25 December 2017 - in the flesh

Readings for Mass During the Day (Audio)

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

Jesus was in the beginning with the Father. Before creation was brought forth or earth given its form he is God without beginning or end (see Psalm 90:2). It is this eternal and unchanging God who promises to dwell with his people. 

My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (see Ezekiel 37:27).

He promises to restore all things directly, before our very eyes. What can this mean? This is more than the shekinah cloud of glory. He was present in varied ways throughout history. But none of them were like this.

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways 
to our ancestors through the prophets; 
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son, 
whom he made heir of all things 
and through whom he created the universe,
who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,

What the cloud of glory may have hinted at now has a sharp definition, solid lines, and tangible presence. Unexpectedly, those lines are the outlines of a newborn baby. They are the lines that let him be held and touched by his mother Mary. The are the outlines that allow us to receive him in the Eucharist. The eternal God becomes one of us. It is with this concrete nature of our religion that people who prefer to be purely spiritual struggle. By its very nature it forces us to choose one thing over another and to say that one way is right and others are not. But this is what our hearts long for. Only in this concrete specificity can the longings of our hearts truly be fulfilled. 

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only Son,
full of grace and truth.

Through him we have access to grace which mankind only ever saw from a distance before this blessed morning.

From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses, 
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Let us come to the manger. Let us worship the Word made flesh. The world longed from his coming, whether we realized it or not. He is come! Let us adore!