalms, PSALM 98. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 25, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1
Rohr, R. (2022, December 25). We Are the Beloved — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 25, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/we-are-the-beloved-2022-12-25/
Tucci, C. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 25, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/122522.html
The Word that Became Flesh. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 25, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/25/567007/
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