Contemplating today's Gospel
Liturgic day: Christmas: Mass at Midnight
There were shepherds camping in the countryside, taking turns to watch over their flocks by night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, with the Glory of the Lord shining around them. As they were terrified, the angel said to them, «Don't be afraid; I am here to give you good news, great joy for all the people. Today a Savior has been born to you in David's town; He is the Messiah and the Lord. Let this be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger». Suddenly the angel was surrounded by many more heavenly spirits, praising God and saying, «Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth for God is blessing humankind».
Comment: Mons. Jaume PUJOL i Balcells Archbishop of Tarragona and Primate of Catalonia (Tarragona, Spain)
«The Word was made flesh; He had his tent pitched among us» (Jn 1:14)
Today, with children's simplicity, we are considering the great mystery of our Faith. Jesus' birth emphasizes the arrival of the "Fullness of Time". As a result of the original sin of our first parents, the human lineage diverged from its Creator. But God, grieving over our sad condition, sent his Eternal Son, born from the Virgin Mary, to us, to redeem us from the slavery of sin.
John, the apostle, explains it by using expressions of great theological deepness: «In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God» (Jn 1:1). John names the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, as "the Word". And he adds: «And the Word was made flesh; He had his tent pitched among us» (Jn 1:14).
This is what we are celebrating today; this is why it is a great feast. We marvel at Jesus, newly born. He is a baby... but also, God All Mighty; He is God, but now, He is also one of us.
He has come to Earth to bring us back to our condition of children of God. However, we must welcome within us the salvation He is offering us. As St. John explains, «but all who have received him He empowers to become children of God for they believe in his Name» (Jn 1:12). Children of God! Let us prize this ineffable mystery: «The Son of God has become son of man, in order to make us sons of God» (St. John Crysostom).
Let us welcome Jesus, let us seek him: we shall find salvation, and the true solution to the problems of our world, only in Him; He only is giving us the ultimate meaning of life, of our pains and setbacks. This is why, today, I am proposing you: let us read the Gospel, and let us mull over it; let us try to truly live in accordance with the teachings of Jesus, the Son of God that has come into us. Only then, we shall realize that, together, we could truly build a better world.
