Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord-Christmas Day (ABC)

December 25, 2018 

Readings:

First Reading: Isaiah 52: 7-10

Psalm: 98

Second Reading: Hebrew 1: 1-6

Gospel reading according to John 1: 1-18

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Homily:

In the Book of Genesis, the first book of the bible, God said, “Let there be . . ., “and it was happened.  He used mere words in creating the sky above and the earth below.  He said, “Let there be . . . light, a vault of water, dry ground, vegetation, lights of the vault in the sky, the water teem with living creatures and birds fly above, living creatures according to their kinds . . . and mankind in our image, in our likeness. And God saw that it was good” (1:1-31).  All this happened in just mere words.  John, the Evangelist, used also this theme, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God” (Jn. 1: 1-2). Before anything else was the Living Word who were with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, for this Word is also God.  They already existed before any creation was performed.  The Word was with God, for It was God.

Because of this Word everything existed.  The creatures cannot exist without the Word.  “All things came to be through him and without him nothing came to be” (Jn. 1: 3).  The reason why every creature exists is because of the Word of God, who is God also.  Through Him everything exists.  Without Him nothing exists.  He must therefore exist so that everything might exist.  Through Him life came.  He gave life to all creatures that live. “What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn.1: 4-5). The life that was given to all creatures has light that shines in the dark.  It gives light and even darkness turns into light for the human race.  When the Word has come and gives light, the darkness in the world will be expelled and turn into bright light and it cannot hide from its darkness, it cannot win the light that comes from the light of the Word.

John, the precursor of the life giving light, came to prepare the way for the coming of the Word of God in the world.  “A man named John was sent from God.  He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.  He was not the light, but came to testify to the light” (Jn. 1:6-8).  John was sent by God to give testimony and life to the light so that many people will be enlightened by his testimony and believed.  John knew very well that he was not the light that gives life; he just came to point the giver of life of light to men and women, and then he decreased while the light of life increased.  The truth of the matter is that the Word, the life that gives light will come, and he is coming.  “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (Jn. 1: 9).  The dark world will experience true light when the Word comes into the world.  Everybody in the world will be brought to light.  The light was already in the world.  It shines in the life of all living and non-living creatures on earth.  Every day it shines its light to all.  But, not all in the world recognized the light, only few acknowledged him as true light.  It comes and goes, day in day out, but less see it.   “He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him” (Jn. 1: 10).  Though all things came through him but He was not known by it.  He came to his own, but they did not know him.  “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him” (Jn. 1: 11).  He was not even accepted by them, his own.  While others accepted Him for they knew him and recognized him.  “But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but God” (Jn. 1: 12-13).  Those who recognized him or made known him became children of God, especially those who believed in him through the power and initiative of God who introduced his only begotten Son to those who believed. 

When the time comes, in the fullness of time, the Word of God came into the world.  “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” (Jn. 1: 14).  The Son of God, the Second Person in One God was born and lived among men and women.  Those who saw him saw also His glory, full of grace and truth.  They can testify to its glory for they were eyewitnesses of his coming.

One of those witnesses was John the Baptist, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  When John was in the wilderness, in the River Jordan, he proclaimed the coming of the Messiah (Christ) and he testified it, for he saw the glory of the Son of God when God himself announced that, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him,” and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended upon him.     “John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said: The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me’.” (Jn. 1: 15).  John testified and cried out loud so that many could hear him, “This was he of whom I said,” he was pointing Jesus.  Jesus is the one who is coming after John, and he ranked ahead of him because he existed before him.

Jesus’ glory gives him fullness of graces and truth.  For from him, everyone receives grace upon grace. “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” (Jn. 1: 16-17).  Jesus is the giver of graces and truth as compared to Moses who gave only the law.   

One of these graces and truth is to see and know God.  But no can see God for God is spirit.   He has no body like ours. “No one has ever seen God.  The only Son, God who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him” (Jn. 1: 18). Only the Son, the Second Person in the Trinity, can see God for He came from Him and He is also God.  He can also reveal God to us if he wishes.  We only know God when the Son reveals God the Father to us and to those whom He wishes to know Him; this was his plan since time immemorial, since the beginning of the creation of the world.