SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

Isaiah 52:7-10

Psalm 97:1-6

Hebrews 1:1-6

John 1:1-18

AND GOD BECAME MAN

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. On this day, we celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation: God has become one of us, the Eternal Word of the Father has become flesh and he lives among us; and we have seen his glory as the only Son of the Father (John 1:1-18). 

In effect, God had spoken to our ancestors in various and fragmentary ways, says the second reading. But in our time, he has spoken to us through his own Son, Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1-6). Thus, in this newly born Baby, lying in a manger, we contemplate God. In this little child, we see the radiant glory of God, the perfect copy of God Himself. The Invisible God has become visible. Christmas, therefore, is not the celebration of the birthday of Jesus, where we will be adding a year to his age each time we celebrate Christmas; otherwise Jesus will be too old with time. 

Christmas is rather the celebration of God’s love for us, when he left his abode to make his home among us. God wanted to be with us. He wanted to identify himself with our human condition, marked with frailty, struggles, suffering and death. He wanted to take what is ours to himself so as to give us what is his: “To those did accept him, he gave power to become children of God”.

This is the great Good News to the world of today; and we are the heralds of this Good News. We are to share this good news of peace, joy and hope to all (cf. Is. 52:7-10). This is the Good News we must carry to our world of fragile peace and broken promises. This is the good tiding we must bring to the world stricken by the covid-19 pandemic and many other social ills. This is the good tidings we must proclaim to our brothers and sisters through concrete and simple gestures of love and compassion. 

I wish you, therefore, a Merry Christmas. May the New born King reign in your heart and let his light be in your life. May he bring you a breakthrough and give you peace, joy, success and good health. Amen

Merry Christmas !!!