Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012

For the world about us, Christmas has ended. It began the day after Thanksgiving, and it ended on Christmas Day. For us, however, the Christmas Season began on Christmas Day, and it will continue through January 13^th, the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. Accordingly, whereas the world is beginning a new shopping cycle, we are entering ever more deeply into the mystery of Christmas.

The mystery of Christmas is the mystery of the Incarnation: the mystery of the Word made Flesh. This mystery is revealed at the very outset of the Gospel according to John, when the Evangelist writes: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14).

Reflect for a moment on this mystery. The eternal Word of God—God—entered the world in which we live by taking the form of human flesh. This means that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man. Jesus of Nazareth was a human being like us in every way, except sin. He felt our emotion and pain; he felt our suffering and disappointment; he fully shared in our human nature. But Jesus was not merely a human being; he was the incarnate Son of God. To see Jesus, then, is to see God. To hear Jesus is to hear God. To be in Jesus’ presence is to be in the presence of God.

The mystery of the incarnation is so profound that we can never fully comprehend or understand it. This is why we celebrate Christmas over a period of several days rather than on a single day. It takes time to appreciate the mystery of Christmas. It takes time to grasp the enormity of God’s gift. It takes time to reflect upon and enter into the mystery of Christmas.

For us, the Christmas season has only begun. Tuesday we celebrated the Solemnity of Christmas. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. Tuesday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Mary (New Year’s Day). Then we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, and finally the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. All of these days enable us to reflect on the mystery of Christmas—the mystery of the Word made flesh, the mystery of the incarnation.

Don’t be fooled by the world about you which is already dismantling its Christmas decorations to make room for the next big sale. Enjoy this season; enjoy this time when we reflect on the mystery of the Word made flesh. For, if the eternal Word of God was made flesh in Jesus Christ, the world about us has been sanctified. God’s creation is good and holy because the eternal Word of God has entered into our domain. The eternal Word of God has shared in our life.

For us who believe in the mystery of Christmas—the Incarnation—there is no room for doubt and despair. There is no room for pessimism. The world, in which we live, God’s good creation, has been sanctified and made holy by the appearance of God’s Son in the flesh.

Merry Christmas
Father Matera