PEACE ON EARTH TO MEN AND WOMEN OF GOODWILL
There is no doubt that Christmas is a festive celebration of peace on earth to men and women of goodwill. This is the most beautiful declaration of the angels to the humble shepherds on the night of Christmas. When heaven and the earth were united at the birth of the Saviour and the Prince of Peace. The angels sang beautifully to the whole wide world: Glory to God on High and peace on earth to men (women) of goodwill.
Christmas is a feast of joy, happiness, rejoicing, grace, glory, love, mercy and peace. It is a feast that invites and challenges us to embrace in our hearts and lives. These are loving qualities lacking in the world. The beauty of Christmas is when it is celebrated and lived within joy, love and peace. These are the greatest gifts of God to us.
THE CHALLENGE OF JOY, PEACE AND LOVE.
It is a strong, religious, Christian philosophy of mine. There is no joy and peace in our hearts, lives, marriages, families, societies and the world. It is because justice is lacking in our conduct and relationship. Equally, if there is no justice, it is all because there is no truth in our hearts and lives.
This is best articulated by Pope Paul VI, in his message at the celebration of the day of peace, January 1, 1972. When he affirmed, if you want peace, work for justice. Concretely, it could be paraphrased to mean also that, if you want peace, fight for justice. We all desire peace for ourselves. We all want peace in our hearts, lives, communities and world. Yet, peace is alluding us all for lack of justice in our lives, conducts and dealings with each other.
CONDITIONS OF THE WORLD WITHOUT PEACE AND LOVE
There is best way to put the conditions of our world more than an advent song in Spanish with the first stanza which goes like this, el mundo muere de frío, el alma perdió el calor, los hombres no son hermanos, el mundo no tiene amor. The song has a chorus that goes like this, ven, ven Señor no tardes, ven ven que te esperamos, ven, ven Señor no tardes, ven pronto Señor.
The literal translation of this song is that: the world dies of cold. The soul (human) lost heat (love), and men(women) are not brothers (sisters). The world does not have love. The chorus goes this way, come, come, Lord, do not delay, we await your coming, come, come to Lord do not delay, Lord come soon.
Tragedically, more than two thousand years after the first coming of the Lord. The world lacks love, joy and peace still. The hearts of men are frozen with a lack of empath, love, and peace and filled with hatred and wickedness.
OUR THEME
The principal theme of Christmas is God with us: Immanuel. This immanence of God through the mystery of the incarnation. This is a story of love. It is only the mystery of love that creates closeness. That also demonstrated attraction and self-emptying as God did through Christ. The God of Christmas is love. 1 John 4:8.
The implication of this is that God is with us. He is eminent in our hearts and lives than anywhere else. The fullest of the revelation of God is through the mystery of the incarnation.
The tones of the readings are of joy, peace, good news, and salvation. They also present fulfilment of grace, mercy and forgiveness. There is also a theme of glory, light, truth and the defeat of darkness and untruth.
FIRST READING: ISAIAH 52:7-10
The birth of Christ is the great good news ever proclaimed to the world. The prophecy of Isaiah describes it as how beautiful are the footsteps of those who are heralds of the good news of salvation, joy, peace, and comfort.
The Christmas peace and joy cannot be hidden but announced, cry out, or sing on with a sense of overwhelming enthusiasm.
PSALM 98
This great joy and peace is the salvation of God which is also his liberation. Hence, the psalmist invites us to proclaim with joy and gladness. That all the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
We are encouraged to sing out the Christmas joy through songs and praises.
SECOND READING: HEBREWS 1:1-6
Christ birth at Christmas is the fullest of the revelation of God to humanity. The whole history of our salvation is God revealing Himself to us.
However, the peck of this divine revelation is the mystery of the incarnation: God becoming man and dwelling among us: Immanuel. The truth is that the humanness of God was to uplift us to his divineness in Christ Jesus. The apex, the accumulation and the fulfilment of human history and its salvation.
The basic idea of this letter is that Jesus Christ alone brings men to the fullness of the revelation of God. And that he alone will enable them to enter into his very presence.
This passage tells us six great things about Jesus:
(i) The original glory of God belongs to him. Here, the glory of God consists not in crushing men and reducing them to abject servitude. Instead, it is in serving and loving them, and in the end, dying for them. It is not the glory of shattering power but the glory of suffering love.
(ii) The destined empire belongs to Jesus. The early Christians and Church never doubted the eventual victory of God and his kingdom of love, grace, justice and peace.
(iii) The creative action belongs to Jesus. The early Church held that the Son had been the central agent of the creation of God.
(iv) The sustaining power belongs to Jesus. These early Christians had a tremendous grip on the doctrine of providence.
(v) To Jesus belongs the redemptive work. That is, his sacrifice, Jesus paid the price of sin. Through his continual presence, he liberates himself from sin.
(vi) To Jesus belongs the mediatorial exaltation. He has taken his place on the right hand of glory. He is there, not as our judge but as one who makes intercession for us in the presence of God.
THE GOSPEL: JOHN 1: 1-18
The gospel of John presents with a higher theological image of Christ. In this text, we see the evangelist John beginning his gospel with the basic conclusion of the Synoptic gospels. He assumes the divinity of Christ from the onset of his gospel. It is a conclusion Mark, Matthew and Luke came to acknowledge at the end of their gospels.
The animal that represents the gospel of John is the eagle. The eagle has the sharpest and piercing eyes that see far and penetrate from the sky. In the same way, the gospel of John sees far and beyond the other gospel: the divinity and Godhead of Christ.
These are the fundamental teaching of the gospel of John 1:1-18.
The Eternal Word of God became man in the person of Christ and dwelt among forever.
The Word pre-exists all things. And it is the creator of all things.
The Word is both life and light of the world and for all men and women of all ages.
There is a hostile dark to the light and truth. As men and women of darkness prefer dark to light. For John, a Christless life is a life in the dark.
John the Baptist is not only the witness to Jesus Christ, the light of the world. We all are witnesses to Christ by the standard of our lifestyles.
Christ is the light that enlightens all men and women. The light that darkness can never overcome.
There is an unrecognition and rejection of Christ-Light by men and women who wants to live in darkness.
However, to everyone who recognized and accepted Christ as the Way, Truth, Life and Light: they received the privilege of becoming children of God.
In the mystery of the incarnation, Christ, the living Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. This is the peck of the Christmas mystery.
Through Christ Jesus, there is inexhaustible fullness of grace upon each one of us. Mercy and truth are found in this inexhaustible grace of God.
Finally, the fullness of the revelation of God is in the Incarnated Word, Jesus Christ.
This biblical text gives us a vivid picture of Christ coming into the world and the full implication of his coming for us. In the mystery of the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. God is not a distant, unknowable, invisible, and unreachable God. The solemnity of Christmas proves that God can never be a stranger to us again.
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS
Are you herald of joy, peace and love at this season of Christmas and beyond?
Are you spiritually prepared to celebrate Christmas with Jesus, Mary and Joseph humbly and peacefully?
Is Christ incarnated in your life to bring forth peace, joy, goodness and grace?
OUR PRAYER
Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may
share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love to all. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing Christ brings and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children. And Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
