Christmas Day

Isa 9.1-7;  
Titus 2.11-14;  
Lk 2.1-14

Christmas is an occasion of great Christian celebration and its message is not only for today or the coming year, but for the whole of our lifetime. Indeed, the message will ring out until Christ comes again at the end of time.
The Scripture readings focus our thoughts. The prophet Isaiah promises that those who walked in darkness will see a great light, and that the coming Saviour will establish a kingdom of peace.  Saint Paul reassures us that the event we celebrate “has made salvation possible for the whole human race.”

 In the Gospel according to Saint Luke we have heard again the wonderful and moving story of the birth of Jesus Christ, the silent night, the poverty of the stable, the singing of angels, the adoration of the shepherds.

In the liturgy of Christmas we give special significance to a short phrase from the Profession of Faith: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.”

 We genuflect at these words, the Incarnatus of the Creed, which focus on our understanding of what was truly happening at the birth of the Lord.  The details of the Christmas Gospel illuminate the mystery that the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us”.  God himself entered the world in Jesus to share, to lift up, to include and to save humanity.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church sets out four main reasons why Our Lord was born for us, why the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  
 
First: “The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God, who loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation of our sins.”  Despite the best efforts of holy and devout people before the birth of Our Lord, human endeavour was fatally flawed by the effects of sin.  The people longed to draw closer to God, but humanity was separated from God as a result of human disobedience by Adam and Eve.  Every subsequent generation was bound to fail in its grasping for perfect unity with God.  God entered the world in Jesus Christ so that this ancient separation could be ended by Our Lord’s saving work.  We still have a tendency to sin, but Our Lord offers us the way out of sin and in to Heaven.
 
Secondly: “The Word became flesh so that thus we might know God’s love.”  The Old Testament writers often expressed their sense of God’s love and concern in moving words.  But we all know the proverb “actions speak louder than words” and with the Christmas message comes a real sign, a pledge we can grasp.  The Incarnation is not a concept.  The infant Christ, the boy Jesus, the suffering Saviour is not an idea but a person in history.
 
Thirdly: “The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness.”  The whole world is in debt to the teaching of Jesus; His words inform human society, setting out standards of life which many who never even pray still follow.  At present, society in many countries is in crisis.  In Bethlehem, there is no pulgrimage as a result of War, in other countries, we see a rise in divorce and family breakdown, the death of innocent babies in the womb, man’s grasping to take control of every aspect of human and natural life in genetic engineering, shootings in public arenas etc. It is our duty to recall men and women to the enduring and profound teaching of Christ, and the total integrity with which He lived what He taught.  We are challenged to live as much by what we say as Our Lord Himself did; to bring peace in the world.
 
Fourthly: “The Word became flesh to make us partakers of the divine nature.”  The Fathers of the early Church used to say, God became human so that we might be lifted up to God. Just as the sick touched Our Lord to seek healing, so in the Mass, those of us who receive Holy Communion will touch Our Lord.  Just as the world on the first Christmas Day was changed by the presence of God made man lying in the manger, so our lives are enriched when God enters our souls.  Heaven touches earth, God comes to us today, and if we open our hearts and trust in him we are changed, prepared, made ready for union with God.
 
These questions from the Catechism focus our minds, but they only begin to open up the riches of the Catholic Faith.  For two millennia the Church has reflected on the mighty works of God and sought to deepen her understanding of his actions and to tighten her hold on his great love.  Many have turned away, indifferent to that love.  But faithful Christians for twenty centuries have lived by their faith, grown in holiness and helped to let God’s voice be heard in the world and his saving work be made known.  
 
Today’s solemnity, therefore, reassures us that God is our Father, that Jesus Christ is our life, and that the Holy Spirit is at work in the Church and in the World.  To this one, God be glory today, in the coming year, and for all time and eternity. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Fr Joseph Osho